# Show your work! Uchigumori and co...



## nutmeg

Hi everyone,

if you are polishing a knife, in the most traditional or a more personnal way, please post your pictures!


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## nutmeg

Bilder hochladen


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## Matus

I have recently refinished a 80mm Kato petty:

Original condition after testing different stone 'finishes':






After #400 sanding paper






After #600 sanding paper






After #1000 sanding paper






After #2500 sanding paper






After soft fingerstones (in retrospect I should have probably done a little better job with sanding, but it is still nice)


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## cheflivengood

A no finger stone finish on a knife i've been sharpening for a friend for awhile. 



Aoto Finish on a friends takeda


Re sand / etch / force patina / polish on my maumasi


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## Anton

Can I send you some of my knives??


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## Jacob_x

:Ooooh: that maumasi! Holy sheeeeeeeet 

Is that my kato Matus?


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## XooMG

Just finished touching up a project knife but no camera at the moment.

An older project...working finish on a Carter, before I received some fingerstones:


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## Matus

Yes, that is your Kato


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## Jacob_x

Edit - can see by the handle it must be yours.


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## cheflivengood

Anton said:


> Can I send you some of my knives??



yes....will i send them back??? maybe.


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## Jacob_x

Ah whoops! Apologies. Looks great!


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## nutmeg

this one above is a 180 mm Sujihiki special in White #2 KU from Watanabe.
I first "removed" the black KU finish to mirror, a long job.
I worked a bit on the saya too.


Bilder hochladen
After this basis I polished with a big Uchigumori Hazuya from Ohira, then Hazuya fingerstones and Jizuya fingerstones.(both from Ohira)
I can't rmember wich kind of paste I applied on it at the end, maybe Jitteko.
Hard to see on the picture but the blade has contrast and is extremely glossy and this without mirror effect.
It was the glossiest result I got.

But more to come...


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## Matus

I bought recently to cheap single bevel funayuki for playing around. Since I had TWO I could keep one in the original state and compare to what kind of finish different stones would leave. The original finish looked a bit 'sand blasted' (and somewhat grippy) on the cladding between core steel and shinogi line. Since the grind was also completely flat, it was relatively easy to to give it a try (I have very little experience with kasumi finish so far)

Left: JNS300
Right: original






Left: Gesshin Synthetic Natural (yes, directly from JNS 300, I did not have any 'in between stone at that moment)
Right: original






Left: Soft (and not too fine - about 1k - 2k based on feel) Blue Aoto which seems to have a few hard particles that cause fine lines
Right: original






Left: Lv 2.0 Hakka (very soft and muddy with tendency to sticking which apparently is normal, but make it hard to leave smooth finish)
Right: original






Left: After finger stones made from soft Tomo Nagura (according to Maxim from Takashima or Ohira)
Right: original





The same as above under different (better) angle:





*Summary:*
- I was surprised how even the finish the JNS300 left
- Gesshin Synthetic Natural is not a stone for Kasumi finish (exactly as described, it is an excellent edge finisher). I used it because I did not have my Gesshin 2000 at hand. Still - it was fast enough to remove the scratches from JNS300 what is an achievement by itself
- The Aoto could be finer, but it was the easiest to put an even finish on the stone (save for the few fine scratches)
- Hakka would really stick a lot and in spite of the amount of mud it produces I did not manage to get even finish.
- Fingerstones allowed me to put even finish after previous steps with ease.


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## Matus

Jakob - no problem 

XooMG - fantastic work on that Carter. What stones did you use?


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## Matus

Jakob - sorry - I got confused, that is not your Kato. The blade on yours is still covered in tape


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## XooMG

Matus said:


> XooMG - fantastic work on that Carter. What stones did you use?


Not sure. It was around the time I got my white suita from Shinichi, so that may have been my last stone, but it might have been hakka juice on a burnished binsui base.

Thanks for the compliment.


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## nutmeg

this one above is a 180 mm Sujihiki special in White #2 KU from Watanabe.
I first "removed" the black KU finish to mirror, a long job.
I worked a bit on the saya too.


Bilder hochladen
After this basis I polished with a big Uchigumori Hazuya from Ohira, then Hazuya fingerstones and Jizuya fingerstones.(both from Ohira)
I can't rmember wich kind of paste I applied on it at the end, maybe Jitteko.
Hard to see on the picture but the blade has contrast and is extremely glossy and this without mirror effect.
It was the glossiest result I got.
Fine edge sharpened on an Ao Renge from Ohira. Very beautiful and useful sujihiki.

But more to come with Kintarou Ame, Damascus, Kitaeji and probably a better camera ;-)


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## nutmeg

Sabaki special with engraving and inserted diamond, and Yanagi special, both from Watanabe. The yanagi has been polished with Uchigumori from Watanabe himself.

already beautiful but I'm about to polish them again. Still with fingerstones but mat/mirror glossy.









gratis bilder


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## nutmeg

other Watanabe Kintarou Ame knives, Hazuya und Jizuya Uchigumori from Ohira.





I love this Gyuto 270, my favourite knife





bilder kostenlos


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## Matus

Nutmeg, that looks awesome - in particular the Sabaki and Yanagiba. I have a long way to go to make that kind of finish. But now I have no excuse more with the new stones from Shinichi


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## Matus

EDIT: I assumed, that the stated budget is for one knife. If you mean it for both, then just use it only for the gyuto and get a nakiri later. The reason is - you can get a really great knife within your budget, but if you try to get two, you will be really pushing it and may need to compromise too much on quality or finish.


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## nutmeg

Matus said:


> Nutmeg, that looks awesome - in particular the Sabaki and Yanagiba. I have a long way to go to make that kind of finish. But now I have no excuse more with the new stones from Shinichi



Thanks Matus, in fact if you take more time than I with a slowly progression and concentrated moves, your results will be much better than mine and this at the first time!
I don't believe that technique plays the biggest role for polishing.


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## Badgertooth

Great thread nutmeg!! These have variously been posted under different threads but here goes.

Hinoura on Monzento













Same Hinoura with a King 800 > Monzento > Maruoyama shiro suita > fingerstone finish on the blade road
And a micromesh finish on the blade flat





Red Orca gyuto with a horrible machined on finish that I ground off with coarse stones (I don't recommend it) and refinished up to 1200 grit sandpaper 





Syousin chiku migaki thinned and refinished sanjo style 









Dois on naturals after king 800





Shig given pre BST spa


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## krx927

I was playing with Takamura R2 Mikagi. The main problem was that the spine was really sharp and I needed to round it a bit. So first I did the spine but later noticed that also the bolster is way too sharp for comfortable use. Unfortunately I do not have pics of the part when I was rounding the spine&bolster.

I just documented the polishing that I did yesterday:

I needed to start with very coarse sand paper as the vertical scratches from buffer wheel were really deep:






followed by (BTW 180 is where Heiji stops finishing his blades):


























Missing picture for 2000 grit

Later it was time for polishing:





A bit more detail:






Then it was time for finger stones (courtesy of Matus )






Some more detail:






Somehow the tip got lost in the whole process:






The whole process (without rounding spine): rounding of bolster & polishing took me 3 hours. One of the results was also this (on both thumbs):







Now the knife is much, much more pleasant to use. It makes huge difference. In the next days I just need to restore the tip and give it a good sharpening job.


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## Matus

You did very nice job there, krx927. The fingerstones did not have too much effect - I guess it is because the cladding is stainless.

I would only not that it is very easy to 'loose' the tip when refinishing the blade - in particular if one starts on coarser grit. One possibility to mitigate that is to have some sort of mechanical stop few mm in front of the tip so that the sanding pad can not slip over the tip as at that point the whole force is concentrated over very small area and over time the tip gets simply ground away. I used such a stop when I was draw-filing a blade (prior to HT, of course), because slipping off with a file had quite a drastic effect on the not yet hardened tip.


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## XooMG

Man that makes me miss my Takamura.


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## krx927

Matus said:


> You did very nice job there, krx927. The fingerstones did not have too much effect - I guess it is because the cladding is stainless.
> 
> I would only not that it is very easy to 'loose' the tip when refinishing the blade - in particular if one starts on coarser grit. One possibility to mitigate that is to have some sort of mechanical stop few mm in front of the tip so that the sanding pad can not slip over the tip as at that point the whole force is concentrated over very small area and over time the tip gets simply ground away. I used such a stop when I was draw-filing a blade (prior to HT, of course), because slipping off with a file had quite a drastic effect on the not yet hardened tip.



It was my first time using finger stones and honestly I was a bit disappointed by the result. Most likely you are right about stainless steel. 

I was thinking the same about loosing tip. Indeed the only explanation is the it was gone when I was going over it with coarse grit. Nice suggestion about the stop, I would even think that it would be enough to make the stop a little over the edge, so that the middle of the sanding paper would stop at the tip. I will try next time. 
But funnily enough until now I never lost the tip when refinishing the knife. I did that with 3 gyutos: Miyabi, Akifusa (2 of them) and 1 Heiji petty and they were all fine. Perhaps the fact that I really used 120 grit paper to start (with others I started with 240) and the fact that it is extremely thin behind the edge.



XooMG said:


> Man that makes me miss my Takamura.



Great knife, especially now that I fixed the flaws that were making it pretty uncomfortable to use. The only other issue that still exist is unfortunately non fixable = handle. If they would at least come with WA handles. This western handle is a bit too small and you cannot do anything about it.
As we saw some time ago not even WA conversion helps as there is that nasty whole in the tang.


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## nutmeg

krx927 said:


> It was my first time using finger stones and honestly I was a bit disappointed by the result.



Stainless is a point but I think the blade was a bit scratchy for fingerstones.
Some could say fingerstones show the caracter of the blade. It looks more metallic and shows the scratches too as versus to mirror polish.
180 is very rough and removes a lot of steel. You should try starting at higher grain.
Also you were polishing all way parallel to the lengthwise axis of the edge.
Try to start at 45°, then 30°, 15° and after 1000 parallel to he lengthwise axis of the edge. That way you can better control the scratches.


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## nutmeg

to see the scrathes on the blade I take the blade in the direction of a light .













the most difficult is not to polish but to patience until the smallest scratch is gone..!
(I never managed to be patient that long ;-) )


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## krx927

nutmeg said:


> Stainless is a point but I think the blade was a bit scratchy for fingerstones.
> Some could say fingerstones show the caracter of the blade. It looks more metallic and shows the scratches too as versus to mirror polish.
> 180 is very rough and removes a lot of steel. You should try starting at higher grain.
> Also you were polishing all way parallel to the lengthwise axis of the edge.
> Try to start at 45°, then 30°, 15° and after 1000 parallel to he lengthwise axis of the edge. That way you can better control the scratches.



Yes indeed I scratched the blade after I used finger stones..

I reallhy needed to start with very coarse paper as the original vertical scratched were very deep. With 320 they would not go out.

I will try next doing an angle with every grit, but this for sure is more difficult and will take more time. I must say that I was pretty happy with my result despite doing all sanding in the same direction.


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## nutmeg

it looks very good indeed, surely better than new.
Katos kasumi are vertical scratched too, the polishing job with them is like infinite!
Anyway for a top clean samourai finish, you need Many hours. 
But that's a hobby! ;-)


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## nutmeg

Uchigumori finish on Watanabe Yanagiba 300mm KU Kintarou Ame but this time...without fingerstones! only a big Uchigumori Hazuya Ohira stone.


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## nutmeg

Usually I prefer Hazuya on kitchen knives..


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## nutmeg

...but this time with quite a lot of work I got great results with an Ohira Jizuya on a Shigefusa Petty 135mm.

Good contrast


foto hochladen


fotos hochladen
and beautiful pattern


gratis bilder




Finished on a Ao Renge Ohira Suita and Kanayama Strop 20000 and 50000 it became extremely sharp!
https://youtu.be/K5q4vVuzwWY

I was thinking about selling it but now I'm not that sure..


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## bennyprofane

Wow, thats beautiful!


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## aboynamedsuita

Those are some serious clouds... I take it that it is a Kasumi and not Kitaeji?


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## nutmeg

Thank you for the comment Bennyprofane. 
The polishing job wasn't that easy. 
First the preparation as Shigefusas knives usually have some deep scratches. I had to trick a bit to make them less visible but removing as less metal as possible to let the shape of the knife same as out of the box.
Then find a stone that reacts well with the metal and let appear the beautiful pattern.
And finally the patience to make it glossy..


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## nutmeg

tjangula said:


> Those are some serious clouds... I take it that it is a Kasumi and not Kitaeji?



Yes it is a kasumi. 
I am beginning an uchigumori polish on a kitaeji. Quite excited to see the result! 
But there is a huge preparation for this one as the knife out of the box was very scratchy..


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## nutmeg

tjangula said:


> Those are some serious clouds... I take it that it is a Kasumi and not Kitaeji?


difficult to compare yet but not sure the kitaeji pattern will be as complicated as this one


foto upload


Kostenloses Bilderhosting


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## Omega

Wow that is some beautiful work! Definitely is starting to give me the bug to want to get into sharpening and polishing with natural stones!


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## Matus

Nutmeg, that looks really nice.


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## Mute-on

nutmeg said:


> ...but this time with quite a lot of work I got great results with an Ohira Jizuya on a Shigefusa Petty 135mm.
> 
> Good contrast
> 
> 
> foto hochladen
> 
> 
> fotos hochladen
> and beautiful pattern
> 
> 
> gratis bilder
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Finished on a Ao Renge Ohira Suita and Kanayama Strop 20000 and 50000 it became extremely sharp!
> https://youtu.be/K5q4vVuzwWY
> 
> I was thinking about selling it but now I'm not that sure..



Just watched the hair cut test. Best knife sharpness video I've ever seen

Very impressive polish, too. Nice!


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## Krakorak

nutmeg said:


> ...but this time with quite a lot of work I got great results with an Ohira Jizuya on a Shigefusa Petty 135mm.
> 
> Good contrast
> 
> 
> foto hochladen
> 
> 
> fotos hochladen
> and beautiful pattern
> 
> 
> gratis bilder
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Finished on a Ao Renge Ohira Suita and Kanayama Strop 20000 and 50000 it became extremely sharp!
> https://youtu.be/K5q4vVuzwWY
> 
> I was thinking about selling it but now I'm not that sure..



That looks everything phantastic!


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## cheflivengood

This was a Hide, I've thinned out the blade face by hand enough for the makers mark to disappear. Now the shinogi is pretty crisp.


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## zetieum

I seriously thinned my TF nakiri and also corrected a big over grind. I tried to make a nice finish and played a bit with my natural stones and finger stones. It is the first time I am doing such a big job. In term of performance, this knife is now super efficient. In term of finish, I am pleased with it for a first time, although it is not completely perfect.






Some detail:


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## Krassi

Nice!

@zetieum
wow you took a lot of the knife! if you need your ai1000 and ai2000 back just gimme a call.. cant wait to test your Nakiri reloaded next time!

@cheflivengood
wow the contrast of the polished and matte are is sick!


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## Badgertooth

nutmeg said:


> ...but this time with quite a lot of work I got great results with an Ohira Jizuya on a Shigefusa Petty 135mm.
> 
> Good contrast
> 
> 
> foto hochladen
> 
> 
> fotos hochladen
> and beautiful pattern
> 
> 
> gratis bilder
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Finished on a Ao Renge Ohira Suita and Kanayama Strop 20000 and 50000 it became extremely sharp!
> https://youtu.be/K5q4vVuzwWY
> 
> I was thinking about selling it but now I'm not that sure..



I love sharpening, truly. But this has made me realise I have some way to go. Outstanding in every which way you could measure it.


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## Matus

Krassi said:


> Nice!
> 
> @zetieum
> wow you took a lot of the knife!
> 
> @cheflivengood
> wow the contrast of the polished and matte are is sick!



