Seeking guidance on finishing grits for varying tasks/steels

[antlerman]

Hi all,
I have a blue #1 nakiri, a SKD gyuto, AS petty, and my partner has a vg10 Kiritsuke.

I have a shapton ceramic 1k, NP3k, and a Kitayama 8k.
I also have a unloaded leather strop, and another loaded with 1um stroppy stuff.

I mainly use the AS petty for chicken butchery or fruit, nakiri for veg, gyuto for a mix of everything.

Do you have any recommendations to my finishing process to what I am aiming to achieve?

 

[honyama_lv4_is_GOAT]

For all the Knifes and Purposes you mentioned i would not go higher then the 3k Stone + Strop. The 8k will make the edge overrefined, taking away the bite you need to cut veggies. As you are not slicing Sashimi this Stone will not help you a lot when it comes to sharpening.

Is it a Kiritsuke (single edge) or a Kiritsuke Gyuto?

If a single edge use the 8k on the Ura to deburr.

 

[antlerman]

It's a Sakai Takayuki 190 vg10 Damascus one I believe. Think its double bevelled iirc

 

[antlerman]

For all the Knifes and Purposes you mentioned i would not go higher then the 3k Stone + Strop. The 8k will make the edge overrefined, taking away the bite you need to cut veggies. As you are not slicing Sashimi this Stone will not help you a lot when it comes to sharpening.

Is it a Kiritsuke (single edge) or a Kiritsuke Gyuto?

If a single edge use the 8k on the Ura to deburr.

What grit would you recommend for slicing cooked meats? Asking for my gyuto.
Also I heard for raw chicken, as well as carbon steels, you can go above the 3k grit range. Is that correct, if so what grit range do you recommend.

 

[honyama_lv4_is_GOAT]

What grit would you recommend for slicing cooked meats? Asking for my gyuto.
Also I heard for raw chicken, as well as carbon steels, you can go above the 3k grit range. Is that correct, if so what grit range do you recommend.

Still the 3k. + strop
With right technique you will get a razorsharp edge from that, wich also will stay sharp for longer than any higher grit.

Technically you are right, you can go much higher on these high hardness carbon steels, but if you do so with synthetics, you will find out that your knife cuts the tomato better with 3k finish than with the 8k. Because its not toothy anymore. When slicing chicken you wont get a “much better” result from the 8k.

Most people who do high grit finishes use natural stones, because the abrasive is formed in plates, rather than chunks in synthetics. This will allow you to go up to an equivilant of 8k or higher on the natural stone, but the edge will still be crisp and a lil toothy.
I have this kind of setup but all of my double beveled knifes i stop with 3k plus strop.

Just try it out, you will find out for yourself.

 

[antlerman]

Still the 3k. + strop
With right technique you will get a razorsharp edge from that, wich also will stay sharp for longer than any higher grit.

Technically you are right, you can go much higher on these high hardness carbon steels, but if you do so with synthetics, you will find out that your knife cuts the tomato better with 3k finish than with the 8k. Because its not toothy anymore. When slicing chicken you wont get a “much better” result from the 8k.

Most people who do high grit finishes use natural stones, because the abrasive is formed in plates, rather than chunks in synthetics. This will allow you to go up to an equivilant of 8k or higher on the natural stone, but the edge will still be crisp and a lil toothy.
I have this kind of setup but all of my double beveled knifes i stop with 3k plus strop.

Just try it out, you will find out for yourself.

Thank you for explaining.
I'm trying to find out as much as possible as I am a uni student who (tries) to budget . I realized I got in over my head when I got into the hobby, so I am seeking to fill that knowledge gap to orientate myself better. Thanks for your explanations, the toothyness explanation helps a lot.

To clarify I've understood this correctly, synthetic stones are great for 140-3k, but natural ones are better for higher grit ranges as their unevenness (grain size) means as it wears down it remains toothy?
So it makes it a better polishing stone (rather than a cutting stone, which synthetic is better because it's more consistent).
Thanks

 

[honyama_lv4_is_GOAT]

Thank you for explaining.
I'm trying to find out as much as possible as I am a uni student who (tries) to budget . I realized I got in over my head when I got into the hobby, so I am seeking to fill that knowledge gap to orientate myself better. Thanks for your explanations, the toothyness explanation helps a lot.

To clarify I've understood this correctly, synthetic stones are great for 140-3k, but natural ones are better for higher grit ranges as their unevenness (grain size) means as it wears down it remains toothy?
So it makes it a better polishing stone (rather than a cutting stone, which synthetic is better because it's more consistent).
Thanks

Well, yes ans no.

There are many different types of natural stones. Hard, soft, coarse, fine, fast, slow. Always a combination of these factors.

Softer ones usually for bevel polishing, hard ones for edge sharpening, super hard ones for razors.
They way the abrasive particles are formed is different from synth stones, so yes in the high grit spectrum naturals perform better than synths. (in terms of cutting edge sharpening)
But they are really really expensive and hard to get. This really is a deep rabbit hole and will confuse you as soon as you drop in.

With your current collection of knifes i see no need for a Jnat. As i said before, the 3k will be more than enough for the task you will encounter.

This whole Natural stone thing is more about wanting it, not needing it.

Kind regards, Peter

 

[antlerman]

Well, yes ans no.

There are many different types of natural stones. Hard, soft, coarse, fine, fast, slow. Always a combination of these factors.

Softer ones usually for bevel polishing, hard ones for edge sharpening, super hard ones for razors.
They way the abrasive particles are formed is different from synth stones, so yes in the high grit spectrum naturals perform better than synths. (in terms of cutting edge sharpening)
But they are really really expensive and hard to get. This really is a deep rabbit hole and will confuse you as soon as you drop in.

With your current collection of knifes i see no need for a Jnat. As i said before, the 3k will be more than enough for the task you will encounter.

This whole Natural stone thing is more about wanting it, not needing it.

Kind regards, Peter

Thank you very much for the tips, I'll make sure to perfect what I already have before progressing