Damage Report

Here is very badly damaged Japanese knife that I got to work on recently. This type of work involves a few steps:
1. A vision, what I want the knife to look like after I'm done.
2. Repairs
3. Thinning
4. Refinishing the blade if necessary
5. Sharpening

The repair work took quite a long time to move that much metal from the edge. Metal cannot be replaced so I have to remove metal from tip to heel until the hold disappears.

   Once that is done, the knife is significantly thicker at the edge since the "new" edge is now much further up into the blade. The thinning part for me is always the most difficult and time consuming. I don't measure the knife from a cross sectional geometry perspective with a caliper or anything, it is all by sense of touch. I run my thumb and and index finger down the blade from spine to edge to get a feel for how the thinning is doing. Once I am satisfied, I will do some sanding of the blade to refinish it and finally sharpen it.
  Total time is about an hour or so.

  The funny thing about work like this is that I can't go wrong as far as customer satisfaction is concerned, the owner was going to throw the knife away so any improvements I make are vast improvements to the owner. I am always the toughest critic.

Peter

Chronicle Herald mention with Chef Flinn and Bombshell Cutlery

MAESTRO W U knife in the paper

Here is a pretty nifty article in the Chronicle Herald from the 23rd Feb. Several years ago I sold five Maestro W U knives and Chef Craig Flinn of Chives and 2 Doors Down bought two of them. I have been sharpening for Craig for years and a reporter picked up on the knife and the next thing you know there was a very nice article on it in the paper.

Looking Glass Edge

Hi folks,
     There was a time when I sharpened knives like this that I had to put a mirror finish on every one of them and I used the Edge Pro Professional for that. Since that time I make sure to ask the customer what the knife is going to be used for and I put an edge that is appropriate for a specific purpose. Most of the time however, the knife has no specific purpose and it is for general use. However, if the customer wants a mirror finish and the knife is more of a collectors item I will do my best to polish it up as nicely as I can.

   I have since learned that I can get them just as sharp and often sharper and just as pretty doing it freehand. If the bevels are very wide though,  a mirror finish is difficult by hand, I mean for the bevels to be consistently polished to the same degree on both sides. So now I often do the majority of the work by hand but sometimes finish it on the EP if a looking glass edge is what I want.

I got this can of coke in Tokyo in 1987 and it's never been opened. I keep it as it reminds me of my trip there in the Navy, it was amazing.


Remember, these finishes won't last long in the bush, with rough work. I always strive for sharpness first and foremost and the cosmetics after. If when I am finished the knife on the EP and the edge doesn't meet my standards I always go freehand and get it up there.



Peter