Can This Really Happen?

I’ve taken on a knife sharpening repair job. It’s a Deba knife with unknown origins and an unidentified steel type. I suspect it’s likely made of White #3 steel… but not entirely sure.

I discovered something unusual with this knife—the steel is exposed along the shinogi line! This isn’t typical, so at first, I thought maybe the whetstone wasn’t making proper contact and planned to grind it down, but then I noticed… Luckily, I caught it just in time! If I had kept going, only the tip would have ended up as Honyaki.

I recently got a handy Oomura stone, so I used it to bring out some contrast. I think using synthetic stones might make the kasumi finish even sharper, so I’ll likely finish it off with an Amakusa or Suita stone for a nice, soft touch.

• 2013-10-04