Hello, This Santoku seemed like a decent knife. I am not real knowledgeable, but I have seen the Damascus pattern on other nice knives. As you can see it has some bad bends to it, and it is misshapen. Does anyone recognize the maker? Thanks
Is this Santoku worth Saving, Anyone know who made it?
- Thread starter Joyner
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oh WOW. I wonder what that knife's story is. I'm not the most knowledgeable knife repairer, but here is my take on it:
Possible, yes. Worth it? Phew.
Financially - never, unless the maker is someone famous
I have no idea who made it. If you enjoy that type of work, why not?
- The bend It should be quite difficult to straighten that out again, but if you want to, doable.
- The bevel: Looks like it has been sharpened with a power tool. I wonder if the heat treat is ruined on the knife? If not, then it will be quite a bit of work to put a nice edge on it, and thin it out behind the edge. But doable.
- The surface: The rest of the damage is mostly cosmetic if you ask me. I'd probably keep it as scars of a harsh life, but if you do all of the above, you might as well resurface it, and possibly re-etch to bring the pattern back out.
Oh and I would consider it more a petty at this point. It won't have the knuckle clearance to rock, and the edge seems dead-straight already.
Now let's see what the experienced people say
Possible, yes. Worth it? Phew.
Financially - never, unless the maker is someone famous
I have no idea who made it. If you enjoy that type of work, why not?- The bend It should be quite difficult to straighten that out again, but if you want to, doable.
- The bevel: Looks like it has been sharpened with a power tool. I wonder if the heat treat is ruined on the knife? If not, then it will be quite a bit of work to put a nice edge on it, and thin it out behind the edge. But doable.
- The surface: The rest of the damage is mostly cosmetic if you ask me. I'd probably keep it as scars of a harsh life, but if you do all of the above, you might as well resurface it, and possibly re-etch to bring the pattern back out.
Oh and I would consider it more a petty at this point. It won't have the knuckle clearance to rock, and the edge seems dead-straight already.
Now let's see what the experienced people say
James
Senior Member
the pattern reminds me of the old hattori HD knives. ryusen was the oem for those iirc
It's Ryusen Bonten Unryu, great knife, worth saving.
Never mind, it's just some random knife, I'd take it off your hands with the some shipping fee (jk
Thank you everyone,
Miggus, I agree with you about what I would have left after reshaping, and that I would need to do it myself, but I am a bit concerned about my skill level in this area.
blokey, thanks for the info on the maker, I was able to find the same knife online for $315.
Concerning the condition of the knife, it is amazing how forgiving the steel is, especially the hardened core steel. You would think there would be more damage with the bends, and maybe unfixable. I have seem some videos about straightening knives and thinning/reshaping, but not too sure about how successful I could be with no experience with knives. The cost to have someone do it?
It does seem like there will be just enough knuckle clearance to reshape to a Santoku, but a small one. I am not sure about other profiles because I don't think I would want to affect/lose the Damascus pattern.
Anyway, I may see what others would opt for in this situation, or I may decide not to mess with it and let someone else have a go at it. I do have a couple other Santoku knives I use and could spend the time on a couple other knives that need attention.
Thanks again for the input and help, and if you have any other suggestion, please le me know.
Miggus, I agree with you about what I would have left after reshaping, and that I would need to do it myself, but I am a bit concerned about my skill level in this area.
blokey, thanks for the info on the maker, I was able to find the same knife online for $315.
Concerning the condition of the knife, it is amazing how forgiving the steel is, especially the hardened core steel. You would think there would be more damage with the bends, and maybe unfixable. I have seem some videos about straightening knives and thinning/reshaping, but not too sure about how successful I could be with no experience with knives. The cost to have someone do it?
It does seem like there will be just enough knuckle clearance to reshape to a Santoku, but a small one. I am not sure about other profiles because I don't think I would want to affect/lose the Damascus pattern.
Anyway, I may see what others would opt for in this situation, or I may decide not to mess with it and let someone else have a go at it. I do have a couple other Santoku knives I use and could spend the time on a couple other knives that need attention.
Thanks again for the input and help, and if you have any other suggestion, please le me know.
Sure is Ryusen.
Worth saving, indeed. But looking at the spine shot I'll wish you the best of luck because it won't be easy, and a straigther spine gained won't necessarily translate into a proper straight edge on the other extreme.
