Umajiyama Suita
Been a minute since I had time to rub some rocks on some metal. It ain’t much but it’s honest work.
Classic overgrind on the heel slightly throwing off the overall aesthetic, but I’ll blend it in with some fingerstones later.
A short video that shows how I work with finger stones. Maybe you might find this useful :Anyone have tips for matching uchi finger stones to a blade? I realize it's trial and error, but how much pressure should I be using, and what should I expect when testing?
A short video that shows how I work with finger stones. Maybe you might find this useful :
It's indeed trial and error and this is why I have several type of stone. 85% of the time I do well with a 3/5 Mizukihara uchigumori but it has already happened that I get better results with a softer Shobudani for example.
I use more pressure for the first passes and to harmonize the finish I apply less and less pressure. I let the mud work for me.
It's not magic and it still takes time and your surface must be impeccable before working with the finger stones. If there are scratches left, you will only polish them and it will not be uniform and pleasant to look at. You'll have to experiment on your side and try different approach to find what's working for you!
Thank you so much! I'm prepping some more stones now, and I'll try soaking them, too. Will post results once I get it down. My ultimate finger stone goal is to one day have something that looks like your usuba restoration. I was showing those restoration videos to my knife-headed friends the other dayCool that you already knew this video
In this case I think it could be interesting to try different stones. Also, be sure that there's no kawa (skin of the stone) that can scratch your blade badly. Before putting less pressure you have to be sure that all the entire surface is well done and almost perfect. Less pressure will help to homogenized everything but will not cut fast and repair mistakes.
Also yeah, it takes time. The 2 hours you talk was on yanagiba full kasumi and it was a pain to finish. At some point, even after one hour, I could still see small scratches. But with perseverance and attention to detail I managed to have something nice.
You can also let your fingerstone soaking for a good 2~4 hours before working with it. I did some tests back then and I had good results. Not every jnat will behave the same and it might work or not. But give it a try at least!
A short video that shows how I work with finger stones. Maybe you might find this useful :
It's indeed trial and error and this is why I have several type of stone. 85% of the time I do well with a 3/5 Mizukihara uchigumori but it has already happened that I get better results with a softer Shobudani for example.
I use more pressure for the first passes and to harmonize the finish I apply less and less pressure. I let the mud work for me.
It's not magic and it still takes time and your surface must be impeccable before working with the finger stones. If there are scratches left, you will only polish them and it will not be uniform and pleasant to look at. You'll have to experiment on your side and try different approach to find what's working for you!
1000 grit Silicon carbide powder and a worn micromesh gives a pretty similar finish to something like a Tesujin Kasumi in my experience.Anyone know what knife vendors are using to finish their knives? Specifically, ones claiming to be kasumi or stone finished (not the media blasted stuff). I don't own 100 knives, so my sample size is small, but whenever I get one, the surface reflection is full of ripples (high/low spots).
If the shape of the blade has flaws, finger stones won't make them better.What do you (or others) think of the idea, often presented here, of using finger-stones to blend in overgrinds? I ask because overgrinds are by their nature not free of scratches (unless one tried to grind there, which would make the overgrind worse).
My question stemmed from comments such as "your surface must be impeccable before working with the finger stones". That combined with the idea that overgrinds are by their nature not free of scratches.If the shape of the blade has flaws, finger stones won't make them better.
That said, using the right finger stones can be quicker than adjusting the geometry.
Finger stones allow for imperfections while still producing a kasumi. Sure they don’t fix the issue but still produce the intended result. It’s a great way to work around the wabi sabiMy question stemmed from comments such as "your surface must be impeccable before working with the finger stones". That combined with the idea that overgrinds are by their nature not free of scratches.
I was not expecting to change the geometry with finger-stones.
I do have knives with overgrinds so large that adjusting the geometry to fix them would significantly alter some combination of the cutting characteristics, blade height, and aesthetics.
Thanks, that's what I suspected; I was perhaps reading the comments in the wrong context.Finger stones allow for imperfections while still producing a kasumi. Sure they don’t fix the issue but still produce the intended result. It’s a great way to work around the wabi sabi
It seems like you don't want to use the overall shape of your blades. You're right, some fast and flexible finger stones will give you a more uniform looking surface.My question stemmed from comments such as "your surface must be impeccable before working with the finger stones". That combined with the idea that overgrinds are by their nature not free of scratches.
I was not expecting to change the geometry with finger-stones.
I do have knives with overgrinds so large that adjusting the geometry to fix them would significantly alter some combination of the cutting characteristics, blade height, and aesthetics.
Thanks for the reply.It seems like you don't want to use the overall shape of your blades. You're right, some fast and flexible finger stones will give you a more uniform looking surface.
Oh that’s nice. What stone?Sorry for spamming, guys
Looking good!Last bench was Ikarashi then Uchi fingerstones. Had to dig around the pile to find something that matched.
I’m getting a new Mikawa soon. Looking forward to how that works out
Enter your email address to join: