WTB Thickish affordable anything to be used practicing thinning [EU]

[miggus]

Hi guys,

inspired by @ch_br's similar (US based) topic, I'm looking for something to practice thinning / rebeveling a knife. I have a Denka waiting for a spa treatment and and would like to get something inexpensive to practise beforehand. Since I'm in Europe, shipping costs will probably make offers from the US less compelling.

So please: Anything that can be sent to Central Europe withing budget (100-150€, sub 100€ preferred) is welcome. The Denka is stainless clad, but that's not required here, I'll take stainless mono, san-mai, carbon... Should have a bit of heft, since a laser geometry will probably not be ideal for practicing. Should also have a bit of length, say, at least 150mm, more is better. KU finish would also be a bonus, but not required.

But apart from that, the worse it looks, the better. Offer anything that's not too pricey that I can thin the living daylights out of so that I'll be getting the hang of it. Cheaper is even better

EDIT: Ideal candidate: KU finish, san-mai style knife that has been sharpened a lot and needs thinning anywasy.

Thanks for reading.

 

[Jovidah]

At that price there's also plenty of brand new knives you could buy.

 

[miggus]

Thanks for your input. Yeah, ideally, I'd like to get something with strong signs of use, it somehow feels a bit like a waste to buy a new knife just for that. I'd like to spend less than 100€, the smaller the price, the better

Ideally it would be a decent quality, strongly used knife that needs the treatment. I hope something along those lines comes up, also since people here will have the knives and know if they fit the description. If there isn't an offer, I'll see what I can buy new.

 

[TB_London]

Let me have a look to see what I have. Do you prefer wide bevel style, or fully ground?
Shame I just got back from Germany or could have posted domestically

 

[miggus]

Oh yeah, that's a pity, it would have made things easier. Anyhow, if I can choose, I'd prefer wide bevel, since that's what the denka has.

 

[miggus]

Bump: Still looking for a knoife to practice thinning.

 

[Heckel7302]

ebay.de looks to have a few options that could work for you.

I found vintage Forgecraft knives good for this kind of thinning practice. Wide bevel design, made from 1095. Great knives in general. I don't see any chefs but there is this 8" slicer that looks nice.

https://www.ebay.de/itm/19380278095...sAv5xIBTAmg+G+Zh4FlYVgZHo=|tkp:Bk9SR56o5bX0YA

 

[miggus]

Thanks @Heckel7302 . I checked ebay, was just overwhelmed with the huge number of knives. Many of those seemed to be quite thin. But I'll have another look.
If anyone has an idea for a new knife thats too thick (and maybe even has a KU finish), let me know.

 

[deltaplex]

I'd probably look for one of the Tojiro Shirogami series knives. They can use some thinning ootb, they've got a decent heat treat on the steel and you can learn a decent amount about things like straightness, overgrinds, etc. for around 50 eud.

 

[jaydee]

Was thinking about the Tojiro Shirogami too when I saw the post, not sure how thick they are though.
These look like they could really shine with some thinning:
https://knife-art.de/product/fujiwara-kanefusa-fkh-gyuto-210mm-carbonstahl/
As every knife is different and needs different treatment it is hard to advise.
I´d look at flea markets too. Bought a thick meat cleaver once for 3€ that I thinned and polished up.

Have look at the sharpening section of the forum.
Maybe collect some good advice before you go (slow).

 

[miggus]

Thanks @jaydee. My very first J-Knives are not too dissimilar to the FKHs. It is my impression that they are relatively thin already, and have a convex shape, that's why I avoided that kind of thing until now. But you're right, handling a knife in person would make it way easier.

These are knives I am considering:
https://www.japaneseknives.eu/a-523...ku-universal-knife-kz-101-165-mm/#descriptionhttps://www.scharfesjapan.de/messer/nakiri-messer/sekiryu-nakiri-175mm
Quite cheap, especially the second one, and both have a shinogi line. We'll see - maybe I buy esoo's Ittetsu after all


And yeah, I have collected quite a lot of theoretical info on how to do it. That's why I want to get a knife now to try and convert the procedural knowledge into practical knowledge

 

[jaydee]

You´re right. The Fujiwara I posted could need some thinning but it will be a different process to thinning your Denka. I was surprised to see the choil shot; thought the Denka´s are more like lasers from the onset.
Maybe the guys at "scharfesjapan" are kind enough to provide a choil shot of any of their cheaper knives?
Asking doesn't cost anything!

 

[miggus]

Yeah I'm going to ask a few vendors. Maybe they have a damaged knife or something that will do as well.

thought the Denka´s are more like lasers from the onset.

I think most of them are going towards the mid-weight section although there is a lot of variation. But some are quite thick. The one I have bough can use some thinning. I mean mostly raising the shinogi line.

This is the plan

 

[jaydee]

although there is a lot of variation

The steel must be amazing considering they are very expensive too.
As far as I can see there are much cheaper knives with very consistent grinds.
Anyways, I guess you´ll be pretty happy once you work on yours.
Let us know how it goes, that might inspire me to take all my courage one day and do the same to my Carter
which could need thinning too.

 

[Infrared]

https://knifejapan.com/yashima-nogu-kogyo-nakiri-bocho-180mm-shirogami-1/
https://knifejapan.com/zakuri-funayuki-bocho-165mm-aogami-2/

 

[miggus]

Thanks @Infrared ,these are looking good. Importing them from JP might derail the calculation a bit though

 

[miggus]

The steel must be amazing considering they are very expensive too.
As far as I can see there are much cheaper knives with very consistent grinds.

Yeah, well... TF and cost effectiveness is a controversial topic. I'm sure that they could do much better if they wanted to / needed to.
Maybe the steel is great, maybe TF are purists who focus on cutting performance. Maybe they just don't give a F because they found out that their knives sell anyways...

Why did I spend 600-800€ for a 240 Denka when that could have gotten me into or close to custom territory with knives that are objectively better in every aspect? Knives that don't have me worried that I will have to have them fixed or anything? I don't even know for sure.

I can say for sure it feels weird to have knives costing a fraction of that with FnF that is magnitudes better. But I can also say that I very often find myself reaching for the TF knives when I don't know which one to use because working with them is just so enjoyable.
Humans are irrational creatures, and luxury goods are a prime example of this. There is a lot of examples of our monkey brains being tricked. Wine experts rate wines higher when they come in a fancy bottle, people enjoy stuff more when it's more expensive than an identical product, judges give harsher sentences before they had lunch etc etc etc....

And now shut up and take my money! TFTFTF

 

[jurdon]

You can take a look here, Log into Facebook They import used/junk knives from Japan and sell them as they are for reasonable prices. Album named "Dostępne" is what they currently have in stock. They are located in Poland so shipping should be cheap aswell.

 

[miggus]

Thanks @jurdon, this looks exactly what I have been looking for. I have just written them a message