Current situation and sharpening
At the end of February, I accidentally gave my index finger a pretty deep cut with a petty knife… and I’ve been feeling a bit down about it since. Maybe it’s just my age, but it feels like it’s taking forever to heal! Lol.
It’s finally starting to heal, so I decided to take a photo. The knife that caused the cut was my well-used petty knife. Its edge had already dulled quite a bit and was slipping more than it should, but even so, a sliding motion with the blade was enough to cut. This experience gave me a firsthand understanding of why a knife can still cut effectively when you make large movements, even as it starts to lose its edge.
Now that things have calmed down, I did a little bit of the honbazuke that I had left with me.
Ta-da! It’s a Bob Kramer knife. The craftsmanship is stunning, with a sleek, knife-like design. The patterns on the blade are highlighted through etching, which means they’ll disappear once the blade is sharpened. Since the customer might not have been aware of this, I double-checked with them first. After getting the green light, I started the sharpening process with confidence.
The customer requested that the micro bevel on the edge be removed. I took a photo—can you spot the bevel? At first glance, I thought the steel looked hard and anticipated a tough sharpening process, but surprisingly, it turned out to be soft and sharpened smoothly. (Though maybe it feels that way because I’ve been working on challenging sharpening jobs lately…)
After a quick session with the diamond stone, the convex edge really started to show. It wasn’t until I began sharpening that I realized the blade was actually sharpened in three stages. You can’t really see it with the eyes, but if you feel it with your hands, you can sense the three distinct shinogi lines. The pattern on the blade also helps make these lines harder to spot.
Today, I only focused on the first stage and quickly removed the step at the edge. Considering the hardness of the steel, I think the initial bevel (which I removed) was probably necessary. From here, I plan to continue sharpening while keeping in mind the strength and edge retention. I haven’t yet done any sharpening to create a convex edge, so I’ll observe how the convex edge breaks (or wears down) and think about how to address it afterward. I’ve seen a video where a similar knife was cutting through plastic bottles effortlessly. I’m not sure if it’s the same steel or hardness, but it seems like the angle and shape of the edge play a key role. The curvature of the tip might be contributing to its effectiveness!
- 2015-03-04