+1


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## Badgertooth

cheflivengood said:


> This was a Hide, I've thinned out the blade face by hand enough for the makers mark to disappear. Now the shinogi is pretty crisp.
> 
> View attachment 33875



That must've taken quite some time


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## Badgertooth

From my Ohira Renge post





And the sandblasted semi mirror finish from my new Aiiwatani. The orange is a reflection of an overhead light


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## aboynamedsuita

Badgertooth said:


> And the sandblasted semi mirror finish from my new Aiiwatani. The orange is a reflection of an overhead light



I like how it makes the lamination line pop, in addition to the finish on core and cladding


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## cheflivengood

Badgertooth said:


> That must've taken quite some time



Maybe about an hour to be honest, my set up is pretty ghetto, but im able to but some signifigant prsure on the knife, and since the handle is off it helps. it actually got hot enough to steam so I started dunking it lol.


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## Badgertooth

My camera thinks there's a window frame on the jigane and has changed the depth of focus accordingly. Watanabe after Nakayama


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## panda

you guys spend way more time polishing stuff than cutting.


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## Badgertooth

panda said:


> you guys spend way more time polishing stuff than cutting.



This is probably true.


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## panda

fwiw, i think cheflivengood did a hell of a job on that hide!


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## cheflivengood

panda said:


> fwiw, i think cheflivengood did a hell of a job on that hide!



:O


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## Krassi

panda said:


> you guys spend way more time polishing stuff than cutting.



You are so damned right.. "sad but true" )
I found myself yesterday and 2AM in my kitchen and it was suddenly 4AM )

If you know those awesome Bob Ross Painting videos then i would call this "The Joy of Sharpening!"
Actually i checked Polishing results, but since it was just quick and dirty its not worth showing.

Instead of buying more stones i will work more with the ones i have!! ) (i hope so  )

Sick polishing @badger!
And awesome Work @cheflivengood!

Seeya Daniel


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## nutmeg

scratch removing preparation before uchigumori..I could almost let it like this!;-)


foto upload


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## Badgertooth

That's gorgeous


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## tgfencer

nutmeg said:


> scratch removing preparation before uchigumori..I could almost let it like this!;-)
> 
> 
> foto upload



Hey Nutmeg, if you don't mind me asking, what was your progression on this project?


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## nutmeg

600, 1200, 2000, 3000, 5000, wool steel with car polish.
And a lot of time ;-)
Even looking in the direction of the light it's difficult to se scratches. But there are still some! ;-)


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## nutmeg

its weird.. this blade was particularely scratchfree. Not totally mirror but there are no "deep" acratches anymore, what makes the surface looking uncomplicated now


heberger image

but even if it stays glossy and not scratchy (marks on the pictures are camelia oil) it is a bit dull.
The classical lively Shigefusa pattern seems to be very slow to activate with jizuya this time :-(


téléchargement de photos
Maybe I should go back to a Hazuya or soft Jizuya &#129300;


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## jklip13

210 kato, it's not Uchihamono but it is a natural stone finish


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## jklip13

My autocorrect turned uchigumori into Uchihamono. I guess it's slowly learning


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## aboynamedsuita

That's an awesome finish on your Kato, glad to see the project turned out well.

Not sure if you've used it yet since refinishing, but if so, do you find that it has had any effect on the reactivity or other factors?


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## jklip13

Reactivity is definitely down, cutting is the same as all mirror polished knives, things can sometimes stick if you force it.


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## Badgertooth

jklip13 said:


> 210 kato, it's not Uchihamono but it is a natural stone finish



I remember this one well but can't remember much other than effort and time spent.


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## Matus

I do not have the photos to prove the point at the moment, but I have used several different stones for a kasumi, but Uchigumori (which I got from Shinichi) is the easiest to get a smooth finish with. The contrast I got with Shiro-Suita from Ohira looked about the same to me, but that stone is harder and thus requires more skill (which I do not posses yet) to get the same result.


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## Badgertooth

Why we sharpen AFTER we've refinished. Doh!


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## Nemo

Ouch! Yes, I've done that before too!


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## Krassi

My last Cut is just healed some days ago!  you all should completely destroy and round the sharp edge at the end of the blade.. useless and 90% the cause of my scariest cut!


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## ynot1985

ouch!!



Badgertooth said:


> Why we sharpen AFTER we've refinished. Doh!


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## Omega

Ugh.. Damn man. That cut does not look fun


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## Nemo

Stiches?


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## Badgertooth

Nemo said:


> Stiches?



Na, bit of superglue and it's good as gold.


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## nutmeg

Thumb blood is good for patina &#128077;


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## nutmeg

2017 is going to be a year full of challenges.. &#128170;&#127995;
I wish I will top this one soon. 


téléchargement de photos
Since this one I haven t been able to find quite a good pairing metal/stone.
The metals shows a lot of details, character, contrast.


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## nutmeg

and being totally mat, I mean without any mirror reflection...


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## nutmeg

it is porn glossy 









photo libre


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## nutmeg

Uchigumori polish made without sandpaper!
Only on benchstones this time! 
Ikarashi-do, Maruo-Yama Shiro Suita, Ohira Hazuya and Ohira Ao Renge. Just a little bit on Narutaki Jizuya fingerstone at the end.
Smooth, metallic and perfectly uniform.
I really like polishing on benchstone now. It has limits and is not that easy but I find it gives a good feeling and interresting results.


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## Matus

Nutmeg, that looks perfect. I am wondering whether the fine stone (Ao Renge) was necessary since you then 'went back' to softer & coarser (relatively speaking) fingerstones.


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## nutmeg

Matus said:


> Nutmeg, that looks perfect. I am wondering whether the fine stone (Ao Renge) was necessary since you then 'went back' to softer & coarser (relatively speaking) fingerstones.



you fox! 
Actually I polished the surface and the micro-bevel with the same stones but the fine and very hard Ao Renge was used only for the micro bevel as it scratches the hagane very fast. It doesn't ruin totally the job as the scratches are not deep but it is not very effective too.
Same for Shiro suita. Those from Maruo-yama work perfect as pre-Hazuya but those from Ohira do a scratchy job on the hagane.


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## nutmeg

nakiri with top contrast


fotos hochladen


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## nutmeg

still on benchstones.


foto hochladen
I am slowly finding the technique..the hand on the handle pushes and pulls, back and forth, without any control or pressure. This hand should be cool, just back and forth.The other hand is leading.
The fingers on the blade are guiding for the exact moves and the place where the blade has tro be polished. Absolute control but all without pressure. Just the right amount of water to float on the slurry.
Just my impressions..


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## Krassi

Ahh interesting Nutmeg!
I actually did the same yesterday  ..just pulling the Knife back and forth full on the Uchigumori.. just 2cm no more small moves and no wild movements.. I gotta build myself a kork/leather on a Stick tool to polish the sides with slurry and pressure. I am happy that my Uchigumori has no scratching lines. pure 250x85mm of fun that way and i use a mikagawa koma pure white nagura that works awesome.

I have a red narutaki thats also a mudcanon like a uchigumori and seems to be a nice polisher..


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## nutmeg

Kitaeji work in progress.. can't wait to finish it :-D









bild upload


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## TheCaptain

Beautiful work!


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## v647c

Refinished the bevel on this faithful old workhorse. The patina was starting to get really ugly due the uneven finish getting worse over time. It's definitely not a nutmeg job but I'm pretty satisfied with it overall.

http://imgur.com/a/Yyzrs

Some inconsistencies at the tip.. finished on a relatively cheap Ohira renge suita I bought from Aframes. It's really more of a koppa than a bench stone


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## Badgertooth

Looks better than I've ever finished anything mate, good job


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## nutmeg

v647c said:


> Refinished the bevel on this faithful old workhorse. The patina was starting to get really ugly due the uneven finish getting worse over time. It's definitely not a nutmeg job but I'm pretty satisfied with it overall.
> 
> http://imgur.com/a/Yyzrs
> 
> Some inconsistencies at the tip.. finished on a relatively cheap Ohira renge suita I bought from Aframes. It's really more of a koppa than a bench stone



Very good!:thumbsup:
Is it from the Watananbe pro serie or special?


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## v647c

Thanks guys! It's from the pro series. I'm curious about his togidashi finish. Is it really just additional stones in his sharpening process? Or does he smooth out the bevel as well


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## foody518

@v647c how is the aframes Ohira Suita? He's got nice prices on some of those


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## v647c

foody518 said:


> @v647c how is the aframes Ohira Suita? He's got nice prices on some of those



The stone is awesome. A little slower than some suitas I've tried in the past. There is a little line that can be felt which I didn't see in the pictures but no issues. Aframes is great I love being able to try good new stones and not have to spend too much because theyre odd shapes and sizes.


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## Badgertooth

Scrubbies and homemade fingerstone progression


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## tgfencer

Wow, great looking kitaeji! But wait, where's the patina going to go?


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## Anton

@badgertooth that's some gorgeous work


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## Doug

Beauty Otto! Is that a 240mm gyuto?


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## Badgertooth

Doug said:


> Beauty Otto! Is that a 240mm gyuto?



I wish, it's a humble 210. With my 270 preference it feels dainty


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## Omega

Good Lord Otto.. That is insane. What kind of "scrubbies"? And just regular Uchigimori fingerstones?


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## Badgertooth

Norton beartex synthetic steel wool, the green one and the maroon one which are medium and fine I think. I have some soft Aiiwatani chips that I fixed to electrical tape for the first fingerstone polish and some real uchigumori that I did the same with. The little triangular chip bottom left is now my fingerstone and I'm semi-confident in harvesting a few more now


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## nutmeg

Badgertooth said:


> Scrubbies and homemade fingerstone progression



Mr. Tokifusa Iizuka would be honored to see his knives "living" like this.


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## bryan03




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## Badgertooth

nutmeg said:


> Mr. Tokifusa Iizuka would be honored to see his knives "living" like this.



Thank you. It was your polishing that made me decide to put maximum effort into this.


----------



## nutmeg

bryan03 said:


>


mysterious..


----------



## krx927

Badgertooth said:


> Norton beartex synthetic steel wool, the green one and the maroon one which are medium and fine I think. I have some soft Aiiwatani chips that I fixed to electrical tape for the first fingerstone polish and some real uchigumori that I did the same with. The little triangular chip bottom left is now my fingerstone and I'm semi-confident in harvesting a few more now



That is a great advice of gluing stones on electrical tape, thanks. Do they stay permanently glued or do they start falling off after you brake the stone to smaller pieces? I would imagine the glue on electric paper is not so strong. Perhaps that ultra strong silver tape can be used also. Anybody have some experience with it?


----------



## zetieum

I fell almost ashamed of posting among so fine work, but for a beginner at polishing, I am quite satisfied. I thanks @mooxg for inspiration and for indicating that it could be of help to sometime polish in parallel to the blade!

Kitaoka W2 left-handed deba.


----------



## Matus

I do not have quite such a cool finish to show, but still, here are a few from my last quick testing session.

Just for the information - I started with JNS300 and then used Gesshin Synthetic Natural (as it is a rather fast stone) to take out the scratches before I would switch to natural stones. 

The photos are ordered as I used the stone. The knife is Tanaka 240 kurouchi blue#2 from James (after quite some work on the bevels, but that was a different session). 

Please note that I have a lot to learn on doing this - so the results are not as smooth as they could be, but I at least tried to use the same angle when taking the photos, so the results would be at least partially comparable.

Gesshin Synthetic Natural




Blue Aoto (soft, muddy and rather coarse - max 1k)




Ikarashi (1k - 2k, medium hard, fast, just enough mud)




Ikarashi-do (from Watanabe, hard, about 3k, fast with slurry)




Uchigumori (from Watanabe, on the softer side, easy to make great finish, fast)




Uchigumori AkaRenge (from Watanabe, little harder and less muddy, finish is similar) - will be used for fingerstones




I will add a few more stones with some later sessions (Soft Hakka, Shiro-Suita Aka Renge Ohira, hard and fine Blue Aoto).


----------



## brooksie967

Progression was shapton glass 500, chosera, asano mikawa Botan (bench stone), soft ozuku, ohira suita followed by shobudani suita. 



Hope you all like it.[video]https://youtu.be/2YQeVELAtjo[/video]


----------



## Matus

brooksie967 said:


> Progression was shapton glass 500, chosera, asano mikawa Botan (bench stone), soft ozuku, ohira suita followed by shobudani suita.
> Hope you all like it.[video]https://youtu.be/2YQeVELAtjo[/video]



Fantastic finish!


----------



## Krakorak

brooksie967 said:


> Progression was shapton glass 500, chosera, asano mikawa Botan (bench stone), soft ozuku, ohira suita followed by shobudani suita.
> 
> 
> 
> Hope you all like it.[video]https://youtu.be/2YQeVELAtjo[/video]



Looks really great!


----------



## Badgertooth

I had some sneak peaks of @brooksie967 work leading up to this point and I gotta say the finish of the soft Ozuku stood out. That, and I really want a Shapton 500 extra thick


----------



## nutmeg

brooksie967 said:


> Progression was shapton glass 500, chosera, asano mikawa Botan (bench stone), soft ozuku, ohira suita followed by shobudani suita.
> 
> 
> 
> Hope you all like it.[video]https://youtu.be/2YQeVELAtjo[/video]



contrast and evenness are too good! :doublethumbsup:


----------



## XooMG

My first attempt at a polish on a practice gyuto with a new mizukihara uchigumori:


----------



## khashy

Every tme I see one of XooMG's works, I just get embarrassed about my so called skills.

It looks gorgeous


----------



## nutmeg

XooMG said:


> My first attempt at a polish on a practice gyuto with a new mizukihara uchigumori:



even better than on the Carter. And beautiful pictures! I'd like my Iphone could do that


----------



## Badgertooth

Mizukihara doesn't get nearly enough love


----------



## foody518

Badgertooth said:


> Mizukihara doesn't get nearly enough love



Y'all are helping to correct that


----------



## Badgertooth

krx927 said:


> That is a great advice of gluing stones on electrical tape, thanks. Do they stay permanently glued or do they start falling off after you brake the stone to smaller pieces? I would imagine the glue on electric paper is not so strong. Perhaps that ultra strong silver tape can be used also. Anybody have some experience with it?



So far so good, no need to reapply and it seems pretty good as a waterproof barrier. Mine is still too thick to break into smaller bits as I'd like the stone to last a little longer


----------



## Unstoppabo

brooksie967 said:


> Progression was shapton glass 500, chosera, asano mikawa Botan (bench stone), soft ozuku, ohira suita followed by shobudani suita.
> 
> 
> 
> Hope you all like it.[video]https://youtu.be/2YQeVELAtjo[/video]



Geez, that's beautiful! All on stones or some fingers tone action too?


----------



## brooksie967

Thanks guys! All stones on this one. Slurry thickness was about cream cheese to get it just right.


----------



## Unstoppabo

brooksie967 said:


> Thanks guys! All stones on this one. Slurry thickness was about cream cheese to get it just right.



Sorry, last question I hope! So, tons of slurry on the suita's too? Slurry from the stone you were using (tomo or diamond plate) or some donor nagura? Really like how wet that looks! I don't want to wear down my suita's too fast so I don't use them muddy but might have to give it a shot if that's how it's done.


----------



## brooksie967

Yessir, lots of slurry on the suita. It's the only way I can get in all the nooks and crannies with this knife. The knife is oiled in the video too.


----------



## Unstoppabo

brooksie967 said:


> Yessir, lots of slurry on the suita. It's the only way I can get in all the nooks and crannies with this knife. The knife is oiled in the video too.



Thanks for sharing that last piece! Would have been chasing a mirage trying to get that look. Still very impressive


----------



## nutmeg

edit


----------



## nutmeg

off topic but has anyone already tried a very hard Uchgumori stone like hs60?


----------



## Badgertooth

nutmeg said:


> off topic but has anyone already tried a very hard Uchgumori stone like hs60?



Don't know about hs60 but I have one that cuts more than it polishes and looks more like Suita than uchi


----------



## nutmeg

I received a very hard Ohira Jizuya...


Bilder hochladen


----------



## dwalker

Messing around with my new Aka Renge Suita from Watanabe. 

Beautiful stone




Makes nice slurry all on it's own



Consistent finish


----------



## nutmeg

nutmeg said:


> I received a very hard Ohira Jizuya...
> 
> 
> Bilder hochladen



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRsQEDFGxKI&feature=youtu.be


----------



## foody518

@dwalker nice stuff!!


