Knives that don’t smell like iron

Here are the results of the experiment I introduced a while back on knives that don’t develop a metallic odor. The knife in question is the INOX-Honyaki Japanese knife. Through sharpening it with a finishing whetstone to align the blade, we achieved results where there’s almost no noticeable iron smell. Interestingly, the scent of the whetstone’s slurry became more of an issue than the iron smell. To tackle this, it seems effective to sharpen with water running over the knife, more like ‘refining’ than ‘sharpening.’ The INOX-Honyaki itself has the advantage that, when you feel the sharpness diminish, a touch-up with the finishing whetstone restores it, making this method suitable for daily maintenance.

I also tested Silver 3 steel, thinking any stainless steel would work. However, the iron smell was noticeable, likely due to the influence of the soft iron. As expected, even with carbon steel, it had its distinctive scent. Personally, I don’t mind the aroma, but having it in food might decrease the appetite!

You might worry, ‘Won’t the whetstone be damaged by continuously pouring water on it?’ However, I believe storing it upright after sharpening should mitigate any potential issues. If you leave water running for over an hour, there might be changes in strength, but for regular usage, it should be fine.

I tested this with an INOX-specific finishing whetstone, but it likely works with other whetstones too! Whetstones with natural stone powder might pose issues, but with regular artificial finishing whetstones, I think it should be okay. Keep in mind this is an experimental result, so when trying it out, I recommend giving it a shot after work, ensuring you’re satisfied before implementing it more widely. There might be opinions like ‘I tried it, but it didn’t work!’, as this perspective comes from a knife specialist and the opinions from the field are crucial!　

Hibishugyo

2006-11-29