# First thinning project....210mm Masamoto VG.....help?!



## Zwiefel (Mar 7, 2015)

OK....after all these years, I finally have a proper thinning project in front of me:















I recently got a pink brick from Dave...specifically for this task and the ones to follow (my DTN is going to need this soon, as Don himself noted). 

So. given the geometry and steel of this knife, what thoughts do you guys have for thinning?


----------



## Zwiefel (Mar 7, 2015)

Oh, here's the full profile:


----------



## Fritzkrieg (Mar 7, 2015)

At the very least, I'd round out the shoulders and do an asymmetrical shallow convexing. Nice project!


----------



## Zwiefel (Mar 7, 2015)

Fritzkrieg said:


> At the very least, I'd round out the shoulders and do an asymmetrical shallow convexing. Nice project!



I'm in this for a learning project. I'll do whatever work is required...this is a relatively inexpensive knife and I want to get it up to snuff.


----------



## chinacats (Mar 7, 2015)

If you haven't waited too long then it should just 'slot in'when you lay the knife on the stone. More or less standard asymmetry would put the scratches a bit over a third with the rear being slightly higher than the front. WIP?


----------



## Zwiefel (Mar 7, 2015)

chinacats said:


> WIP?



Of course. Win, lose, or draw.


----------



## Zwiefel (Mar 14, 2015)

OK.....spent 4 hours on this today....220, 400, 1000, 5000, 8000....tomorrow with the polishing cloth...damn this is a LOT of work...and I think I did a 1/2-assed job. 

Initial Choil shot





Intended grinding area in blue.





Brand new Pink Brick from Dave (220 grit), flattening top and radiusing corners.









Just getting started and gathering my bearings.





time to re-flatten.





400 gesshin going in for a soak.





A video for the bored: 

[video]https://youtu.be/MW1Yj7w4vCI[/video]






1k Mizayuma









Another video for the bored:

[video=youtube;sTtXhs2tIDc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTtXhs2tIDc[/video]

5k mizayuma









8k Kitayama






Plenty of polishing work left for tomorrow. I think the edge has been thinned significantly....but it's far from impressively thin. This sh1t is a LOT of hard work.


----------



## EdipisReks (Mar 14, 2015)

Yeah man, thinning by hand is a real effort sometimes. This is monosteel, right? Thinning a clad knife is usually easier. I think you're on the right track, though! Honestly, I would probably do the whole thing all over again, before doing polishing. Or just use it before polishing. Trust me, the last thing you want to do is polish out the knife and then decide it needs more work.


----------



## Geo87 (Mar 14, 2015)

Choil shot?


----------



## Castalia (Mar 14, 2015)

Thanks for the thread, I have the same knife (also with a custom handle). I like the saya you have. The 210 Masamoto was my first foray into Japanese knives. Perhaps one of these days I will do something similar, but I have many other little projects in the queue ahead of it. I did mirror polish mine already, so I will use it until the polishing needs to be done again. 

:cool2:


----------



## panda (Mar 14, 2015)

I had two masa vg gyutos, they need about 4 thinning sessions before reaching optimal cutting.


----------



## Zwiefel (Mar 14, 2015)

EdipisReks said:


> Yeah man, thinning by hand is a real effort sometimes. This is monosteel, right? Thinning a clad knife is usually easier. I think you're on the right track, though! Honestly, I would probably do the whole thing all over again, before doing polishing. Or just use it before polishing. Trust me, the last thing you want to do is polish out the knife and then decide it needs more work.



Jacob, You seeing something specific? Or just a general comment?



Geo87 said:


> Choil shot?



Maybe tomorrow...my camera is a PITA for choil shots. 



panda said:


> I had two masa vg gyutos, they need about 4 thinning sessions before reaching optimal cutting.



Hmmm....how many hours are you talking?


----------



## chinacats (Mar 14, 2015)

I can't speak for Jacob, but imo always worth cutting before polishing--almost always go back for a bit more (thinning) after using it.


----------



## EdipisReks (Mar 14, 2015)

Just a general comment. if it cuts well, go ahead and polish. I just have a feeling that you're going to want to do more thinning, given your the way you describe it.


----------



## panda (Mar 14, 2015)

At least two and a half hours. But these were 240, 210 might be less work.


----------



## ThEoRy (Mar 15, 2015)

Belt grinder ftw.


----------



## Zwiefel (Mar 15, 2015)

Thanks guys! I think I'll use it for a week or so to decide what next. I did a couple of potatoes and an apple just now...It's definitely improved...but I can still see significant shoulders after the 8k.

Rick: heh...absolutely...if I had the space for it, bunking with friends ATM.


----------



## James (Mar 15, 2015)

hmm, perhaps thin behind the edge rather than the whole blade to get rid of the shoulders? That should save you some work and preserve some convexity.


----------