----------



## Badgertooth

That is just lovely @dwalker
What knives are those?


----------



## dwalker

Badgertooth said:


> That is just lovely @dwalker
> What knives are those?



First knife is a T-F 240 white #1 with stainless cladding ( this is the knife I go for when I want to see just how sharp something can be). 
Second is a Moritaka petty, AS with iron cladding. 
The stone is something unique for me. It does things I didn't think would be possible for me. I will explain in detail when I've had a little more time with it.


----------



## Badgertooth

dwalker said:


> First knife is a T-F 240 white #1 with stainless cladding ( this is the knife I go for when I want to see just how sharp something can be).
> Second is a Moritaka petty, AS with iron cladding.
> The stone is something unique for me. It does things I didn't think would be possible for me. I will explain in detail when I've had a little more time with it.



I look forward to that explanation.


----------



## TheCaptain

+1. Count me in as well


----------



## nutmeg

I trained a bit on the very hard uchigumori Jizuya Ohira benchstone, HS60, 3,82&#956;m
It is a very difficult stone. It makes the hard parts looks shiny but scratches the soft parts easily. 
I believe it could be interessant for very complicated damascus patterns. For kasumi I don't think so..

Here on hazuya


bild upload


bild hochladen


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Here on hazuya


bild upload


kostenlos bilder hochladen


----------



## nutmeg

It's going to be a long work but here is a try on a Shigefusa Kitaeji nakiri's tip ;-)
At the end it should be with less scratches, more even and more 3D. I hope!


bild upload


----------



## nutmeg

nutmeg said:


> I trained a bit on the very hard uchigumori Jizuya Ohira benchstone, HS60, 3,82&#956;m
> It is a very difficult stone. It makes the hard parts looks shiny but scratches the soft parts easily.
> I believe it could be interessant for very complicated damascus patterns. For kasumi I don't think so..
> 
> Here on hazuya
> 
> 
> bild upload
> 
> 
> bild hochladen
> 
> 
> bilder kostenlos hochladen
> 
> Here on *jizuya*
> 
> 
> bild upload
> 
> 
> kostenlos bilder hochladen



edit


----------



## nutmeg

As some may see on the pictures jizuya makes the blade looking a bit brighter than hazuya.
Overall less contrast than with hazuya but also less dull and more alive as the brighter lines pop much more.


----------



## Badgertooth

Very interesting. I've never really got a handle on the real world differences between jizuya and hazuya even though I get the theory. Looks beautiful as always Nutmeg


----------



## Badgertooth

Testing new stones and playing with progressions. And this is about the best I can do without fingerstones











It went a little something like this

Chosera 3k - not recommended, great for edge work, horrible for polishing
Aizu - perfect. It feels like it must be leaving a terrible finish but it leaves a shallow, even, contrasted finish
Hakka - not so good. Dynamite on double bevels, but just didn't feel like it was doing anything, and the polish took a step backwards
Nakayama sunashi Suita - feels like cheating, no drag on the cladding, cuts fast and polishes evenly. Leaves great contrast.
Okudo Suita - hard but forgiving. Brightens everything up.
Back to to Nakayama sunashi Suita as I preferred the depth and nuance of the polish.
Ohira uchigumori - didn't have high expectations as I actually thought it was Suita incorrectly sold as uchi because of its appearance and it cuts aggressively but it seems to be uchi in the way it polishes and allowed me to smooth over some of the worst of my sins.


----------



## Nemo

Otto, I'm interested as to why you thought the Chosera 3k horrible for polishing?

I've also tried polishing a wide bevel with it. The functional result was good but it looks a lot better now that a patina has set in. It kinda looked like a multifaceted semi mirror finish (and not in a good way).


----------



## Matus

Badgertooth - that looks great.

Anyone around here uses Bester 4000? I have heard good things about it when it comes to kasumi ...


----------



## brooksie967

Nemo said:


> Otto, I'm interested as to why you thought the Chosera 3k horrible for polishing?
> 
> I've also tried polishing a wide bevel with it. The functional result was good but it looks a lot better now that a patina has set in. It kinda looked like a multifaceted semi mirror finish (and not in a good way).



I'm not sure if the chosera 3k acts similarly to the 1k but the 1k leaves that random splotchy finish too. The only way I can get an even contrast out of the 1k is to use diamond plate generated slurry and do strokes parallel to the shinogi line.


----------



## Nemo

brooksie967 said:


> I'm not sure if the chosera 3k acts similarly to the 1k but the 1k leaves that random splotchy finish too. The only way I can get an even contrast out of the 1k is to use diamond plate generated slurry and do strokes parallel to the shinogi line.



The 3k finish probably looks a little worse than 1k IME. Maybe because it's shinier. I tried a 1k finish but there was too much drag on the bevel (in wet foods), so I polished the wide bevel to 3k. Much less drag on the bevel but looks ordinary until it patinas.

Didn't try the slurry trick, though.


----------



## nutmeg

Nice Badgertooth, dark jigane with like mirror hagane on the pictures.

Differences between Hauzuya and Jizuya seem to be real but difficult to judge.
If I had 30 different "certified" hazuyas and jizuyas I could eventually classify them better.. Using them on real tamahagane could maybe enhance differences but all I got out of this metal is some razors, wich are maybe not xthe best way to try.

Shinichi wrote me last week:

"Your impression about Jizuya is same as me. And correct. because Jizuya is
for Jigane surface of Samurai sword. It has some layers of same material.
When you use Jizuya, the layers appear clearly on Jigane of Samurai sword.
http://blogimg.goo.ne.jp/user_image/2c/36/983ec8fa7e60c0048d21b1cb426e50d2.j
pg
It is no means for kitchen knives which I already might told you.
But I'm not the expert yet. Samurai sword maker have a couple of different
hardness of Uchigumori. And they use different Uchigumori for each Sword.

Jizuya and Hazuya are from same layer.
Human judge Jizuya or Hazuya by their feeling.
http://www.kitchen-knife.jp/special/wetstone6.htm
#10 Uchigumori, Hazuya: HS56.
#13 Uchigumori, Jizuya, HS57.
You can believe the determine."


----------



## nutmeg

I noticed the AI#2000 gives sometimes a more hazy/dark surface and sometimes more on the semi-mirror side, just depending on the pressure applied on it. 
As pre polisher it is the same at the end because the scratches are same but sometimes I can imagine that playing with pressure allows the light to show the scratches or to hide them a bit in shadow.


----------



## Badgertooth

Nemo said:


> Otto, I'm interested as to why you thought the Chosera 3k horrible for polishing?
> 
> I've also tried polishing a wide bevel with it. The functional result was good but it looks a lot better now that a patina has set in. It kinda looked like a multifaceted semi mirror finish (and not in a good way).



Yeah, exactly this mate. Sort of weird shiny scuffs all over the show. It's one of my favourite stones but it's just not going into my polishing rotation. I do need a synth for that low nakato gap.


----------



## Badgertooth

brooksie967 said:


> I'm not sure if the chosera 3k acts similarly to the 1k but the 1k leaves that random splotchy finish too. The only way I can get an even contrast out of the 1k is to use diamond plate generated slurry and do strokes parallel to the shinogi line.



Yeah, I had a great session on a Chosera 1k after some lapping and it was in a stainless cladding that wasn't too gummy or gross feelings. Splotchfest on mild iron like Shigs and Toyamas.


----------



## v647c

Sharpened a Masamoto deba for a co-worker of mine because he said it doesn't work like it used to. Upon looking at the blade, the bevel was almost completely flat, except near the tip where it was way too convexed; which is almost the opposite of what I think is best on a deba. The ura also had a slight microbevel somehow... Other than that it was in pretty decent condition considering he's been using it daily for almost 3 years.

Before:
http://imgur.com/a/CDTnM
http://imgur.com/a/FGxzz

After:
http://imgur.com/a/aSwnu
http://imgur.com/a/hNtLA
http://imgur.com/a/YCLws

Had trouble keeping the lighting the same in between pics... Bevel finished on a very soft Maruoyama that I use for my own deba. Hope he will like it.


----------



## Matus

That is some nice work on the deba. May I ask how did you work on the ura side?


----------



## Badgertooth

Your colleague is lucky and you've done a superb job


----------



## Badgertooth

And go team Maruoyama!


----------



## v647c

Matus said:


> That is some nice work on the deba. May I ask how did you work on the ura side?



Thanks, I started the ura on Beston 500 because there was a weird microbevel. Fortunately the hollow back was still quite prominent. To try and get rid of some of the scratches I used Beston 500 with lots of diamond slurry and some micro mesh wrapped around a wine cork to deal with the concavity, taking care to apply pressure at the right spots. Then repeated on JNS 1000 sharpening parallel, and back to Beston 500 with lots of slurry, using micro mesh in between. Then lightly on JNS synthetic aoto, Aizu and Maruoyama, which were the same stones I used for the front bevel



Badgertooth said:


> And go team Maruoyama!



Thanks, You are one of my idols


----------



## nutmeg

After some basis.. 


gratis bilder hochladen

On the second stone from left you can read HS 119!!!:bigeek:



now exploring different ways to finish the kitaeji..

Narutaki Jizuya fingerstones, about HS 47:


Kostenlos Bilder hochladen

Ohira Jizuya benchstone, HS 60:


bild upload

Should I sacrify the ohira jizuya and make fingerstones out of it :scared4:


----------



## Badgertooth

HS119 that must be incredibly hard. Finish looks really good btq


----------



## Badgertooth

I had a hard Takashima that is being sacrificed to to fingerstone gods but the first fingerstone is too hard to use on soft claddig


----------



## nutmeg

Badgertooth said:


> HS119 that must be incredibly hard. Finish looks really good btq


It sounds like marble on the diamond plate but doesn't feel that hard by sharpening... 
It's a synthetic that have the same feeling as a quite hard natural. Keeps good flatness and brings mirror very fast. It should be a must for razors.


----------



## preizzo

Kasumi finish on my Kato Suji 210. I am trying to take of the vertical line on the blade, I still have a lot of work left, but I think that the kasumi finish come out pretty well.! 
I am using a red amakusa, a natural stone fine grit and a ******** 10000. 
BTW if someone can identify the natural stone I don't know I will appreciate a lot!! &#128525; &#128525;


----------



## nutmeg

much work on the Katos because of the vertical lines.. 
Have you tried with a synthetic to erase them faster?


----------



## preizzo

These vertical lines are super hard to erase!! &#128529;&#128529;
I will have to take off the handle a d start from 60 grit sandpaper up to 2000. Don't have time now, but I will do it pretty soon! &#128522;


----------



## Matus

preizzo said:


> These vertical lines are super hard to erase!! &#128529;&#128529;
> I will have to take off the handle a d start from 60 grit sandpaper up to 2000. Don't have time now, but I will do it pretty soon! &#128522;



Good to know. I was considering to refinish the 240 I have, but I will reconsider now.


----------



## Badgertooth

That Kato cladding is super hard. More so on the workhorse than the regular and I think it'd be bloody hard yakka getting rid of the initial grind marks. Not impossible, Greg at Wabocho refinished the one I sold recently and I think it looks awesome finished that way.


----------



## preizzo

Look great!! &#128525;


----------



## nutmeg

Not finished but I could almost let it like this 


fotos kostenlos


kostenlos bilder hochladen


bilder kostenlos hochladen

The handle is in keyaki wood and the contact saya ho wood. It was a bit tricky to match both colors but the result is not that bad.


----------



## valgard

looking good as usual.


----------



## nutmeg

Watanabe suji.. A last pic before sending it to its new home 
I can't believe it used to be a KU!


Bilder hochladen


----------



## dwalker

Beautiful nutmeg. Really impressive.


----------



## valgard

@nutmeg i can't either


----------



## Nemo

Nice camera.

Oh, and VERY nice mirror polish too!


----------



## v647c

nutmeg said:


> Watanabe suji.. A last pic before sending it to its new home
> I can't believe it used to be a KU!
> 
> 
> Bilder hochladen



I hope this doesn't sound too weird, but you have very clean fingernails for all the grinding you do


----------



## nutmeg

haha! at work they say I have dirty fingernails for the little work I do


----------



## nutmeg

foto hochladen


----------



## nutmeg

foto hochladen
Vertical lines gone


----------



## nutmeg

bilder uploaden
maybe almost too much contrast for my taste.. Let's see if I can get a nicer hamon line and a more metallic surface...


----------



## Matus

I have spent yesterday two hours working on a stainless clad AS nakiri (otherwise a very nice knife) - I have to say that to get any decent finish on a soft stainless cladding is not easy. Will post some photos at a later stage.


----------



## nkbitsch

Very smooth! I'm looking to achieve something like this! IMO thats how a Kato should look. Maybe I'm just too much into the aesthetics of a knife, but when the knife that I'm using looks special, I takes the entire cooking experience to another level for me.


----------



## nutmeg

The Kato has been finished!&#128512;
Agressive knife, agressive polish
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NLgsKgaa9jg
Believe it or not, there is no oil on the knife &#128526;


picupload


----------



## nutmeg

it's not easy to see on the pictures but the hamon line is extremly clear. The contrast comes not only from colours but also from textures.
There were many different stones this time.


----------



## valgard

:coolsign:


----------



## Badgertooth

That's crazy


----------



## foody518

@nutmeg spectacular work


----------



## Omega

@Nutmeg wow... The finished product on that Kato is unreal. 

What was your final progression like to get the finish you ended with?


----------



## Matus

Nutmeg, my hat is off. Now tell us how many hours did that take


----------



## valgard

Matus said:


> Nutmeg, my hat is off. Now tell us how many hours did that take



+1

I want to know too


----------



## nutmeg

really not that much, maybe 7 hours for the whole work.&#128540;


----------



## nutmeg

Omega said:


> @Nutmeg wow... The finished product on that Kato is unreal.
> 
> What was your final progression like to get the finish you ended with?



first, I had the luck this knife had the perfect shape for benchstones.

Ai#1000 

Ai#2000

Kitayama #8000

Shiro Suita Maruo Yama. After this stage there is no scratches from AI#1000 anymore

Shiro Suita Ohira 

Ao Renge Ohira with nagura to sharpen the blade (it became scary sharp!!)

Benchstone Hazuya Ohira (soft) on the hagane

Benchstone jizuya Ohira (hs 54) on the jigane

Fingerstone Jizuya Narutaki (hs 45) on the jigane

Fingerstone Jizuya Ohira (hs 55) on the jigane

Ao Renge Ohira without nagura and a lot of water to sharpen the blade

Fingerstone Jizuya Ohira (hs62) on the jigane. It is now very metallic but a bit scratchy

Fingerstone Jizuya Narutaki (hs 50) on the jigane to dull/soften the Ohira's "scratches"

Fingerstone Hazuya Ohira (Soft) on the hagane

Fingerstone Hazuya Ohira (harder) on the hagane

Ao Renge Ohira without nagura and a lot of water to sharpen the blade

Nugui jitekko



picupload


----------



## nutmeg

nutmeg said:


> first, I had the luck this knife had the perfect shape for benchstones.





gratis bilder hochladen


----------



## Omega

@Nutmeg DAMN. That is an impressive list of stones, wow.. Thank you very much for the info!


----------



## v647c

You are amazing. Even if I had such a range of uchigumori stones I'd need like 9 months to do something half as good as this


----------



## erezj

nutmeg said:


> it's not easy to see on the pictures but the hamon line is extremly clear. The contrast comes not only from colours but also from textures.
> There were many different stones this time.



First of all, Damn!
Second of all, 'only 9 h', how easy it is to loose perspective in this forum, anyone out of here would consider you MAD.
Third, hamon? What hamon? Does Kato do hamons on San Mai? Can you even do hamon on the soft steel?


----------



## inzite

erezj said:


> First of all, Damn!
> Second of all, 'only 9 h', how easy it is to loose perspective in this forum, anyone out of here would consider you MAD.
> Third, hamon? What hamon? Does Kato do hamons on San Mai? Can you even do hamon on the soft steel?



perhaps nutmeg meant the lamination line.


----------



## nutmeg

ok.. first and second, thanks for your kind word.
third, "hamon" was for "forge welded line".


----------



## Matus

That list of stones ... just wow.


