Show your work! Uchigumori and co...

[ethompson]

Hey Ed, could you elaborate on the recommended process? Would it be something like - work 30 mins then alternate?

I switch more frequently than that when moving lots of metal I feel like. Maybe every 5-10 minutes.

 

[ethompson]

Damn. I was planning to do just that until my new stones arrive and I've got a busy work week a head!

Might need to use up some sick leave...

Not hard to straighten back out again! Can often do it just by hand

 

[Bico Doce]

I witch more frequently than that when moving lots of metal I feel like. Maybe every 5-10 minutes.

Thanks Ed! It definitely feels like common sense but you kinda blew my mind with this because I’ve been doing it all wrong lol. So many nuances to this polishing game.

 

[JPAU]

Thanks Ed! It definitely feels like common sense but you kinda blew my mind with this because I’ve been doing it all wrong lol. So many nuances to this polishing game.

Thanks for asking publicly. I’m betting I’m not the only passive observer who has benefited

 

[Veitchii]

I check for straightness very often, especially when final grinding on a sander. Probably switching every few passes at the very end to make sure everything is lined up. Once I see that it's curving ever so slightly, I run a pass on the other side to even it back out. I do the same thing on the 140 plate, checking to see if the blade is warping at all after I've made some decent progress (probably after about 500 strokes or so). If it is, I'll start working the other side. However, I personally haven't noticed warpage to be too important at that point as thin blades can be easily bent back into alignment while thick blades will be much harder to warp in the first place. After that, the stone progression goes by quick enough that warpage is no longer an issue. Just my experience.

 

[JPAU]

I switch more frequently than that when moving lots of metal I feel like. Maybe every 5-10 minutes.

So when you’re 1k and above, this is not as important? I ask in principle only, having not attempted polishing yet but learning from the experience of others as much as I can before I commence. Stones just arrived…

 

[ethompson]

So when you’re 1k and above, this is not as important? I ask in principle only, having not attempted polishing yet but learning from the experience of others as much as I can before I commence. Stones just arrived…

That’s right. Usually by 800 grit I find things settle down and I’m not as worried about it. I’ll stop checking as religiously and only sight the edge if I feel something while sharpening.

During coarse work, if I spend an hour working at least 15-20 minutes of that time will be spent straightening and sighting the blade. I never like to just wail away without checking my work and tracking progress.

 

[JPAU]

That’s right. Usually by 800 grit I find things settle down and I’m not as worried about it. I’ll stop checking as religiously and only sight the edge if I feel something while sharpening.

During coarse work, if I spend an hour working at least 15-20 minutes of that time will be spent straightening and sighting the blade. I never like to just wail away without checking my work and tracking progress.

Thank you! I know that my first polishing attempt will be a tragic failure but, my sense is that I have saved hours or days by observing the wisdom shared in this and other threads.

 

[JKerr]

I feel like I might have derailed this thread! .

Might need to start a polishing critique and advise thread for the noobs like me! It can be a little intimidating when there’s so much skilled work getting posted.

 

[Logan A.]

First time taking a stone polish seriously. Couple of spots to touch up on 1K. On the lower grits I’ve been polishing between with simichrome and it helps buff up a bit to help me see any lower grit scratches I missed.

 

[dabes]

Got this in from @Bico Doce a few weeks ago, started working on it last weekend. Only took a few hours on the HKK400 hard to work out most of the concavity, but there were many low spots near the shinogi and close to the edge. Most likely just going to stop here since there are still low spots on both sides near the tip and the edge is already too thin for my liking. The front 1/3 was already nail flexing prior to thinning and it's now very flexy - like when BBB does his brass rod tests, gonna be interesting putting an edge on this.

 

[Metallicats44]

I have this over grind at the heel. Is there any way to smooth it out without raising the shinogi?

 

[ethompson]

I have this over grind at the heel. Is there any way to smooth it out without raising the shinogi?

You could sacrifice some height, which is my preferred way of handling that type of over-grind anyway. Any idea how deep that spot is? Is it a serious over grind or more subtle?

 

[deltaplex]

I have this over grind at the heel. Is there any way to smooth it out without raising the shinogi?

iT dEpEnDs

 

[deltaplex]

Heel overgrinds are very very common, but I see a lot of choil rounding that puts a radius at the very back of the heel:

@Metallicats44 Is it the area in red that's not touching a flat stone, or the blue area?

 

[Metallicats44]

Was hacking away at it last night @ethompson I’d say it was more on the serious side.. and only on one side of the knife too.

@deltaplex the blue is the low spot

 

[ethompson]

View attachment 369253Was hacking away at it last night @ethompson I’d say it was more on the serious side.. and only on one side of the knife too.

@deltaplex the blue is the low spot

As @deltaplex mentioned, this is an extremely common place to see over grinds. Having ground some bevels myself, I can say even when being exceptionally careful it’s likely to happen. Best practice is to leave extra meat at the heel and tip and work those areas true by hand to avoid this, but that can really add a ton of time to the grinding and is only questionably worth it.

Personally, I would have attacked this situation a bit differently.

