Shihan now up to 1500 on both sides. Need to find my fingerstones to bring out some details and contrast between the layers
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Shihan now up to 1500 on both sides. Need to find my fingerstones to bring out some details and contrast between the layers
Uncle Danny
Professional kung-fu sound maker
The heal had a pretty big gash, but other than that spot, it’s pretty okay now
It's easy to make any stone go convex if you just polish your knife on the end at an angle facing downwards.
Takes time but it will happen. I have a few stones that I'm doing that to at just one end so I can polish with.
Driving the corner of the stone that way onto the blade will allow you to polish in one spot easier.
Thanks for sharing that! I always wondered if/how polishers convexed their stones without wasting those corners. I'd been doing something similar, but only to keep my stone flat without lapping.
I got the book called The Art of Japanese Sword Polishing and it's full of info on polishing. 
OkayMode
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30 minutes work on an Uchi removing sandpaper scratches and restoring contrast to this Milan. More work required to even out the finish before repeating on the other side and tidying up with fingerstones and a light etch.
I’ve never attempted a full kasumi before, but the super clean geometry is certainly making my life a lot easier.
I’ve never attempted a full kasumi before, but the super clean geometry is certainly making my life a lot easier.
Scratch pattern is not visible except for one spot near the heel that I overlooked while polishing. Straight off the stone! A couple months ago, I didnt think this kind of finish was possible with what I had.
Uncle Danny
Professional kung-fu sound maker
Nice work
Sharpened / thinned some knives for my sister in law. She respects her knives and somehow keeps them pretty sharp. I get them with pretty nice edges still on them. I thinned them on a Norton crystalon coarse, India coarse, then Fine. The two stainless ones then went to pasted balsa strops.
The ginsan santoku finished on the Ohira Suita with diamond slurry. I LOVE this stone. Not quite a razor finisher, but so good on knives.
The ginsan santoku finished on the Ohira Suita with diamond slurry. I LOVE this stone. Not quite a razor finisher, but so good on knives.
Attachments
Try to play with Okubo finish a bit, there’s only factory scratches when new, not flattened but put on a semi mirror at the edge
As a busy guy with a new kid on the way, I feel like I found a cheat code with fingerstones…
Shi.Han
Shi.Han
Uncle Danny
Professional kung-fu sound maker
Looks great. How did you cheat 
So so beautiful
Children! The ultimate cheat!Looks great. How did you cheat
Anyone get holograms while polishing?
I got some now and learning how to remove them.
I got some now and learning how to remove them.
Tamahagane is made only a few times a year now to preserve the Japanese tradition of Katana making.
Hoping to score some Grade #1 Tamahagane early next year when it's made again.
This thing is… difficult to polish. Only used jnats, geometry included. Ugh.
Gonna need to figure out some new techniques for the other side. The “tip” end is all sorts of impossible.
Gonna need to figure out some new techniques for the other side. The “tip” end is all sorts of impossible.
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Prepping some higo as gifts, yes, a week before Christmas when I should be doing a million other things. Call it a sanity preserver. Here’s the finish off Marou renge shiro suita.
I found an odd thing with these a couple years ago - despite being monosteel (afaik), there’s a significant variation in hardness throughout the blade from top to bottom. Harder near the edge, softer near the spine. Small difference in hardness but weirdly consistent/straight. Some light “banding”, or likely impurities shown as well, which I’m planning to pull out with a more acidic stone. I suspect the sulphur content is relatively high. Real stinky the last time I etched one, but the results were beautiful.
Last, the finish isn’t as clean as it usually ends up on a harder, more pure steel. More glitter bomb than mirror polish. Takes deeper scratches than core steels, but shallower than iron would on the same stone. Wouldn’t say this rendition of SK steel is a tactile joy on jnats.
PS - this stone is worth it just as a backdrop
I found an odd thing with these a couple years ago - despite being monosteel (afaik), there’s a significant variation in hardness throughout the blade from top to bottom. Harder near the edge, softer near the spine. Small difference in hardness but weirdly consistent/straight. Some light “banding”, or likely impurities shown as well, which I’m planning to pull out with a more acidic stone. I suspect the sulphur content is relatively high. Real stinky the last time I etched one, but the results were beautiful.
Last, the finish isn’t as clean as it usually ends up on a harder, more pure steel. More glitter bomb than mirror polish. Takes deeper scratches than core steels, but shallower than iron would on the same stone. Wouldn’t say this rendition of SK steel is a tactile joy on jnats.
PS - this stone is worth it just as a backdrop
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Higos aren’t monosteel. They are iron clad. Blue 2 for the brass ones, some SK steel for the black and silver ones.Prepping some higo as gifts, yes, a week before Christmas when I should be doing a million other things. Call it a sanity preserver. Here’s the finish off Marou renge shiro suita.
View attachment 288406
I found an odd thing with these a couple years ago - despite being monosteel (afaik), there’s a significant variation in hardness throughout the blade from top to bottom. Harder near the edge, softer near the spine. Small difference in hardness but weirdly consistent/straight. Some light “banding”, or likely impurities shown as well, which I’m planning to pull out with a more acidic stone. I suspect the sulphur content is relatively high. Real stinky the last time I etched one, but the results were beautiful.
View attachment 288407
Last, the finish isn’t as clean as it usually ends up on a harder, more pure steel. More glitter bomb than mirror polish. Takes deeper scratches than core steels, but shallower than iron would on the same stone. Wouldn’t say this rendition of SK steel is a tactile joy on jnats.
View attachment 288408
PS - this stone is worth it just as a backdrop
Would be very curious to see a hamon on something like that
Edit:
Just finished up my etch.. pretty bland compared to the last time.
If it’s a cladding line, I’ve never seen anything like it.
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Shobou suita vs nakayama kan finish. I guess jnats all do the same thing, but it’s nice to see significant differences in results.
Neither base polish is as clean as I would like. Either way what I think is differentially hardened steel really pops. Is this what polishing honyaki is like?
Neither base polish is as clean as I would like. Either way what I think is differentially hardened steel really pops. Is this what polishing honyaki is like?
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Uncle Danny
Professional kung-fu sound maker
So new migaki and kasumi
From what I can tell you did pretty well. In particular I love seeing the convexity on your bevel. Looks consistent and tasteful.
YannR
French two Michelin-star Sous-Chef
Thank you, yeah i just got scratches from one of the last stone, not sure why. Gonna do again and again
Still nice "mirror" against the natural light.
Tips are welcome.
What was your last stone? Could be that the last stone uncovered scratches from an earlier stone that were hidden by a less fine finish.Thank you, yeah i just got scratches from one of the last stone, not sure why. Gonna do again and again
Still nice "mirror" against the natural light.
Tips are welcome.
You have some scratches that are rather coarse still left, you'll need to start from at least 800 grit to work them all out (if that's the goal). Never fall into the trap of thinking the next stone will finish removing a scratch - it never works out. Just be patient and climb up the grits alternating scratch patterns slightly as you go. Check your scratches often.Thank you, yeah i just got scratches from one of the last stone, not sure why. Gonna do again and again
Still nice "mirror" against the natural light.
Tips are welcome.
You've got great geometry / shape based on that mirrored reflection - make sure you keep that as you go!
