Reprofile 15 year old Takagi Honyaki

[Keithpaints]

Bought this my first Honyaki off Japan Woodworker 15 years ago. Used it at work grind was right hand backside almost flat 80/20. Was thick grind used it splitting lobsters before got a lobster cleaver from Chinatown. It only cost 248$
Elsewhere they were 400.00. I found a couple overgrinds figured his seconds were cheaper on JWW. I thinned the blade took out the overgrinds. Had Stephan Keller make a ebony handle for it. Have been using it to cut up cardboard boxes for recycle. Last time sharpened it decided to take off sheepfoot nose & blend it some toward tip more gyuto like.
Also thinned the tip some. I almost sold this on bst with two other knives. Other knives sold first day this one didn't. I pulled it second day decided to keep it. Thinning had removed some of the KU finish. The thinned tip is very sharp.

 

[ethompson]

These are super cool knives, but definitely need a tune up out of the box. Live his steel, but it’s definitely not the most pleasant to sharpen from my memory. Makes me miss mine!

 

[Keithpaints]

The original grind pretty thick after thinning find it easy to sharpen 1K King refine edge with 4K gesshin soaker using lighter strokes to finish.

 

[ethompson]

@refcast making sure you see this

 

[refcast]

Extremely good steel, my favorite honyaki steel over 2 Sakai honyaki gyuto (including Mizuno white), 1 Tokyo style hamon (straight) honyaki usuba, 1 honyaki takohiki, 1 honyaki Sakai yanagi, yasha tamahagane honyaki, tansu honyaki (2nd favorite honyaki tied for steel tied with yasha), wat blue honyaki

It refines and stops like great white steel is why I like it.

 

[Keithpaints]

Yeh this solid hunk of steel kinda grows on you.

 

[Keithpaints]

I searched this blade on the forum.
Back in 2012 didn't know why steels seemed so different. Would just use knives that suited job at work. Takagi was a tool maker had to be tough. The thick grind on the Honyaki had almost a chisel grind. Not suitable for most kitchen jobs. I would never use carbons to spit up to 200 lobsters, for some reason the Takagi was excellent. Of coarse after beatings would need sharpening it's carbon not a problem. The blade didn't chip none of my other carbon blades could handle lobster. My bone cleaver was too big.

Said at the time if you want a thin knife don't buy a Takagi Honyaki. Of coarse later I caved in thinned it on belt sander and a bucket of water taking off much of ku exposing part of the hamon irregular line. This blade was a JWW cheap honyaki. Some hated it understandably, to others a project blade. To me it was the steel in that knife. It's the longest surviving kitchen knife I own. It's a better kitchen blade now, but wouldn't split lobsters with it now that it's thinner. I'm probably not finished screwing around with it yet. A tribute to the Takaji the tool maker who could forge great tough steel.