1. The first thing I do is make sure the blade is dead straight. Slight waves in the edge can create functional low spots, so making sure the blade is aligned is always step one.
2. Decide what height I want for the shinogi. I have to bring the entire bevels surface down the level of the lowest point on the grind, which generally involves some amount of pushing the overall grind up (thinning). I then will work the entire shinogi up to just below that pre-planned height.
3. Start working from the lamination line down (or about half way up the bevel depending on the knife). Making sure I avoid hitting the shinogi, starting working from the bottom up. This will simultaneously thin out the core and gradually work out your low spot. If I think the edge is getting too thin I will use a high angle sharpening to thicken things up (also a great time to tweak profile) - this only takes a handful of strokes per side at this thinness. You will inevitably loose some height in this process, though often times less than you might think.
4. Evaluate progress - sometimes it’s prudent to leave some amount of the low spot there. Sometimes I can get it all out without dramatically altering the character of the blade but sometimes they’re too deep to handle responsibly and it’s best to move on rather than chase it out.
5. At the end I will blend everything together creating a smooth surface from shinogi to edge.

Definitely do not:

1. Press down on the area with the low spot
2. Work only that area of the blade
3. Angle the blade differently to make that area touch
4. Work for long periods without checking your work

 

[Metallicats44]

Thanks @ethompson! By doing the edge up approach (step 3), it would be perpendicular strokes, correct? Maybe I can start with that at this point to finish off that final triangle that remains .. and to get some practice at it. Does this begin setting the stage for convexity in the direction of shinogi <-> edge?

 

[ethompson]

Thanks @ethompson! By doing the edge up approach (step 3), it would be perpendicular strokes, correct? Maybe I can start with that at this point to finish off that final triangle that remains .. and to get some practice at it. Does this begin setting the stage for convexity in the direction of shinogi <-> edge?

I like to alternate scratch patterns as I go, working both perpendicular and more parallel (somewhere between 45* and full parallel). Each way has strengths and weaknesses and doing both is best practice. Once well shaped, I find I can replace the scratch patterns quite easily but before I hit that well formed bevel I often discover areas of the bevel that don't touch both directions as I alternate.

 

[jacobwilder5]

First hour or so into thinning my first TF blade and I honestly expected things to be much worse. Really happy with the foundation and it’s feeling like it may not be as big of a project as I thought (fingers crossed)

Will see if I can make it to the 400 tomorrow to dial things in a bit more.

 

[jacobwilder5]

Phase 1 of the Denka project is done! Some thinning and a quick polish. Took about 5g off all said and done and did my best to not lose too much height. After getting up to 800 started to use a hamaguri type approach to add some convexity. Overall it came out ok I think and excited to test it out.

Up next is spine and choil in need of some tune up.

 

[MartinJ]

Phase 1 of the Denka project is done! Some thinning and a quick polish. Took about 5g off all said and done and did my best to not lose too much height. After getting up to 800 started to use a hamaguri type approach to add some convexity. Overall it came out ok I think and excited to test it out.

Up next is spine and choil in need of some tune up.

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Does this looks left hand biased or is it me?

 

[jacobwilder5]

Does this looks left hand biased or is it me?

You're totally right. Just checked it and there's some wabi sabi going on at the heel. Slight bend the last few inches which led to an overgrind on left side. That and the handle seems to be crooked. Thankfully it straightens out after the heel and is closer to 50/50 the rest of the way up. Wish I caught it sooner. Any tips on straightening out the heel and handle anyone?

 

[CodyJ]

Just wrapped up this Krichbaum for the second time.

Here’s the background if you care - I bought this knife direct, modified the profile but didn’t thin it enough then sold it. I asked the buyer his impressions and then asked for a second chance to fix it. I completely agree the buyer and I was looking for some redemption.

The wrought iron is on the reactive side and after a few uses the kasumi will be consumed by patina so I decided to lean into the reactivity instead of fighting it.

Extensively thinning apexultra and scratch removal was a chore especially when I wasn’t using diamond stones. But took an incredible edge. This is one where I put my very best into it and had to start over more than once. I hope it satisfies the buyer and earns me some redemption.

Finished on a fine kiita.

Overloaded with the pics and videos to make up for the lack of quality.

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Insaaaaaane. Great job

 

[NickMinton]

Just getting some time in with fingerstones.

 

[JPAU]

Just getting some time in with fingerstones.
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That looks incredible Nick!!

 

[bearhippo]

Just getting some time in with fingerstones.
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Looks dope! Just curious but is that a Munetoshi bloomery iron or something else?

 

[NickMinton]

Looks dope! Just curious but is that a Munetoshi bloomery iron or something else?

Shihan reclaimed steel

 

[Blumbo]

Not sure if this belongs here but here’s a WIP of a tamahagane knife made by marcin grabowiec. There’s a hamon in here that I’m not pulling out fully

 

[The Forest Ninja]

Not sure if this belongs here but here’s a WIP of a tamahagane knife made by marcin grabowiec. There’s a hamon in here that I’m not pulling out fully

Tamahagane & Uchigumori go hand in hand to bring out the details in that Jewel steel.