And then it's most probably SS clad VG-10. Bents taken from long abuse will not respond well to the usual tricks.
But you should certainly do your absolute best to get it back into shape.
Worth saving, indeed. But looking at the spine shot I'll wish you the best of luck because it won't be easy, and a straigther spine gained won't necessarily translate into a proper straight edge on the other extreme.
And then it's most probably SS clad VG-10. Bents taken from long abuse will not respond well to the usual tricks.
But you should certainly do your absolute best to get it back into shape.
Personally, I put this in the "damn shame, would be nice to save" category. Then I'd toss it and move on. That's me personally and I have no experience with something that bent, but man, that is really bent.
First thing first: straighten it your best, then sharpen your best. Just having a feel for the proper work involved and if a dud after all. That’ll take little of your time really. Basic ops. You’ll see when/if it’s more than your means to do.
Kojibo, smallish ball peen hammer, wood block and a lot of gumption. Probably a few 24 packs also. Maybe a handle of Whiskey too.
tostadas
Hobbyist / Craftsman
If it's just bent along 1 axis, may not be too bad to fix. If it's twisted, it would be a bit more annoying. Even if you bend it back to "close enough", I don't think you'll notice any major difference in use compared to perfectly straight.
True and fair. I would for sure see if I could get that bend out but if not, I wouldn't feel terrible or spend money on it. Bummer situation.
Nothing a good bottle of red can’t handle really.
Or perhaps it is… no worries the next project is just a day’s sobering up away.
Some safety goggles too.
I used bendy stick on a few occasions. It still makes me uncomfortable. Something like the OP posted would make me pass out.
Yo that's my knife
That’s how I found the vid!
Thank you everyone. Sounds like it's doable, but maybe a bit scary, and may require beer, wine, Whiskey, and maybe some safety goggles after drinking and banging on a knife or bending to some crazy degrees.
So IF, it were straightened, does it look like it could be reshaped to a usable knife, it has lost a good amount of height (see pics below compared to other Santokus I have). Could it be a small Santoku?, thin slicer?, petty? again, still worth the effort in the end? Looking at the video and link, a service would be too expensive and not worth the cost in the end. I know those with the skill and experience are thinking just go for it, really got nothing to lose...I guess. But before straightening, I'm still wondering would the resulting knife, reshapened, be worth the effort? Interested in hearing your thoughts, and again I appreciate the insight.
Thanks.
So IF, it were straightened, does it look like it could be reshaped to a usable knife, it has lost a good amount of height (see pics below compared to other Santokus I have). Could it be a small Santoku?, thin slicer?, petty? again, still worth the effort in the end? Looking at the video and link, a service would be too expensive and not worth the cost in the end. I know those with the skill and experience are thinking just go for it, really got nothing to lose...I guess. But before straightening, I'm still wondering would the resulting knife, reshapened, be worth the effort? Interested in hearing your thoughts, and again I appreciate the insight.
Thanks.
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Well, that depends on how that "worth" is measured.
1) You already know that it would cost more to have an expert repair it than the knife is worth, so that is not "worth" it.
2) You repair it yourself. If you don't have a lot of experience, it will take several hours of work to figure it out. Straightening, thinning, resurfacing of blade road and handle, possibly re-etching and refinishing of the handle. My guess would be 10-20 hours, less if you're a skilled craftsman and have done this before. Cross-reference that with your usual hourly salary in your breadwinning job and estimation what the resulting knife could be sold for and you can do the maths.
3) But maybe you enjoy the process and the skills you will gain in tackling with this and also will gain a lot of joy from the resulting petty knife after all the work is done? Then it's totally worth it!
Which one of these do apply to you?
Great thoughts. The 10 - 20 hours sounds like more than I was thinking, but you are probably correct. I am handy and someone who likes to get my hand dirty. I do everything myself from any kind of repairs to complete remodels and everything in between. I would like the learning experience, but for that kind of effort, it will have to wait for a while. I do need to gets some good stones (researching which one I need now), because I have some good knives with small chips, a knife that needs a lot of thinning due to bad sharpening, etc, and I will most likely start there.
Or, I may let someone else have a go at this one and I'll learn on another one later. It has all been an interesting learning process already. Thanks.
So just FYI, I purchase this one at an online auction, and they only had pics of the front, I thought it was cheap enough and looked good with the interesting Damascuc pattern, so I decided to take the chance. Another learning experience...