----------



## Unstoppabo

nutmeg said:


> really not that much, maybe 7 hours for the whole work.&#128540;



Is that for 1 side or both?


----------



## nutmeg

Unstoppabo said:


> Is that for 1 side or both?



oops it was so fast, I hope I didn't forget a side..&#128556;


----------



## Unstoppabo

nutmeg said:


> oops it was so fast, I hope I didn't forget a side..&#128556;



Now you're just bragging! Great work


----------



## nutmeg

fotos hochladen

Kitaeji in progress after Ohira Jizuya HS 60


----------



## Badgertooth

Lieben gott! That is amazing


----------



## nutmeg

I' quite excited to see it after Ohira Jizuya HS70


----------



## Badgertooth

I abandoned this to re-kasumi it just as clouds were beginning to show. The only fingerstones I had which could bring out the clouds also left scratches so it became a self-defeating exercise


----------



## nutmeg

Have you tried to remove the scratches with a softer Fingerstone like mittle-hard hazuya? I bet you could keep the waves.


----------



## preizzo

Waiting for the Sourdough bread to be ready I decided to polish a bit my last blade. &#128522;


----------



## nutmeg

This time without coffee and with help of some nice relaxing music
[video=youtube;jvvZ2a0E9hQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvvZ2a0E9hQ[/video]
Ohira Jizuya HS70 done, the nakiri is finished.

This stone is very hard, I mean the kind of razor stone people says "don't never touch the soft clad with the or it will be scratched".


----------



## nutmeg

picupload


----------



## nutmeg

Sharpened on this very small but hardest uchigumori stone





this is how it cuts

https://youtu.be/y4rZTJ8khAY


----------



## Kingkor

I would love to see a test on onions, carrots and some chiffonading and not hair &#128512;


----------



## nutmeg

Kingkor said:


> I would love to see a test on onions, carrots and some chiffonading and not hair &#128512;



don't worry the blade goes through vegetable too!

No, actually cutting vegetable is 90% human technique, 10% the knife.
Cutting hair is 10% human technique, 90% the knife..
Btw the most perfect vegetable cubes can be made with a cheap Wüsthof.


----------



## erezj

Amazing man!


----------



## Kingkor

You're tottaly right ive seen some people cube vegetables perfectly with the most dull knives but ive also seen and made super cheap knives sharp enough to cut hair so its interesting to see the balance in the hand and how the knife goes through food


----------



## valgard

Man, that looks amazing. Your patience is commendable.


----------



## Badgertooth

Patience AND persistence. Well done


----------



## valgard

I just started trying my hand at this game and have been having some fun the last couple of days testing things with my limited set of stones. I found very interesting how the same finishing stone can leave very different appearances depending on the preceding stone. Pictures are taken with the lame lighting of my kitchen, I apologize for that but I can only do this at night.
First I used King Hyper 1K and jumped right at the Tomo Nagura Extra big (Matus has said Maxim thinks this are soft Kiita) with a lot of thick mud. This gave me a very clear contrast between soft cladding and core steel with some texture to it, it even created something like a second line of demarcation.




Afterwards I used Kitayama 8000 followed again by the suspected Kiita and got a much more subtle contrast with a smoother hazy cladding. 



And yesterday I had gone through a progression of AI220 to erase the grinding marks, AI1000, Natural Red Aoto, Kitayama 8K, Uchigumori Hazuya HS52, and steel wool with flitz.


This one took a super cool patina that I forgot to photograph before starting to play on the stones today .

Feel free to comment or critique, I'm 100% new to this.


----------



## nutmeg

About to finish an old Shifefusa sword. The steel is scandalous, out of this world!!!


kostenlose bilder



foto upload


----------



## geoff_nocon

I miss it already nutmeg. Atleast it's in good hands.


----------



## Roberto

nutmeg said:


> About to finish an old Shifefusa sword. The steel is scandalous, out of this world!!!
> 
> 
> kostenlose bilder
> 
> 
> 
> foto upload



Wow never ever saw the shigefusa's Takobiki,beautiful knife.


----------



## nutmeg

yes I'm very lucky.
This Takobiki feels more like a sword than like a knife.

First, the steel is incredible. Very hard and not the fastest to sharpen but it became razor sharp (it passes the picked hair cutting test!)
The soft clad holds the polishing very well. Even tje hardest fingerstones don't scratch it. Actually the surface is becoming very smooth.

The finish on the blade was very good ot of the box. It is the first time I could start with Fingerstones without having to remove any scratches.

The wood box painted buy Mr Shigefusa himself is also very nice.

The handle is from humble Ho-wood ok, but of the best quality. The same for the wooden contact saya.

By far the greatest knife I've had.
I'll really give my best to make it look how it deserves.


----------



## fatboylim

Damn nice Nutmeg!


----------



## nutmeg

thanks! but the lines at tip (yokote) are still a bit dull..


----------



## nutmeg

bilder kostenlos
and finally...


----------



## nutmeg

[/[url=https://postimg.org/image/eaer871f5/]








bilder upload

and SharF
















bild hochladen


----------



## nutmeg

Bilder hochladen


----------



## khashy

OMFG.

If I ever get a nice knife, I'm going to send it to you and beg you to work your magic.

It's beautiful


----------



## nutmeg

a last one &#128525;&#128481;


foto upload


----------



## Doug

Beautiful knife, beautiful work. That must have been a most enjoyable polishing experience. Sugoi!


----------



## Matus

Nutmeg, that is sick! :thumbsup: I think you should organise a sharpening & finishing workshop


----------



## nutmeg

that's what we're doing here &#128540;


----------



## khashy

Matus said:


> Nutmeg, that is sick! :thumbsup: I think you should organise a sharpening & finishing workshop



I probably would fly over to Germany for that


----------



## brooksie967

Stunning work. Amazing attention to detail. Very very well done sir.


----------



## Ucmd

Omg, beautiful


----------



## Badgertooth

This is top shelf stuff


----------



## khashy

Badgertooth said:


> This is top shelf stuff



I thought I felt a tingling sensation in special areas when I saw nutmeg's work. Now that makes sense....[emoji12]


----------



## tgfencer

Can I just say that I appreciate this thread greatly. Lots of amazing work on display here and its really interesting to see everyone's output, from beginners to guys like nutmeg and Xoomg. Almost 14,000 views says lots of other folk think so too! Keep it going.


----------



## XooMG

My best uchigumori polish:





Wait no, that's 1k. Oh well, close enough.


----------



## XooMG

OK here is a boring working polish. Still need to go back for geometry tweaking and refinishing, but I like the soft semimirror misty look.





No fingerstones because I'm lazy.


----------



## cheflivengood

XooMG said:


> My best uchigumori polish:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Wait no, that's 1k. Oh well, close enough.



I'd like to see a video of your technique, your scratches are so vertical, like a sword polisher.


----------



## tgfencer

I second that idea. A Xoomg and/or nutmeg video clinic would be awesome


----------



## brooksie967

Vertical strokes are actually way easier to perform in my opinion. Much easier to achieve a uniform finish on a bevel too.


----------



## cheflivengood

brooksie967 said:


> Vertical strokes are actually way easier to perform in my opinion. Much easier to achieve a uniform finish on a bevel too.



I agree, but I will say that unless the knife was ground very well to begin with, the kind of scratchless uniformity that XooMG achieves on his finishes is next to impossible without finger stones. Im sure he can attest to the amount of time he has spent flattening the bevel on that knife, In which case I'd love to see the process all the way through, I don't think he has any mechanical grinders and I think I remember him saying he hates atoma's. Great work either way (share your secrets irate1


----------



## Badgertooth

A Xoomg photo essay would be awesome


----------



## Badgertooth

And a Nutmeg tutorial would be magic too.


----------



## brooksie967

cheflivengood said:


> I agree, but I will say that unless the knife was ground very well to begin with, the kind of scratchless uniformity that XooMG achieves on his finishes is next to impossible without finger stones. Im sure he can attest to the amount of time he has spent flattening the bevel on that knife, In which case I'd love to see the process all the way through, I don't think he has any mechanical grinders and I think I remember him saying he hates atoma's. Great work either way (share your secrets irate1



Oh you're absolutely right. I didn't mean to take anything away from his pictures or ability. His stuff is absolutely top notch and something that I'm trying to get to myself.


----------



## Marek07

Badgertooth said:


> A Xoomg photo essay would be awesome


+1


Badgertooth said:


> And a Nutmeg tutorial would be magic too.


+1
Hear, hear! Would love to see either... preferably both!


----------



## valgard

lus1: for the above.


----------



## Badgertooth

I always feels a little daunting posting after Xoomg or Nutmeg but I think this thread is good in getting us to show our progress too.

I'm refinishing my Kagekiyo because I was careless with a drop of water.

My set up is the kitchen bench. I use electrical tape to keep the shinogi crisp and i made a synthetic fingerstone from my first ever waterstone, a minosharp 1k. For the vertical plane between the spine and shinogi I use silicone carbide powder. Autosol on 2000 grit paper and autosol with a polishing wheel on a dremel.

For the bevel I followed the synthetic with some chips from an unsalvageable softer Aiiwatani Karasu stone. 

It's leaving a smoky dark finish that I like but I will have to step back and do more work with the synthetic stone to get all factory finish lines out.


----------



## malexthekid

Looks pretty great to me.


----------



## natto

I just stumbled upon this bit of how to.


erikz said:


> Not really youtube, hope this link works for you:
> https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=356030184524975
> 
> Its a technique to achieve a frosty matte finish called Taka-no Fusa on Katana, using a rocking motion on the stone (chu komanagura).



great thread:thumbsup:


----------



## XooMG

Badgertooth said:


> I always feels a little daunting posting after Xoomg or Nutmeg but I think this thread is good in getting us to show our progress too.
> 
> I'm refinishing my Kagekiyo because I was careless with a drop of water.
> 
> My set up is the kitchen bench. I use electrical tape to keep the shinogi crisp and i made a synthetic fingerstone from my first ever waterstone, a minosharp 1k. For the vertical plane between the spine and shinogi I use silicone carbide powder. Autosol on 2000 grit paper and autosol with a polishing wheel on a dremel.
> 
> For the bevel I followed the synthetic with some chips from an unsalvageable softer Aiiwatani Karasu stone.
> 
> It's leaving a smoky dark finish that I like but I will have to step back and do more work with the synthetic stone to get all factory finish lines out.


Looks pretty good to me. I don't like touching expensive nice knives, so you're a braver man than I.

I have discovered that as long as I make my scratches in colour, I can hide them by photographing in black and white.

Photoshop has a great filter called "rotate scratches", so I'm able to make them look nicer.

I don't want to focus on myself, but I'd like to ask folks to not overstate or overestimate my skills. Like other amateurs, I frequently discover annoying scratches, streaks, overgrinding heels, scratching the KU or flats, getting front-back inconsistency, etc. I stick mostly to cheaper stuff and rarely go above my "working polish" with excuses. However, I'm very happy you folks think I'm doing a pretty good job.


----------



## RDalman

For vertical scratches and manual thinning control, I use a technique similar to this:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BD77MdVP8s7/

Use finger on bevel with pressure and move the knife back and forth along the bevel. Makes it easy to work spots, as well as with full strokes evening it out setting a base finish. I'm no expert on stone polishing though, just came to think of this. For the off hand side I set my stone diagonally on the bench instead of switching hands, both work.

And worth mentioning as Mooxg did. Check whats happening often, and keep track on that edge and profile. Odd things can occur if you for example have a clad knife that have bent slightly since it was ground.


----------



## zetieum

Marek07 said:


> +1
> 
> +1
> Hear, hear! Would love to see either... preferably both!



+1 on both


----------



## bryan03

my last one :


----------



## Matus

Bryan, that looks great. What was the stone progression?


----------



## bryan03

thanks matus,

jns 300 /800 / blue Aoto , bester 4k , 6K but can't remember which one... cheap hakka , and finger stones


----------



## XooMG

Looks good. I really would like a few nice shorter bevels to polish.


----------



## malexthekid

Looks great. Really want one of your blades Bryan


----------



## Matus

Thank you Bryan.


----------



## nutmeg

bild upload


----------



## brianh

nutmeg said:


> bild upload



Holy cow. All stones? Which reminds me, check your PMs from yesterday!


----------



## brooksie967

Got the photo inspiration from another member here. 270mm Yoshikazu Tanaka Blue #1 Gyuto. This is about 2.5 hrs on a shapton glass 500 to flatten the blade road and is just a preliminary polish. I wanted to demonstrate that I also use horizontal strokes. As I use the knife more I'll continue to flatten the blade road as there are issues at the toe and heel. Hope you like it!

Shapton glass 500:

















Naniwa Chosera 1k: 

















Unknown Suita:

















Forge line of cladding and core:


----------



## foody518

@brooksie967 nice work


----------



## Matus

brooksie967 - very nice work AND photographs


----------



## brooksie967

Thanks guys. She's still a WIP but I'm pleased so far.


----------



## nutmeg

nice job


----------



## brooksie967

nutmeg said:


> nice job



Thank you sir! Your post was definitely my inspiration.

It's going to take me a little while to get rid of the microbevel that came on the knife. I simply don't have time to do that in one sitting when I have three kids and a full time job in the military.


----------



## nutmeg

nutmeg said:


> Not finished but I could almost let it like this
> 
> 
> fotos kostenlos
> 
> 
> kostenlos bilder hochladen
> 
> 
> bilder kostenlos hochladen
> 
> The handle is in keyaki wood and the contact saya ho wood. It was a bit tricky to match both colors but the result is not that bad.



I was planing to make it sexy...


----------



## nutmeg

half finished









Kostenlos Bilder hochladen


----------



## nutmeg

finished version of the deba with mirror & uchigumori &#128512;
It is a special order from Shinichi. The blade is extremely tough and the grind is a kind of perfection. I've really loved this knife since the first time.

I polished it on Ohira Suita aka renge , Ohira Jizuya HS60 and then fingerstones HS62 and HS70.

The higher grit is really giving a fine and attractive surface.

What I find fascinating with this stones is that they give a surface without reflexion when someone is looking from face










and watching with an other angle it become glossy 












the blade hasn't been oiled


----------



## nutmeg

bild hochladen
working with the Ohira Suita Aka Renge


----------



## Badgertooth

Out of interest Nutmeg, do you ever show Shinichi your handiwork and is he impressed? I once showed him something I'd done and he was very gentle in his criticism and offered solid advice for fixing something. Such a legend. 

Beautiful work as always mate


----------



## nutmeg

Yes I already showed Shinichi something. I don't want to give any interpretation of his words about it but I guess he is always happy when somebody uses his selected stones and gives its best to maintain his knives.

I see it as a question of time. He told me he doesn't have weeks or months to finish one blade like samourai sword polishers. 
Anyway he achieves top finishes in a short time with other methods. I think his knives from the Pro line or Kintaro Ame don't need any esthetical amelioration.

Also I know he is not the biggest fan of using jizuyas for knives and I like them a lot. I can understand it as they are quite awkward to use as benchstones.


----------



## geoff_nocon

Refinished one of my first knives was sitting on top of the fridge for months. Don't know who made it. Bought it to practice single bevel sharpening.












Not perfect still has a lot of low spots on bevel. also changed grind marks to heel to tip from your normal diagonal Sakai finish


----------



## cheflivengood

geoff_nocon said:


> Refinished one of my first knives was sitting on top of the fridge for months. Don't know who made it. Bought it to practice single bevel sharpening.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Not perfect still has a lot of low spots on bevel. also changed grind marks to heel to tip from your normal diagonal Sakai finish



Looks very nice sir


----------



## Badgertooth

geoff_nocon said:


> Refinished one of my first knives was sitting on top of the fridge for months. Don't know who made it. Bought it to practice single bevel sharpening.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Not perfect still has a lot of low spots on bevel. also changed grind marks to heel to tip from your normal diagonal Sakai finish



Did the Hakka and ikimurasaki and your new Ohira get a workout with that?


----------



## geoff_nocon

Just the Hakka and a uchigumori koppa


----------



## Badgertooth

Looks awesome mate


----------



## brooksie967

Well done. Nice and clean work!


