Which knife would be the perfect starting point as a DIY / modding / upgrade project base ? And why?

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pinguoinanalphabete

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Hello,
You want to buy a project carbon knife to DIY.
You have access to stones and simple hand tools, and the handle of the knife will be swapped.
Knowing maybe only the steel choice and the heat treat won't change down the road, what knife would you choose as your starting point, and why is it YOUR better choice? Which mod/upgrade will you perform ?

Personally, I am searching a carbon steel clad gyuto with shinogi line and a not too thin grind to thin it, choil and spine rounding and then learning blade polishing, or at least discovering the usual japanese knives finishes. But I would love to hear your own preferences and ideas
Thanks.
 
Last edited:
Simple really soft ironclad..

Moritaka? Gonna have to do a bit of work converting the concave grind, but hey it’s a practice knife right? Bonus points for ending up dead flat and ready for polish. Rough around the edges (another bonus) but some of the most interesting cladding lines I’ve seen. Ishime finish can make for a cute shinogi, but supreme line (AS) is what I’d be after.

Mine ended up really flexy after a while so I’d probably get something shorter than 240. They’re not overly thick/sturdy..
 
In the "not expensive, but not cheap" project knife category, I'd recommend Heiji (ordered directly) and Moritaka.

Something cheaper, I'd look at the Tosa region options.

On the high end, TF Denka.
 
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Any reason I should get one if I don't particularly care for workhorses, is underwhelmed by white steel and iron cladding annoys me? It's tempting simply because of the price but I have a feeling it would just be another knife that would just linger here seeing little use.
 
Jovidah said:
Any reason I should get one if I don't particularly care for workhorses, is underwhelmed by white steel and iron cladding annoys me? It's tempting simply because of the price but I have a feeling it would just be another knife that would just linger here seeing little use.
Click to expand...
I this case, I'd say no. It would end up sitting for a few months in storage and getting sold. Just save yourself the time if you know it won't get use.
 
Jovidah said:
Any reason I should get one if I don't particularly care for workhorses, is underwhelmed by white steel and iron cladding annoys me? It's tempting simply because of the price but I have a feeling it would just be another knife that would just linger here seeing little use.
Click to expand...
No. His white steel is really well done though. But with those dislikes, I wouldn't recommend it to you.
 
If you are looking for a knifes that are really nice, offer great value, and have pretty even/easy to work on bevels, I recommend Wakui and Masashi Yamamoto. My Wakui white #2 nashiji gyuto came with pretty even bevels that didn’t take too much work, and my blue #1 Masashi gyuto came with very even bevels (not 100% stone polish ready for harder stones, but even enough to create a pretty uniform polish with softer synthetic stone). Cleancut sells some really cheap Masashi white #2 knives.

These might not be exactly what you are looking for because they come very thin at/behind the edge and are generally pretty thin throughout, but if you are looking for a knife that will be an easier introduction to thinning and polishing without spending a lot of money, these are my recommendations. I am sure that other members have good recommendations for other knives like this or ones that might fit what you want better.
 
Jovidah said:
Munetoshi that's currently on sale for just over 100 euros?
https://www.knivesandtools.nl/nl/pt/-munetoshi-nashiji-black-gyuto-koksmes-24-cm.htm
Click to expand...
Very interesting thank you. And is available in EU.

blokey said:
Some cheap knife blanks
https://ibukiblade.com/collections/kitchen-knife-blanks
Click to expand...
Another great option, very interesting prices. And having the blade unfinished is perfect for me and help to keep the cost low.

Qapla' said:
Is a shinogi a requirement?

If iron-clad gyuto's are your thing, then what do you think of this?
https://www.epicedge.com/shopexd.asp?id=91851
Click to expand...
I worked on a cheap XinZuo 440c stainless clad, and having no shinogi seemed harder to try kasumi finishes. Having a shinogi seem easier for a begginer, to have consistent bevels. Not that it stoppped me to try it, but because i already have a project knives with a convex grind and full stainless stell, i wanted to try the opposite.

This Murata is very nice, but i would like to be able to swap the handle. So a Wa handle will be better suited for me.
 
Another option is to buy a knife blank and go from there. If you dig around you'll find plenty of stores that sell them, though you usually have to dig around a bit first to find them.
Just an example: Blade blanks and knife steel
 
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