Or, I may let someone else have a go at this one and I'll learn on another one later. It has all been an interesting learning process already. Thanks.
So just FYI, I purchase this one at an online auction, and they only had pics of the front, I thought it was cheap enough and looked good with the interesting Damascuc pattern, so I decided to take the chance. Another learning experience...
Always good to practice straightening a knife, particularly one you don’t mind losing.
Take it slow, small adjustments and checking, then small adjustments again.
Once straight it’s a simple job to put an edge on and use it. If you like it then sand down the sides until you have an even finish, thin it a bit so it cuts how you want, then practice retching.
Reetching dammy is another things that’s good to practice on something you’re less attached to.
Some hydrochloric acid, or ferric chloride (which is hydrochloric with iron dissolved in it) will bring the pattern back.
Try, fail, try again, ask for advice, watch some vids, fail again, try again then either have a working knife, or still have a junker and some more knowledge and experience
It’s not a rare or sentimental piece, have at it
Take it slow, small adjustments and checking, then small adjustments again.
Once straight it’s a simple job to put an edge on and use it. If you like it then sand down the sides until you have an even finish, thin it a bit so it cuts how you want, then practice retching.
Reetching dammy is another things that’s good to practice on something you’re less attached to.
Some hydrochloric acid, or ferric chloride (which is hydrochloric with iron dissolved in it) will bring the pattern back.
Try, fail, try again, ask for advice, watch some vids, fail again, try again then either have a working knife, or still have a junker and some more knowledge and experience
It’s not a rare or sentimental piece, have at it
tostadas
Hobbyist / Craftsman
Looking at the existing profile from the newer pics, it looks like the previous owner removed a lot of material from the midsection of the profile. You'll need to reprofile it as one of the first steps (along with the straightening of course).
Depending on how you want to do it:
-you can keep sorta like the sharp angle from heel to tip, meaning handle will be high up relative to the edge on the board
-you can remove more material from the heel area, effectively shortening the overall height of the blade, but then the angle of the handle will be closer to original
In either case, you're looking at material removal from the blade side, which means the balance is going to shift farther back toward the handle. There's really no getting around that, so keep that in mind when deciding how much effort you want to put into this repair job.
tostadas
Hobbyist / Craftsman
Oh yea, I forgot to mention, you're also looking at some significant thinning work to get this back in cutting shape. Judging by the photos, it looks like the finished profile edge will be well up into the cladded portion of the knife. And comparing with stock photos of the new version of this knife, it wouldnt be surprising to see an overall loss of ~5mm+ from the original height.
I have no idea what the original grinds are on this one, but using a sort of average of what I've seen on other decent knives, you're probably looking at the need to thin on the order of 0.5mm thickness along the entire blade from the edge up to maybe 15-20mm above the edge. This is a LOT of material to remove by hand without some sort of powered equipment. To put this in perspective, if I go hard, I might expect to remove around 0.1mm thickness in an hour by hand, not factoring in time to refinish the blade.
I have no idea what the original grinds are on this one, but using a sort of average of what I've seen on other decent knives, you're probably looking at the need to thin on the order of 0.5mm thickness along the entire blade from the edge up to maybe 15-20mm above the edge. This is a LOT of material to remove by hand without some sort of powered equipment. To put this in perspective, if I go hard, I might expect to remove around 0.1mm thickness in an hour by hand, not factoring in time to refinish the blade.
Thanks again everyone.
Miggus, thanks, great video, but if you watch it, it looks like this guy wore his thumbs down to a nub...not sure I want to do that,.
Miggus, thanks, great video, but if you watch it, it looks like this guy wore his thumbs down to a nub...not sure I want to do that,
.
I'm subbed to this guy on YT. Does great work IMO.Hey @Joyner, this one looks almost as bad as yours at the start of the video
It's easy to straighten that knife back imo. It's mostly soft clad and that bend is nowhere near breaking point for the core steel. You don't need any hammering just bending it will work. A simple clamp to a table, or even a book.
That’s a bummer. For straightening, I idea carbide tipped braised to a hammer. You strike the blade in the inside if the curve hard and the blade wants to straighten. That blade may be past repair for maintaining the original shape but if you don’t mind a loss I would try bending, then the hanger trick, then heat with bending and a new heat treat (not ideal)