----------



## geoff_nocon

Thanks for the kind words guys still no where near what you guys are doing


----------



## geoff_nocon

Trying out fingerstones that I got from nutmeg.


----------



## nutmeg

Hey cool it's going to be like on the first page &#129303;
You will get a very dark surface and good lamination line on this one &#128077;


----------



## ashy2classy

geoff_nocon said:


> Refinished one of my first knives was sitting on top of the fridge for months. Don't know who made it. Bought it to practice single bevel sharpening.
> 
> Not perfect still has a lot of low spots on bevel. also changed grind marks to heel to tip from your normal diagonal Sakai finish



Damn...great job!


----------



## Doug

geoff_nocon said:


> Refinished one of my first knives was sitting on top of the fridge for months. Don't know who made it. Bought it to practice single bevel sharpening.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Not perfect still has a lot of low spots on bevel. also changed grind marks to heel to tip from your normal diagonal Sakai finish



Nice work. Looks great considering you didn't use finger stones. Mom says the kanji says Hisamoto.


----------



## Badgertooth

WIP 

Bevel flattening. Had lots of input from guys in this thread and others on Instagram for tightening up the shinogi when I'm done flattening.


----------



## Roberto

geoff_nocon said:


> Refinished one of my first knives was sitting on top of the fridge for months. Don't know who made it. Bought it to practice single bevel sharpening.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Not perfect still has a lot of low spots on bevel. also changed grind marks to heel to tip from your normal diagonal Sakai finish



Awesome work...


----------



## geoff_nocon

Doug said:


> Nice work. Looks great considering you didn't use finger stones. Mom says the kanji says Hisamoto.



Thanks now I know


----------



## geoff_nocon

Just realized we have the same cutting board haha. Kmart? I use it too for sanding and sharpening. The kagekiyo Looks good now wish I had the courage to do that when it was still with me.


----------



## nutmeg

geoff_nocon said:


> Refinished one of my first knives was sitting on top of the fridge for months. Don't know who made it. Bought it to practice single bevel sharpening.



It was in tired condition, some would use it at most for this but you made it look like new :thumbsup:


----------



## geoff_nocon

nutmeg said:


> It was in tired condition, some would use it at most for this but you made it look like new :thumbsup:



Lol I almost did that


----------



## brooksie967

Badgertooth said:


> WIP
> 
> Bevel flattening. Had lots of input from guys in this thread and others on Instagram for tightening up the shinogi when I'm done flattening.



People keep telling me to create multiple bevels and blend to get the shinogi perfect. The grind just doesn't let that happen IMO. A flat bevel will never produce a shinogi line that perfectly follows the edge profile. I'd love to hear what kind of treatments they suggest for getting that super crisp and flat!


----------



## nutmeg

brooksie967 said:


> People keep telling me to create multiple bevels and blend to get the shinogi perfect. The grind just doesn't let that happen IMO. A flat bevel will never produce a shinogi line that perfectly follows the edge profile. I'd love to hear what kind of treatments they suggest for getting that super crisp and flat!


 
Yes it's difficult. The only knives that had blades so perfect that I hadn't any problem to make crispy lines were the Watanabe and the very old stock Shigefusa Takobiki.
Unless you thin the whole knife I don't see a lot of ways to get a crisp line.
You can use adhesive tape and fingerstones, it make a straight line.. on round curves! It and doesn't make crisp but looks straight.


----------



## Eitan78

View attachment 35351

View attachment 35353


MISONO UX10 270MM SLICER


----------



## Badgertooth

Holy smokes Eitan!


----------



## Kingkor

Eitan78 said:


> View attachment 35350
> View attachment 35351
> View attachment 35352
> View attachment 35353
> 
> 
> MISONO UX10 270MM SLICER



Wow this is unbelievable! Thats a creazy transformation. What did you use to get that finish?


----------



## Matus

Eitan78 - How did you manage to re-etch the Misono stamp? In the first photo it seems to be already parially missing ... ? :scratchhead:


----------



## Eitan78

Thank you guys,

I spent about 2 hrs on this one, I used wet/dry sandpaper starting from 400grit going up to 7000.
I not sure exactly how the misono stamp became more visable, i think the first picture was taken during the 400 grit stage when i started and seems to be covered with a lot of metal dust and also could be just the light or the angle of the photo.

in this photo you can see the difference between a half hour job and 2hrs, the korin knife has much deeper scraches before and i sould have gone lower grit when i started, those are still visable.

I agree it does look much better after was done.
I have done this with other knives, so far this one turned out the best.
I have another misono petty 120mm im doing next, I'll post again during the weekend and ill try to take more pictures during proggression. 
I was just focused on getting it done last time and wasn't thinking about postong this before.


----------



## Eitan78




----------



## Krakorak

Here is the link to my gallery showing the progession of my work on a Zakuri funayuki: http://rhamphorhynchus.rajce.idnes.cz/Zakuri_165_mm_Blue_1_funayuki_by_Tosa_Tadayoshi/. Its rather a resharpening and refinishing work than only a polishing, but anyway, I also tried to get a nice finish, although it wasn't the primary goal why I started to play with the knife...It had quite a lot of various imperfections, so it wasn't completely trivial (for instance, it was impossible to get a reasonable finish of the upper part of the blade due to several significant concavities; so I left it quite rustic which accents that its a handmade tool), but finally I am very happy with the result, particularly as regards the changes in the geometry and that how the knife currently cuts, its a really sweet universal knife which I like a lot...There are some comments to several photos indicating which particular step do they concern...


----------



## Eitan78

I had some time today to work on another blade.
this is a misono ux10 petty 120mm.
i used the wet/dry sandpaper like I did with the ux10 270mm slicer but i took my time this time and made sure i dont skip any scratches.
the petty was in an ok condition so I started at 400grit.



the pictures are showing grit progression from 400 to 8000. at the 8000grit level, i also polished with CBN emulsion 1 micron. 
im not sure if it made a difference on the finish I don't have a magnifier or a scope but it looked pretty.
400.


600.


800.


1000.


1200.


1500.


2000.


2500.


3000.


next post 4000.-8000


----------



## Eitan78

misono ux10 petty 120mm
4000.


5000.


6000.


7000.


8000.


done.


----------



## Matus

Wow, how much time did it take per grit/step?


----------



## zetieum

impressive. What do you use to fix the sand paper? I guess you do not use your bare hands.


----------



## Eitan78

thanks, Matus 

I spent about 10-15 minutes on each grit level, probably less on the finer grit 4000-8000.
I guess it depends on the blade condition at the starting point, this knife was in an ok shape when I started.
Also, this is a 120mm blade so it did not take as long as the 270mm from the last post.

I don't use anything to fix the paper, I find it much easier to hold a small piece by hand.
I cut the paper to a 2x2" size and dip them in water as I go.
use 3-4 pieces on each grit level, more paper used on the lower girt probably 1-2 pieces on the fine grit stages.

Zetieum,

I wear gloves when I work.


----------



## jklip13

Just finished the first sharpening, not as good as it could be, but good enough for me. Maybe I'll chip it soon anyways


----------



## Eitan78

@sklip13 nice blade sir, who is the maker?


----------



## jklip13

@Eitan78 it's one of the Ikeda brothers, my guess is Yoshikazu but I don't actually know.


----------



## Eitan78

jklip13 said:


> @Eitan78 it's one of the Ikeda brothers, my guess is Yoshikazu but I don't actually know.



cool knife,
Is it the same family as Takumi Ikeda?
I have a 210mm Gyuto


----------



## jklip13

It is a different maker , cool knife though! Apparently Ikeda is #22 of the most common last names in Japan, so things are a little tricky


----------



## Badgertooth

Ugly and yet... there's just something about them. This took surprisingly little effort. I laid the bevel down with trepidation expecting a bit of a shitshow. But there was only one or two lows in the exact same spots I've come to expect them on most knives.

Naniwa superstone 220 > Bester 400 > king Hyper 1000


----------



## dwalker

I really like this one Badger. Was this a direct order?


----------



## v647c

Got this Ohira Suita yesterday from Todd (tgfencer) on this forum. Lots of renge. Tried it out on a few knives. Fast, creamy and smooth cutting. Easy to make a pretty uniform finish and a great sticky edge.











Blue#2 yanagiba. JNS 1k, synthetic aoto and this Renge Suita. Some streaks that needed more time but I wanted to try other knives on it. Loving it so far, thanks Todd!


----------



## Panamapeet

Don't know if this is the right thread, but here it goes anyway. I have been looking for my first natural finishing stone, and have been recommended to use an Uchigumori Hazuya after my JNS 6000 by Watanabe. What are your experiences with sharpening with Uchigumoris? Would you (also) recommend me to buy this (type of) stone?


----------



## Matus

Spipet said:


> Don't know if this is the right thread, but here it goes anyway. I have been looking for my first natural finishing stone, and have been recommended to use an Uchigumori Hazuya after my JNS 6000 by Watanabe. What are your experiences with sharpening with Uchigumoris? Would you (also) recommend me to buy this (type of) stone?



Not quite, but sure you can ask  Yes, I think that would be a good start. Uchigumori is often seen as kasumi finisher, but it can give you a very nice edge with some bite too. Another good option would be some softer Ohira shiro suita.


----------



## Panamapeet

Matus said:


> Not quite, but sure you can ask  Yes, I think that would be a good start. Uchigumori is often seen as kasumi finisher, but it can give you a very nice edge with some bite too. Another good option would be some softer Ohira shiro suita.



My apologies, I will start a separate thread . Thanks for your response!


----------



## Badgertooth

dwalker said:


> I really like this one Badger. Was this a direct order?



No, not available through his online store. Cost nearly as much a Denka (68K Yen) and came with a presentation box that is different to the usual TF boxes.


----------



## Badgertooth

v647c said:


> Got this Ohira Suita yesterday from Todd (tgfencer) on this forum. Lots of renge. Tried it out on a few knives. Fast, creamy and smooth cutting. Easy to make a pretty uniform finish and a great sticky edge.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Blue#2 yanagiba. JNS 1k, synthetic aoto and this Renge Suita. Some streaks that needed more time but I wanted to try other knives on it. Loving it so far, thanks Todd!



is it bad that I'm starting to recognise individual stones? I knew that was one of Todd's beauties. Killer job by the way. Super consistent finish


----------



## fatboylim

Badgertooth said:


> is it bad that I'm starting to recognise individual stones? I knew that was one of Todd's beauties. Killer job by the way. Super consistent finish



Yes.... AND NO!


----------



## Marek07

Badgertooth said:


> is it bad that I'm starting to recognise individual stones?


No, not at all. Consider it a depth marker... as you continue your descent down the rabbit hole! :wink:


----------



## bryan03




----------



## Badgertooth

Looks like some new kid called Bryan is trying out this kasumi thing.

C'est magnifique, bravo.


----------



## zetieum

BOOM. This thread is awesome. superbe Bryan, comme d'habitude.


----------



## bryan03

thank you guys ! 

the last one :


----------



## brooksie967

Amazing work B!


----------



## tgfencer

Badgertooth said:


> is it bad that I'm starting to recognise individual stones? I knew that was one of Todd's beauties. Killer job by the way. Super consistent finish



Haha I recognize some of yours too and others from people like Tanner and Smash. Beautiful finish by the way!


----------



## tgfencer

v647c said:


> Got this Ohira Suita yesterday from Todd (tgfencer) on this forum. Lots of renge. Tried it out on a few knives. Fast, creamy and smooth cutting. Easy to make a pretty uniform finish and a great sticky edge.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Blue#2 yanagiba. JNS 1k, synthetic aoto and this Renge Suita. Some streaks that needed more time but I wanted to try other knives on it. Loving it so far, thanks Todd!




Awesome! Glad to see it's working for you. I was a but sad to see her go so it's good she found a home! (Jnats are female right?)


----------



## Krassi

WOW! pretty sick clean finish with that Ohira!
I need to pimp-up-my-Doi wich looks like a carwreck at the moment..
It will be hard to choose the right stone ) got simply to much for this job.


Seeya Daniel


----------



## nutmeg

Trying to get a mirror surface on core + soft clad and this without fingerstones or sand paper, just natural benchstones.
Not that easy... :-/


fotos kostenloscertificity.com

or here:
https://youtu.be/bMkFwB76JL0


----------



## dwalker

nutmeg said:


> Trying to get a mirror surface on core + soft clad and this without fingerstones or sand paper, just natural benchstones.
> Not that easy... :-/
> 
> 
> fotos kostenloscertificity.com
> 
> or here:
> https://youtu.be/bMkFwB76JL0



What is your final stone on this one ? Looks awesome.


----------



## nutmeg

Thanks ;-) an Ohira Suita.


----------



## nutmeg

Total mirror is possible but I don't have the skills yet.
All about right pressure.


----------



## nutmeg

nutmeg said:


> Total mirror is possible but I don't have the skills yet.
> All about right pressure.



:-( #*!!& I can't get it! 
..but why should one try to change a recipe that works?


----------



## nutmeg

Shigefusaaah..

https://youtu.be/qRq3RbV_RUI


----------



## bryan03

boom !


----------



## zetieum

stunning. absolutely stunning. Félicitations.

EDIT: the silicone carbide on balsa seems to be very efficient!


----------



## Krassi

Hiii!

Wow thats a "bling bling Shig of doom"  ... aswesome finish!
hmm silizium carbide on balsa sounds like a good idea. makes a lot of sense.

Nice! and i should also get me a knife and finish it to death once i am done with a VR presentation next week.


----------



## Anton

nutmeg said:


> Shigefusaaah..
> 
> https://youtu.be/qRq3RbV_RUI



WOW
can you provide some details on what you use to create both finishes?


----------



## Badgertooth

Mon dieu! I've never seen a Shig that nicely finished


----------



## tgfencer

Ooo la la


----------



## nutmeg

Anton said:


> WOW
> can you provide some details on what you use to create both finishes?



Thanks, actually on the three pics and the video this is the same finish. The camera on my Iphone 5 modify the colors a bit depending on the focus.
I didn't put any color filter or Photoshop on them.


----------



## nutmeg

Finally received this, freshly sharpened by Jon 













I can't wait to see it finished!!


----------



## khashy

nutmeg said:


> Finally received this, freshly sharpened by Jon
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I can't wait to see it finished!!



nice! it is 210 or 240?


----------



## Matus

That Shig looks crazy good. The Kato is not too shabby either


----------



## nutmeg

khashy said:


> nice! it is 210 or 240?



210. 
I sold the 240 two years ago :-(


----------



## khashy

nutmeg said:


> 210.
> I sold the 240 two years ago :-(



The 210 is beautiful enough but I'm hoping to at least see a 240 of these before I die.

Congrats though, I look forward to seeing the finish you'll no doubt put on this bad boy


----------



## nutmeg

not shabby at all!


----------



## brooksie967

Fooling around with a stone that I recently flattened the back on.... Very very happy with the results.


----------



## brooksie967




----------



## Krassi

Did someone dump oil on your stone ))
Thats a very cool result!


----------



## nutmeg

khashy said:


> The 210 is beautiful enough but I'm hoping to at least see a 240 of these before I die.
> 
> Congrats though, I look forward to seeing the finish you'll no doubt put on this bad boy



Not that easy. The knife used to look really good and had a top contrast.
Now I m trying to make it look more metallic with hard naturals and eventually a light etching but no idea about how it's going to be...


----------



## khashy

nutmeg said:


> Not that easy. The knife used to look really good and had a top contrast.
> Now I m trying to make it look more metallic with hard naturals and eventually a light etching but no idea about how it's going to be...



To be honest I find the etched contrast on mine a bit 'too much'. I might get burnt alive for saying it but that's just my personal opinion. 

If you can get the type of finish that we have seen you put on some of the Shig kitaeji's (the 'sword' in particular for example), this blade is going to be a museum piece. I'd bite your hand off if you ever wanted to let go of it [emoji28]


----------



## nutmeg

Yes I found a bit too much like unatural or too much make up but beautiful and I could have let it as it was.
What I d like to get is something like this:
https://goo.gl/images/Jivwl3
But it is very long and I am not sure it works


----------



## khashy

if anyone is going to manage to do it, it'd be yourself


----------



## nutmeg

it can be anyone with patience! after all the gme is to rub as long as needed until it shines right &#128521;


----------



## khashy

Ha! true. 

I've not had a chance to try your finger stones btw. I'll share my results here if I can get a worthy finish


----------



## geoff_nocon

Gave this moritaka cleaver a pre BST treatment. No fingerstones finished with uchigumori koppa and ohira renge suita


----------



## foody518

geoff_nocon said:


> Gave this moritaka cleaver a pre BST treatment. No fingerstones finished with uchigumori koppa and ohira renge suita



Looks good! Showing up on BST soon? XD


----------



## geoff_nocon

foody518 said:


> Looks good! Showing up on BST soon? XD



Yes i did try to sell it before but retracted. Wanted to give it another try but realized cleavers arent my thing. Its the one with the saya not too long ago in bst


----------



## foody518

geoff_nocon said:


> Yes i did try to sell it before but retracted. Wanted to give it another try but realized cleavers arent my thing. Its the one with the saya not too long ago in bst



I remember now. Yours looks to have a nice profile. Irrationally I'm still trying to hold out for an AS one. 
Hope it finds a good home


----------



## nutmeg

first try on naturals. Still dull but it could become something..









gratis bilder


----------



## geoff_nocon

Another unicorn damn


----------



## F-Flash

Its damn hard to get kikuruy pattern to show up.


----------



## nutmeg

F-Flash said:


> Its damn hard to get kikuruy pattern to show up.



Jon told me he made the blade to mirror and then etched it, what is very close to what Kato himself does.

Not the effect I'm looking for but I found a trick to get this in 30 seconds on naturals (same finish, three different lights)













picupload


----------



## F-Flash

Damn, thats nicest kikuryu finish ive ever seen, amazing job once again!


----------



## khashy

Nutmeg, is the finish in photo two different from photo three or is it just lighting?


----------



## nutmeg

just the lighting, same finish, same Iphone5 camera ;-)
The light does a lot on this kind of surfaces as we are playing with light and shades.

It can take a while until it's done but a combination of very hard Uchigumori powder (HS70) and oil and hardest fingerstones are giving interesting results.


gratis bilder hochladencertificity.com

to be continued ..


----------



## khashy

Excellent! We're eagerly watching


----------



## zetieum

Refinishing a small Carter that had already superbly finished by @mooxg some time ago. I used it in the mean while and it needed (well, I wanted) a polish up. 

AI1000 
-> ikarashi (originaly from @Krassi) 
-> Aizu -> Suita (Okudo?) 
-> Vintage Honyama (originaly from @Badgertooth)
-> kiita finger stone, just a bit, extremely lightly, just on the Jigane

While doing: one big glass of Gigondas (2002).


----------



## Badgertooth

Wow. I think Aizu is criminally underrated as a polishing stone. It sets such a nice foundation. That looks excellent


----------



## brooksie967

Badgertooth said:


> Wow. I think Aizu is criminally underrated as a polishing stone. It sets such a nice foundation. That looks excellent



I wouldn't know how good it is!


----------



## Anton

nutmeg said:


> first try on naturals. Still dull but it could become something..
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> gratis bilder



That's nuts, nutmeg


----------



## Krassi

Ikarashi and Aizu are a great Team.. followed by something soft and then Suitas and badass Nakayamas.


----------



## zetieum

Badgertooth said:


> Wow. I think Aizu is criminally underrated as a polishing stone. It sets such a nice foundation. That looks excellent





brooksie967 said:


> I wouldn't know how good it is!



The ikarashi made a super nice contrast already. For the aizu, I made few passes with atoma 1200 then made the particules smaller with a nagura. I wanted to start with quite some slury. I use no nagura or diamond plate for the other stones.
After the Honyama, the cladding looked a bit irregular. That is why I smoothed it a bit with a finger stone, but lightly to keep some mirror.


----------



## valgard

Uchigumori fingerstones test 
It goes from mirror to mate depending on the angle.


----------



## valgard




----------



## khashy

valgard said:


> View attachment 35645
> View attachment 35646



Nice!


----------



## valgard

Thx, it was an interesting exercise although it lasted about one cut of onions LOL.


----------



## fatboylim

valgard said:


> Thx, it was an interesting exercise although it lasted about one cut of onions LOL.



Which means you get to do it again in a months time!


----------



## nutmeg

well done


----------



## fatboylim

Badgertooth said:


> Wow. I think Aizu is criminally underrated as a polishing stone. It sets such a nice foundation. That looks excellent



Yeah I'm still thinking of that king hyper and Aizu pairing suggested on another thread. Although, I might stick to my cheap king 1200 and try the Aizu...


----------



## zetieum

valgard said:


> View attachment 35645
> View attachment 35646



Very nice!!!


----------



## valgard

fatboylim said:


> Which means you get to do it again in a months time!



Yeah, I'll probably try those fingerstones on a different steel first though. 



nutmeg said:


> well done



Thank you sir, the fingerstones are nice and easy to use as you said. Interestingly maybe because I didn't do it long or carefully enough I got the impression of loosing a bit of mirror in the cladding but gaining in contrast when going from HS62 to HS70 any insights?
BTW, the gallery in your signature is insane :doublethumbsup: how did I miss that before :dontknow:.


----------



## nutmeg

from my experience, the harder, the more mirror.
But 70 is really hard and can easily scratch the clading if you use too much pressure and too little water.


----------



## valgard

nutmeg said:


> from my experience, the harder, the more mirror.
> But 70 is really hard and can easily scratch the clading if you use too much pressure and too little water.


I didn't see any glaring scratches but definitely used very little water, thanks.


----------



## Krassi

Hiho!
From our tests today with my stones and a lot from Zetieum and Zoze..( i think 30+ Jnats)

No Clue whats making good, hazy, mirror or whatever finish..
Around 10 Stones were interstellar, but all totally different hardness, mines, and stuff.. Ok my 245x86 Ohira Uchigumori was as good as expected for exapmple.. but other unknown stuff too

So it was totally no pattern in whats making anything.. super soft stuff made the same like super hard Wakasas, Ohira Ao renge. tons of Nakayamas etc.. 
the only thing we knew.. all stones were awesome  .. jnats are cool and beyond reason!

here are some pics:


----------



## valgard

mic and jaw drop


----------



## valgard

I need one of those big stones to support my jaw, can you send it? :O


----------



## Krassi

Yes i can.. no i wont  

the ones in the closeup are the 10 Sick ones and from Top to bottom:
Ohira Ao renge (205x75xstuff.. so it seems small but its actually a "standard fullsize stone")
Star destroyer Ohira Uchigumori
Deathstar Ohira aka Renge
Ugly but awesome green carpenter Narutaki
Sick and big Wakasa
Sick and big Ohira Awasedo
my "Ugly grey one" wich seems to be an Okudo Awesedo and is my finest stone.

actually those are only my stones.. the other ones were also sick! Some Suitas from Zoze and Zetieum kicked ars.

but actually everything did the job!! .. and thats what i wanted to show here.. tons of Kyoto Stones and all stones did a good job!  the fine ones beat anything synthetic in terms of Kasumi karate finish 
.... and some drunken showing off is allways cool .. and everything did Kasumi like hell.. some more Mirror.. some more sandblast.. some more black contrast.. well pretty different stuff we saw.

Seeya..Daniel + beer


----------



## Badgertooth

Beer, baller old radio and a disgusting amount of stones. There is a lot to like here


----------



## Krassi

yeah .. the beer was the best part!  and the late night falafel plate of doom! at the local falafel dealer! 
Also we tried the bogdan sharpening system totally drunken and the 5 knifes we tested got jaw dropping.. i used my Ohira ao renge and Wakasa .. 

It was mostly only trying the kasumi capability's of stone on the same test blades.. simply awesome )) other people will go to a brothel to get the same amount of pleasure.. and stones on blades can have a similar effect 
oh thats me with censorship black bar of doom  (jesus looks scarry. but..ehh.ok  .. actually those are Maruyama horns!)


----------



## Badgertooth

I kinda wanna live in Germany now


----------



## khashy

Krassi said:


>



I NEED to see a proper picture of the knives on the magnet bar!


----------



## Krassi

what about a drunken video!  [video=youtube;OLmpKpwPAzk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLmpKpwPAzk&t=4s[/video] 

( well its german gibberish but i was pretty drunken and its the old version.. here is the actual picture from 5 minutes ago .. Doi Yanagiaba and stuff is not on the Magnetic thing. and Xerxes Custom Dark Kiritsuke Pettyy of Doom and Watanabe Custom Small Gyuto are missing in the Video .. those are number 10+11 from the left)






Seeya Daniel! i hope this stuff wont implode this post here 

Oh you might guess i am single and not married )


----------



## khashy

Krassi said:


> what about a drunken video!  [video=youtube;OLmpKpwPAzk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLmpKpwPAzk&t=4s[/video]
> 
> ( well its german gibberish but i was pretty drunken and its the old version.. here is the actual picture from 5 minutes ago .. Doi Yanagiaba and stuff is not on the Magnetic thing. and Xerxes Custom Dark Kiritsuke Pettyy of Doom and Watanabe Custom Small Gyuto are missing in the Video .. those are number 10+11 from the left)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Seeya Daniel! i hope this stuff wont implode this post here
> 
> Oh you might guess i am single and not married )



NICE!!

What was the gyuto you picked up and took to the window?


----------



## Krassi

Hi ! it was Nr 12 the cleancut Akifusa Oriental PM SRS-15 Gyuto that i totally pimped.. its my Nr1 Laser of doom.. actually my best cutter..and i only got sick lasers and maximum performance cutters. It was not yet pimped with my bogdan sharpening thing.. this will get even sicker with this  we were super drunken and pimped 5 knifes with it.. jaw dropping sharpness of doom!


----------



## khashy

Sounds like you guys are getting super powers - must be good beer!


----------



## Krassi

Yes it is! Reissdorf force!  ohh there is actually a song about it with the same name ) and it pretty cologne style! " [video=youtube;8vEV-UV_Av4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vEV-UV_Av4[/video] "

Oh i still remember the bar "liquid sky" from dr walker.. lots of good drinks+++++ ...well cologne was a capital of electronic music in the end 90s.


----------



## Badgertooth

Trying different finishes on my Kato which was getting scuzzy. Flapwheel, silicone carbide on balsa and red Ohira.

Need to raise the finish on the cladding to the same height as the heel and blend a little but I'm happy for an hour's tinkering


----------



## Anton

Krassi said:


> what about a drunken video!  [video=youtube;OLmpKpwPAzk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLmpKpwPAzk&t=4s[/video]
> 
> ( well its german gibberish but i was pretty drunken and its the old version.. here is the actual picture from 5 minutes ago .. Doi Yanagiaba and stuff is not on the Magnetic thing. and Xerxes Custom Dark Kiritsuke Pettyy of Doom and Watanabe Custom Small Gyuto are missing in the Video .. those are number 10+11 from the left)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Seeya Daniel! i hope this stuff wont implode this post here
> 
> Oh you might guess i am single and not married )



You guys are sick..! 

Definitely single


----------



## Marek07

Looks like a great time was had Daniel!


----------



## fatboylim

Krassi said:


> Seeya Daniel! i hope this stuff wont implode this post here
> 
> Oh you might guess i am single and not married )



Now how do I un-marry, get knives and remarry...


----------



## Badgertooth

fatboylim said:


> Now how do I un-marry, get knives and remarry...



This.


----------



## khashy

Badgertooth said:


> Trying different finishes on my Kato which was getting scuzzy. Flapwheel, silicone carbide on balsa and red Ohira.
> 
> Need to raise the finish on the cladding to the same height as the heel and blend a little but I'm happy for an hour's tinkering



I'm watching the progress of this with great interest. Keep the pictures coming. Looking good so far


----------



## Doug

Enjoying all the great work shown on this thread. Thank you all. And Maruoyama Devil Man is my new favorite super hero!

I met a sword polisher and we had a discussion about stones. He said he permasoaks his uchigumori. This he said makes it polish in a more consistent manner.
He said uchigumori are the only stones that he keeps in water.
Well I would hesitate to risk one of my uchis on this advice but the gentleman is reputable so,,

two months of soaking, ok no separations 




This small stone has a beautiful skin but has some scratchy brown inclusions I dug out on the left side. Lots of renge. It's been sealed on sides and bottom
It's on the harder side and my results before tended to be uneven.

A quick session(no finger stones) showed much improved results.


I'm not suggesting that anyone else should try this ( you would want to kill me if your prized uchi came apart:scared4 but I wonder if anyone else has heard of or tried this.
I'll keep this stone in water and see what happens over the next months/years.

Keep on Kasumiing!


----------



## geoff_nocon

Used fingerstones on this mert tansu 210 sanmai gyuto to bring out its cool lamination line. Stainless is such a pain to refinish.


----------



## zetieum

geoff_nocon said:


> Used fingerstones on this mert tansu 210 sanmai gyuto to bring out its cool lamination line. Stainless is such a pain to refinish.



Very nice! May I ask which finger stone you used?


----------



## geoff_nocon

zetieum said:


> Very nice! May I ask which finger stone you used?



i seriously have no idea. i just bought it from aframestokyo says uchigumori but doesnt say what hardness.doesnt even say if its jizuya or hazuya. not scratchy on non stainless cladding but a bit scratchy on stainless


----------



## Badgertooth

Doug said:


> Enjoying all the great work shown on this thread. Thank you all. And Maruoyama Devil Man is my new favorite super hero!
> 
> I met a sword polisher and we had a discussion about stones. He said he permasoaks his uchigumori. This he said makes it polish in a more consistent manner.
> He said uchigumori are the only stones that he keeps in water.
> Well I would hesitate to risk one of my uchis on this advice but the gentleman is reputable so,,
> 
> two months of soaking, ok no separations
> View attachment 35658
> 
> View attachment 35659
> 
> This small stone has a beautiful skin but has some scratchy brown inclusions I dug out on the left side. Lots of renge. It's been sealed on sides and bottom
> It's on the harder side and my results before tended to be uneven.
> 
> A quick session(no finger stones) showed much improved results.
> View attachment 35660
> 
> I'm not suggesting that anyone else should try this ( you would want to kill me if your prized uchi came apart:scared4 but I wonder if anyone else has heard of or tried this.
> I'll keep this stone in water and see what happens over the next months/years.
> 
> Keep on Kasumiing!



This is turning my world upside down a bit. I'm almost tempted to try and source a cheapy and give this a go. Results are plain as day to see


----------



## Krassi

Hiho!

I got my Nakayama Suita today that i also posted in the J-nat club 
and i tried to make a photo of it. its the cleanest kasumi finish i ever got and the picture of my old canon eos 400d (from the time when dinosaurs ruled the planet)
Mehhh looks not as impressive as in reality

seeya daniel


----------



## dwalker

Krassi said:


> Hiho!
> 
> I got my Nakayama Suita today that i also posted in the J-nat club
> and i tried to make a photo of it. its the cleanest kasumi finish i ever got and the picture of my old canon eos 400d (from the time when dinosaurs ruled the planet)
> Mehhh looks not as impressive as in reality
> 
> seeya daniel



Looks damn fine to me. Nice!


----------



## Krassi

Thanks! This is my "Knife of suffering" that has to test every stone .. it had 20 Stones on it the day before. i will try this stone more intense also my Ohira Uchigumori that left a good impression on the other guys yesterday..
I still cant figure out wich stone to use first or instead of another one.. they all polish like crazy... and it makes me crazy 

Seeya Daniel


----------



## nutmeg

Krassi said:


> "more intense".. "a good impression".. "the other guys yesterday.."..
> "I still cant figure out wich stone to use" .."crazy "


Sporty evening oder.. :-D I wish I was with you guys


----------



## Krassi

Yep! a lot of beersport was involved!
But still i just cant really say how fine some of my stones are. i got around 6 things that are soft like a uchigumori, tons of Suitas that are doing suita stuff, and those sick hard ones that still polish.
Getting me a cheap OEM 60x lens to check the edge seems to help. everything is polishing thats for sure 

Similar stuff tomorrow again. i hope with less beer or monday will be a torture


----------



## Doug

Krassi said:


> Thanks! This is my "Knife of suffering" that has to test every stone .. it had 20 Stones on it the day before. i will try this stone more intense also my Ohira Uchigumori that left a good impression on the other guys yesterday..
> I still cant figure out wich stone to use first or instead of another one.. they all polish like crazy... and it makes me crazy
> 
> Seeya Daniel



It's interesting how different knives will respond differently to the same stone. So finding the "best stone" for a specific knife is an exciting exercise. This is why we always need 
to try more stones:spin chair:

Wish I could join you guys. Have fun.


----------



## Krassi

Hmm the only stuff that behaves different for me is crappy Solingen standard Stainless.
So in my experience i pick "my best stones" and they will do the job on every knife and steel. i never really thought about the steel of the knife.. maybe thats why it works  if you dondt think about it it wont fail.. ok but i remember some sick stainless steels that were just annoying.
So with Ao2, shiro, AoSuper, pre war Solingen carbon, sg2, srs-15, Ashis 13c26, sc145 .. its all the same for me.. well and if not then i have got 25++ more j-nat tomahawks ready for launch Muahahah  (actually dondt know how many stones i got)

Yep having fun with "boring stuff" like stones is the best!
 seeya, daniel


----------



## Doug

Krassi said:


> Hmm the only stuff that behaves different for me is crappy Solingen standard Stainless.
> So in my experience i pick "my best stones" and they will do the job on every knife and steel. i never really thought about the steel of the knife.. maybe thats why it works  if you dondt think about it it wont fail.. ok but i remember some sick stainless steels that were just annoying.
> So with Ao2, shiro, AoSuper, pre war Solingen carbon, sg2, srs-15, Ashis 13c26, sc145 .. its all the same for me.. well and if not then i have got 25++ more j-nat tomahawks ready for launch Muahahah  (actually dondt know how many stones i got)
> 
> Yep having fun with "boring stuff" like stones is the best!
> seeya, daniel



Was referring more to the effect on the jigane. Different claddings have various compositions and hardness so will finish differently on different stones. Also a hard fast suita will polish out scratches on higane while a softer uchigumori may not. So contrast and polish maybe quite different. And stainless cladding is really different. Harder to get contrast.
But maybe I'm not drinking enough beer and I'm overthinking this:thumbsup:


----------



## nutmeg

https://youtu.be/C8CPeyNP1tA





















all on natural stones


----------



## preizzo

Magic!! &#128525;


----------



## nutmeg

and about sharpness, it could almost cut hanging baby hair ;-)

but now.. would Mac Gyver let it like this or would he try to do pimp it a bit..?


----------



## khashy

nutmeg said:


> https://youtu.be/C8CPeyNP1tA
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> all on natural stones



My jaw is literally on the floor. I wish I had the skill and stones to be able to replicate this nutmeg. I salute you sir.


----------



## geoff_nocon

awsome work, love the subtlety of it not too agresive looking


----------



## valgard

nutmeg said:


> https://youtu.be/C8CPeyNP1tA
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> all on natural stones



Get out!

stunning!


----------



## nutmeg

The knife is going to Japan tomorrow. I hope it comes back quick! 
The part.3 is going to be exciting


----------



## khashy

nutmeg said:


> The knife is going to Japan tomorrow. I hope it comes back quick!
> The part.3 is going to be exciting



Watching this space with anticipation


----------



## nutmeg

I guess 80% on the blade has been done: the steel core is ok but the plan is to give the cladding more 3D/texture and color it a little bit more blue/silver.


----------



## zetieum

Krassi said:


> Hiho!
> 
> I got my Nakayama Suita today that i also posted in the J-nat club
> and i tried to make a photo of it. its the cleanest kasumi finish i ever got and the picture of my old canon eos 400d (from the time when dinosaurs ruled the planet)
> Mehhh looks not as impressive as in reality
> 
> seeya daniel



Mench. I tried this one. It is extremely extremely nice. Super easy and fantastic results! Such a niiiiiiiiccccceeeee stone.


----------



## Krassi

Yep thanks  its a 150% keeper !  one of the best suitas i have ever tried.. Thanks for all the food and rum! the grilled food was exceptional good!
Seeya daniel and i guess ill get a similar nakayama suita in the next days and a 220x120 grey nakayama plate of doom )


----------



## geoff_nocon

Refinished this 240 kato after using it for a bit. Nutmeg already did the hard part of removing the vertical grind marks so much easier for me. Used ohira suita on jigane and fingerstones on hagane.


----------



## khashy

geoff_nocon said:


> Refinished this 240 kato after using it for a bit. Nutmeg already did the hard part of removing the vertical grind marks so much easier for me. Used ohira suita on jigane and fingerstones on hagane.



Stunning. How many hours of work is this?


----------



## geoff_nocon

Not that long around 30min. Nutmeg already removed the vertical grind marks all i had to do was resharpen on the ohira and fingerstones


----------



## khashy

geoff_nocon said:


> Not that long around 30min. Nutmeg already removed the vertical grind marks all i had to do was resharpen on the ohira and fingerstones



Really! Okay what finger stones did you use?


----------



## geoff_nocon

Got it from aframestokyo, just says uchigumori jizuya/hazuya, doesnt say which one. Katos cladding is quite hard so not that easy to scratch even with harder fingerstones


----------



## khashy

Cool. I have a finger stones of different hardnesses. You've inspired me!

I just need to work up the courage to try them on a Kato. 

How do I remove the grind lines? Sand paper?


----------



## Badgertooth

khashy said:


> How do I remove the grind lines? Sand paper?



Do the heavy lifting with a low grit sanding flapwheel that fits onto a drill.


----------



## khashy

Badgertooth said:


> Do the heavy lifting with a low grit sanding flapwheel that fits onto a drill.



Ooh that's a neat idea. If I use an electric screw driver, I can use lower rpms and hopefully not screw up the knife


----------



## geoff_nocon

khashy said:


> Cool. I have a finger stones of different hardnesses. You've inspired me!
> 
> I just need to work up the courage to try them on a Kato.
> 
> How do I remove the grind lines? Sand paper?



If i remember correctly nutmeg used stones dont know how he did it but he said he didnt use sandpapper on this knife. But think its easier to use sandpaper if you plan on doing it to your kato. And if you do scratch the cladding with fingerstones what i do is i use flitz to soften the scratches


----------



## khashy

Right, just need to work up he courage to do this


----------



## geoff_nocon

Like this watanabe suji/petty. Stainless cladding very easy to scratch the hagane. It was full of scratches when i used fingerstones on it. Used a bit of flitz on some cotton done like a cheat code


----------



## nutmeg

khashy said:


> Ooh that's a neat idea. If I use an electric screw driver, I can use lower rpms and hopefully not screw up the knife



I like Katos mostly because of their very very consistent grind.
Screw driver, Dremel, sand paper etc will make the shape uneven. Stones won't.


----------



## nutmeg

..flat stones.


----------



## geoff_nocon

nutmeg said:


> ..flat stones.



The kato was super easy and even to sharpen just had to lay it flat on a stone. Great work on what you did with it


----------



## Badgertooth

I laid mine flat on a stone... they ain't that perfectly flat ground:


----------



## geoff_nocon

Mine was on the jigane. But the hagane wasnt. Thats why i had to use fingerstones


----------



## nutmeg

Badgertooth said:


> I laid mine flat on a stone... they ain't that perfectly flat ground:



&#128563; yes in that case benchstones won't help very much.

I try on every knife before sandpaper and I noticed that Kato work well like this but it seems some don't.


----------



## StonedEdge

valgard said:


> Thx, it was an interesting exercise although it lasted about one cut of onions LOL.



Welcome to the struggle


----------



## ABranson




----------



## Badgertooth

Ok Doug... this better work!!


----------



## valgard

Badgertooth said:


> Ok Doug... this better work!!



You are brave


----------



## nutmeg

I see many future fingerstones here... &#128076;&#127995;&#128540;


----------



## Doug

Badgertooth said:


> Ok Doug... this better work!!



I'll be damed Otto, you done gone and done it:eek2: You are the bravest amongst us:knight: I guess I own this:O so I'll be watching with much anticipation.


----------



## Badgertooth

It appears I owe Doug a beer..













It does cut and polish differently


----------



## Badgertooth

For the better I mean


----------



## valgard

good thing that worked!


----------



## fatboylim

Badgertooth said:


> It appears I owe Doug a beer..



And all of is a stiff drink for all the suspense! Actually I'll buy you a drink for summoning the courage to do that.


----------



## khashy

Phew :fanning:

I think we all had our breath held and praying.

Glad it worked.


----------



## Badgertooth

Good old Natsuya and a new finisher that is giving me good contrast.


----------



## nutmeg

AI#1000, I like this stone


----------



## Anton

nutmeg said:


> AI#1000, I like this stone



Watanabe?


----------



## nutmeg

yes both stone and knife &#128521;
Not a stone I would pick for finish but it doesn't look that shabby and I could let it like this.


----------



## Krassi

Hii!

One of my first entries here.
I pimped my pretty wrecked looking Kotetsu 150mm Sg2 Petty.

Full Power with thinning and asymetric Geometry starting on Ai1000 and then a lot of testing with jumping to high and back to low grits.
I used the Kitayama, my Aizu, had to clean the edge again with Shapton Glass 2000, tested my hazemaster jnat, didnt like it another go on the Kitayama, and then gave my Ohira Uchigumori some work.
Then taped the glade anf full karate power 100 and 600 grit Sandpaper on a block with full power. Polished that with the hazemaster slurry on a kork and removed the tape.

Interesting crazy contrast between the area i did with the stones and finished on my Uchigumori and a nice Polished look on the rest. 
The blade has a "zero degree" egde and will get full love on my Bogdan system to give it a 18 degree microbevel on every side with a suita and a wakasa (or ao renge suita, or lots of other sick stuff)

for Comparison is my Kotetsu Bunka in original unwrecked state 
The contrast of the inner and outer layer is nice after Stone treatment 

*more here 
http://imgur.com/a/2nxIl*







I actually like my uchigumori more than i thought its that 245x86mm aircraftcarier.. 

seeya Daniel


----------



## khashy

Krassi said:


> Hii!
> 
> One of my first entries here.
> I pimped my pretty wrecked looking Kotetsu 150mm Sg2 Petty.
> 
> Full Power with thinning and asymetric Geometry starting on Ai1000 and then a lot of testing with jumping to high and back to low grits.
> I used the Kitayama, my Aizu, had to clean the edge again with Shapton Glass 2000, tested my hazemaster jnat, didnt like it another go on the Kitayama, and then gave my Ohira Uchigumori some work.
> Then taped the glade anf full karate power 100 and 600 grit Sandpaper on a block with full power. Polished that with the hazemaster slurry on a kork and removed the tape.
> 
> Interesting crazy contrast between the area i did with the stones and finished on my Uchigumori and a nice Polished look on the rest.
> The blade has a "zero degree" egde and will get full love on my Bogdan system to give it a 18 degree microbevel on every side with a suita and a wakasa (or ao renge suita, or lots of other sick stuff)
> 
> for Comparison is my Kotetsu Bunka in original unwrecked state
> The contrast of the inner and outer layer is nice after Stone treatment
> 
> *more here
> http://imgur.com/a/2nxIl*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I actually like my uchigumori more than i thought its that 245x86mm aircraftcarier..
> 
> seeya Daniel



Like.

:goodpost:


----------



## Badgertooth

Really cool Daniel


----------



## Krassi

Thanks! 
its far away from perfect, but the Uchigumori Polished blade looks slightly hazy and the rest high glossy. I Also checked the surface with a 40x magnifying lens and i really like the result. i guess food release will improve and it should kick ass with the microbevel and should stay sharp and robust.

If it rocks i will do the same with my dalman gyutohiki, my Kotetsu Bunka, and my Akifusa Oriental Pm Gyuto and whatever cant escape my stones )

Well its good not just to talk about stones but to get experience with them and especially the progression. Also i really dondt need most jnat stuff actually  and for the rough work and pre polishing my jnats cants beat my synthetics. But jumping back and forth works nice. Wellll next experiments will come 

As long as the knifes have noch sick flatspots i can use my stones.. i had some trouble on my Hinoura Sujihiki so i used Micromesh 1500 with jnats poweder and got rid of the flatspot matte area.. well the rest looked **** after that but better than one spot that sucks  ..

Uchigumoris are really usefull!  And Ai1000 and Kitayama are a great combo.. Also my glasstone 2000 is more usefull than i thought.

Seeya Daniel


----------



## Badgertooth

I think the 2K glass stone doesn't get enough love. It's quick and gets a job done.


----------



## Krassi

Yep and it feels like a 8k Stone, removes Scratches quick and also is fast like a 1k.
really underrated thin stone.


----------



## zetieum

Krassi said:


> Hii!
> 
> One of my first entries here.
> I pimped my pretty wrecked looking Kotetsu 150mm Sg2 Petty.
> 
> Full Power with thinning and asymetric Geometry starting on Ai1000 and then a lot of testing with jumping to high and back to low grits.
> I used the Kitayama, my Aizu, had to clean the edge again with Shapton Glass 2000, tested my hazemaster jnat, didnt like it another go on the Kitayama, and then gave my Ohira Uchigumori some work.
> Then taped the glade anf full karate power 100 and 600 grit Sandpaper on a block with full power. Polished that with the hazemaster slurry on a kork and removed the tape.
> 
> Interesting crazy contrast between the area i did with the stones and finished on my Uchigumori and a nice Polished look on the rest.
> The blade has a "zero degree" egde and will get full love on my Bogdan system to give it a 18 degree microbevel on every side with a suita and a wakasa (or ao renge suita, or lots of other sick stuff)
> 
> for Comparison is my Kotetsu Bunka in original unwrecked state
> The contrast of the inner and outer layer is nice after Stone treatment
> 
> *more here
> http://imgur.com/a/2nxIl*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I actually like my uchigumori more than i thought its that 245x86mm aircraftcarier..
> 
> seeya Daniel



wow. You nailed that! Super result Daniel! Looking forward to see that with my eyes


----------



## Badgertooth

Start of a big job

















Just the tip...


----------



## Badgertooth

Getting there:


----------



## nutmeg

&#128077; nice


----------



## Doug

Looking great. High level project there Otto, what's your process/progression?


----------



## brooksie967

Ottz! Wowsers!


----------



## Badgertooth

Doug said:


> Looking great. High level project there Otto, what's your process/progression?



Thanks Doug. It was horribly sharpened when it arrived and had the Kitaeji polished out on a buffer wheel of sorts. So first priority was taking off the shoulders and resetting the edge. It's not as perfectly clamshelled as Iizuka san's but it's a damn sight better than it was. There is something quite distinctive about Iwasaki carbon on the stones that convinces me this is a Shigefusa. Then it's sanding. 

So. 
Much. 
Sanding.

Wet & Dry:
90 > 120 > 180 > 240 > 360 > 400 > 600 > 800 > 1200 > 2000 

Classic heel-to-tip strokes. The bolster proved tricky and you can actually see the difference for about 1cm from transition into the bolster

Micromesh:
A few but I could literally feel myself getting older without much improvement on 2K sandpaper


Fingerstones:

Minosharp 1k - the cruddiest sharpening stone but a very handy fingerstone, gets things real dark and is very soft, the occasional scratch while mud builds up

Aiiwatani soft Karasu stone - It broke in shipping from Japan and I had it cut in half at a granite counter installer but it is too riddled with inclusions to use as a bench stone. So I have 1.6kg of fingerstone material. It does a good job of softening that aggressive finish of the minosharp.

Uchigumori - small piece I make into fingerstone which was a little cadeau from Watanabe. A really excellent last fingerstone. Once I've built up enough fingerstone slurry I buff the slurry with the 12k micromesh pad, which evens things out even though you sacrifice some contrast and darkness.


----------



## mikedtran

Beautiful work and great finished product. Thank you so much for sharing the processed!

There are a couple extra steps you take which I think really helped with the overall finish. I normally go from 200->2000 sandpaper then straight to an Uchigumori finger stone. I like the additional stones before the Uchi and the 12k micromesh pad with slurry to even things out a bit!


----------



## geoff_nocon

Just recieved my standard kato today and decided to kasumify it to match my workhorse. Not done yet. Almost done with the hagane. Jigane still needs alot of work


----------



## geoff_nocon

Finally done with one side


----------



## nutmeg

well done geep going on ;-)


----------



## geoff_nocon

thanks mate inspired by your work


----------



## valgard

nice, you are giving those Kato some nice face lift.


----------



## zetieum

very nice work on the kato!


----------



## geoff_nocon

Touch it up a bit today now has a more even finish.


----------



## Badgertooth

Damn Geoff


----------



## brooksie967

That'll don't trick!


----------



## nutmeg

Wide bevel (on synthetic  )


----------



## geoff_nocon

wow very clean


----------



## valgard

u did that on the Kitayama? :O


----------



## nutmeg

nope. I guess we wouldn't see any contrast between the layers with Kitayama. (probably grain too fine)


----------



## geoff_nocon

What synthetic did you use nutmeg ai 2000?


----------



## valgard

nutmeg said:


> nope. I guess we wouldn't see any contrast between the layers with Kitayama. (probably grain too fine)



I'm relieved somehow, thx. And that's beautiful as usual.


----------



## Marek07

That photo certainly had me thinking of the Kitayama. So please do tell... which synth did you use for such an extraordinary result?


----------



## nutmeg




----------



## valgard

HS 117??? :bigeek:


----------



## nutmeg

119 !
it feels like a hard natural but sounds like marble when I rub the diamond plate on it.
I got this &#129412; from Shinichi, mostly for razors to make a mirror edge before the natural finisher.
I like this one a lot.. huge and seems it stays flat a long time so this stone could become heirloom &#10084;&#65039;
Unfortunately he can't recall the name of the manufacturer.


----------



## valgard

119 seems mad lol, but you got some really nice results. Thx for sharing.


----------



## geoff_nocon

Toyama damascus gyuto. Wip still not happy with contrast will experiment a bit more


----------



## Badgertooth

Pop pop pop. I think there plenty to be happy about there Geoff


----------



## Badgertooth

Doi on mega uchi


----------



## geoff_nocon

Nice stone and finish


----------



## tommybig

@geoff_nocon: Looks damn nice to me. What did you use?

@Badgertooth: I love how that stone looks. Is that a red uchigumori? I did not know that is a thing.


----------



## geoff_nocon

Ohira suita on the hagane then Some unknown uchigumori fingerstones. Was hoping to get a darker contrast


----------



## Badgertooth

tommybig said:


> @geoff_nocon: Looks damn nice to me. What did you use?
> 
> @Badgertooth: I love how that stone looks. Is that a red uchigumori? I did not know that is a thing.



Hi tommy, the red is what I initially thought was a patterning called keppan which means bloodspot in japanese. Here is a picture of the stone before with better colour cast which shows the purple of the stone better and it also show why I thought is was keppan:






Here it is overexposed but showing that after lapping it actually a en enormous field of Renge (lotus flower pattern) that was lurking just below the surface


----------



## nutmeg




----------



## Badgertooth

This is my favourite so far


----------



## geoff_nocon

would love to get my hands on one of those


----------



## ewebb10

Now that you are done want to sell it?&#128521;




nutmeg said:


>


----------



## nutmeg

it's been kind of reserved since months ;-)

The thing I was the most proud of this time was not the polishing but more the sharpening.
I had the chance to get a great Narutaki Jizuya. HS52 for about 2&#956;m grain size. That means mirror but without scratching the soft clad too much.
And with an Ao Renge nagura (very fine, very hard but strong shaping power) I could get on one side an almost scratch free steel core.








Then the mud of the fingerstones introduced some micro scratches but I like the result.

Also, I made a quite wide micro bevel on Ao renge and even with that the edge pass the hanging picked arm hair cutting test. &#128512;


----------



## zetieum

Super boulot! You are a finger stone master!


----------



## valgard

This is totally nuts! I saw one of your polishes in person today, the Shig kitaeji takobiki and I have to say it was an absolutely stunning thing. Can only imagine this one in hand too.


----------



## ewebb10

I need to see video evidence of this hanging picked arm hair test. Apparently I don't sharpen my knives enough.


----------



## Marek07

Absolutely killing it man! If a mortal put in that much effort into polishing, they'd probably die of hunger.


----------



## nutmeg

Marek07 said:


> Absolutely killing it man! If a mortal put in that much effort into polishing, they'd probably die of hunger.



the new "weight watchers" secret..


----------



## nutmeg

ewebb10 said:


> I need to see video evidence of this hanging picked arm hair test. Apparently I don't sharpen my knives enough.



A Shigefusa sickle nakiri without micro bevel and then the Kato damascus with micro bevel ;-)
https://youtu.be/enPknQxE3Ow


----------



## nutmeg

custom red dyed maple western handle by Shinichi


----------



## tommybig

Beautyful polish and handle.

When is the last time you had clean fingers :biggrin:


----------



## nutmeg

lol. I use my fingers as nagura now ;-)


----------



## tommybig

haha . I bought myself disposable gloves, but i always forget to use them.


----------



## RDalman

Not a kitchen knife, but was fun. King 300-800, naniwa ss 5k. 800 grit edge.

https://imgur.com/a/XcL8l


----------



## nutmeg

nice


----------



## geoff_nocon

Finally had time to finish my toyama










upload photoes


----------



## Badgertooth

Sick


----------



## valgard

woah, tha Toyama looks so good


----------



## tommybig

Amazing. Just wow.


----------



## Badgertooth

Also... that's a lot of fidget spinners mate


----------



## geoff_nocon

Lol its my sons


----------



## nutmeg

wow well done &#128077;


----------



## tgfencer

What was your progression on that Toyama? That damascus really pops and I love the almost fingerprint-esque swirls near the kanji.


----------



## geoff_nocon

Used sandpaper on the cladding had to flatten the kanji area. Started with 400-800-1500-2000-5000-10000.
At the jigane area to make it close to mirror used stones 1k-8k-ohira suita
Then fingerstones on the cladding.

Was pretty easy. It already had a good scratch pattern to begin with unlike the kato ugh....


----------



## TheCaptain

Very nicely done!


----------



## Marek07

geoff_nocon said:


> Finally had time to finish my toyama


Lovely work! That Toyama looks fantastic.


----------



## geoff_nocon

Kitaeji 180 petty. This one was pretty easy. The friggin 240 kasumi shig gyuto is giving me problems im close to giving up on it.










upload photos internet


----------



## khashy

geoff_nocon said:


> Kitaeji 180 petty. This one was pretty easy. The friggin 240 kasumi shig gyuto is giving me problems im close to giving up on it.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> upload photos internet



Looks stunning mate!


----------



## valgard

sweet kitaeji


----------



## geoff_nocon

Finally done with one side. Dont think i want to the the other atleast for now. Managed to bring the clouds out a bit in the second and third photo.










upload image no signup


----------



## Mute-on

Very nice work, Geoff! You've got that silky, wet look going. 

What was your progression on the Shigs? Kitaeji different from Kasumi?

Cheers, 

J


----------



## geoff_nocon

I confess i put oil after polishing to remove oil marks from my fingers. Hence the wet look. The kitaeji was pretty easy just went from an 8k synthetic to an uchigumori koppa-ohira suita on the hagane the rest finish with fingerstones didnt need to use sandpaper. Now the kasumi was harder id say harder than a kato because of the geometry. Didnt know that shig gyutos has a somewhat wide bevel similar to a heiji. They just round of the shoulders and sand it with id say a 320 grit sandpaper. That rounded shoulders/shinogi area is hard to polish with fingerstone there were parts that i couldnt reach also had to sand down the horizontal grind marks which took some time. The hagane area was pretty even but i had to go down to a 1 k stone then 8k then ohira suita to get that mirror finish. Unlike the kato i couldnt hit the whole blade face with bench stones. And i hate using sandpaper


----------



## Badgertooth

Sick


----------



## valgard

King Hyper 1k


----------



## geoff_nocon

very nice and even finish for a coarse stone good job


----------



## Choppin

Very nice Valgard

First kasumi attempt, Maruoyama tenjou tomae. 

Credits to Badgertooth on stone and tips.


----------



## mqphoto

Really nice good looking =) great work


----------



## geoff_nocon

Nice but why not just do the whole blade face?


----------



## Choppin

Thank's guys. I think a progression of stones would result in a more even finish, but I wanted to get to know the Maruoyama better.

@geoff - I refinished the blade face with silicon carbide to remove patina. I like the contrast of shiny face / hazy jigane / shiny hagane and don't have much patience to work with fingerstones, but I definitely will try at some point.


----------



## K813zra

Choppin said:


> Very nice Valgard
> 
> First kasumi attempt, Maruoyama tenjou tomae.
> 
> Credits to Badgertooth on stone and tips.



That looks good. That is a darker finish that I would have expected from such a stone. Maybe I need to pick one up.


----------



## Badgertooth

Nice! That Tenjou Tomae is a Kasumi monster


----------



## valgard

eagerly waiting for my Maruoyama Tenjou Tomae now. Nice contrast there.


----------



## dwalker

Got some new fingerstones from Shinichi. This is the first one I've been happy with. Quality stones make a difference.


----------



## Badgertooth

Dave! Damn


----------



## geoff_nocon

Nice


----------



## Mute-on

Badgertooth said:


> Dave! Damn



Yeah, what he said 

Could you let us know what the stone was?


----------



## bryan03




----------



## dwalker

Mute-on said:


> Yeah, what he said
> 
> Could you let us know what the stone was?


Sin sent me an assortment of Uchigamori fingerstones both Hazuya and Jizuya. I really don't know much more about them than that except they were easier to use than some I picked up on eBay for $.08 a while back. I guess you get exactly what you pay for.


----------



## Mute-on

dwalker said:


> Sin sent me an assortment of Uchigamori fingerstones both Hazuya and Jizuya. I really don't know much more about them than that except they were easier to use than some I picked up on eBay for $.08 a while back. I guess you get exactly what you pay for.



Thanks for the explanation. You've certainly put them to very good use! I'd say you got your money's worth


----------



## mqphoto

Dave, woooow. Looking good =)


----------



## K813zra

dwalker said:


> Sin sent me an assortment of Uchigamori fingerstones both Hazuya and Jizuya. I really don't know much more about them than that except they were easier to use than some I picked up on eBay for $.08 a while back. I guess you get exactly what you pay for.



I think in the case of Sin it goes beyond getting what you pay for. You get a part of who you deal with as well. What I have always found great about Sin is that he will not just sell anything to anyone and also, if a stone has any sort of known issue he does everything he can to make it known from the get-go.

As an aside, your finishes always look 3x as good as mine. I need more practice!


----------



## TheCaptain

Dave - I probably should be able to tell the smith from the Kanji, but can't. Who's the smith on that work of art?

(Nice job btw!)


----------



## dwalker

TheCaptain said:


> Dave - I probably should be able to tell the smith from the Kanji, but can't. Who's the smith on that work of art?
> 
> (Nice job btw!)


Thank you, it is a Mizuno 270 I recently picked up on a trade.


----------



## valgard

dwalker said:


> Got some new fingerstones from Shinichi. This is the first one I've been happy with. Quality stones make a difference.



damn that's hot


----------



## Choppin

bryan03 said:


>



Magnifique Bryan. Hakka?


----------



## bryan03

yes , and some finger stone


----------



## Panamapeet

I just started venturing into polishing, these are some tryouts with a Toyama 150mm petty I thinned.

*Before and after shot*





[video=youtube;m6V9t0BmPIk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6V9t0BmPIk[/video]

*Mirror at P2500 (pardon the mess)*
[video=youtube;KQpFhz1m6WA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQpFhz1m6WA[/video]


----------



## brooksie967

So many amazing polishes here lately. My favorite thread


----------



## Krassi

Holy moly!

Fingerstones are really sick!!!!
i got tons of Benchstones, but its impossible to get an even finish on handmade blades..

I guess i should get me some for testing.. Well i could slay some stones but.. meehhh! no no nooo.. no way 

was matus or nutmeg the one who made them himself and sells them? would be simple because its shipping from germany to germany.
Best regards, Daniel


----------



## mqphoto

Nutmeg


----------



## Krassi

thanks!


----------



## brooksie967

Krassi said:


> Holy moly!
> 
> Fingerstones are really sick!!!!
> i got tons of Benchstones, but its impossible to get an even finish on handmade blades..
> 
> I guess i should get me some for testing.. Well i could slay some stones but.. meehhh! no no nooo.. no way
> 
> was matus or nutmeg the one who made them himself and sells them? would be simple because its shipping from germany to germany.
> Best regards, Daniel



Not impossible but very time consuming!


----------



## Panamapeet

[video=youtube;4jnMcAEfGjo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jnMcAEfGjo[/video]

And yes, that little spot near the heel is killing me :curse:


----------



## Choppin

Spipet said:


> [video=youtube;4jnMcAEfGjo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jnMcAEfGjo[/video]
> 
> And yes, that little spot near the heel is killing me :curse:



Nice contrast. What did you use?


----------



## Panamapeet

Choppin said:


> Nice contrast. What did you use?



Thanks. I thinned on JNS300, then JNS 800 - synt aoto -JNS6000 - ohira Tenjyou suita level 4 and ohira uchigumori fingerstones


----------



## unprofessional_chef

Got a great deal for this petty on ebay.

JCK Original Kagayaki VG-10 Series Petty 150mm

I can't show the other side because the previous owner marred the cladding. :laugh:

It has a "Double Bevel Edge 70/30" I'm guessing that's why he couldn't sharpen it properly. He was holding the knife too shallow. Knife also came with a rolled over edge. He claimed to be a chef. With an edge so rolled over I doubt he could finish a single shift. Anyways I fixed all of his mistakes with my Chosera 3K. And polished the blade back to it's original beautiful satin finish.


----------



## TheCaptain

Nice job! But now I REALLY want to see the other side...


----------



## brooksie967

330mm vintage Yanagiba on soft ozuku


----------



## valgard

Maruoyama Tenjyou Tomae

View attachment 36682


----------



## Panamapeet

Amazing work Carlos


----------



## valgard

Spipet said:


> Amazing work Carlos


Thx Peter, I credit the stone :O.


----------



## brooksie967

valgard said:


> Thx Peter, I credit the stone :O.



It looks like a slick one! Enjoy and nice polish!


----------



## K813zra

valgard said:


> Thx Peter, I credit the stone :O.



You shouldn't, take credit where it is due. That work is outrageous.


----------



## valgard

K813zra said:


> You shouldn't, take credit where it is due. That work is outrageous.





brooksie967 said:


> It looks like a slick one! Enjoy and nice polish!


Thank u both. J, I love what u did with that ozuku, crazy contrast.


----------



## Badgertooth

valgard said:


> Thx Peter, I credit the stone :O.



I credit the polisher


----------



## brooksie967

Badgertooth said:


> I credit the polisher



Yup! Stones are tools although a few of my narutaki don't care who is using them and provide dreamy polishes


----------



## valgard

brooksie967 said:


> Yup! Stones are tools although a few of my narutaki don't care who is using them and provide dreamy polishes


show off


----------



## valgard

More testing, ozuku asagi. This one benefits from rinsing often and some pressure


----------



## valgard

ohira uchigumori aka renge


----------



## Krassi

Nice Stones @valgard !
That uchi makes some sick miami vice flamingo colored slurry and seems to be great!
Awesome polishing from that one!

Do you have any problems with those lines when using it? (i got a second ohira uchigumori with still stamps on that needs some inital lapping to get it fully plane, i still hesitate to keep it at this "new car look"  )


----------



## valgard

Krassi said:


> Nice Stones @valgard !
> That uchi makes some sick miami vice flamingo colored slurry and seems to be great!
> Awesome polishing from that one!
> 
> Do you have any problems with those lines when using it? (i got a second ohira uchigumori with still stamps on that needs some inital lapping to get it fully plane, i still hesitate to keep it at this "new car look"  )


Hi Daniel, that Uchi was my first Jnat and it's very nice, unfortunately one of those lines isn't a line it's a crack from when the stone fell and broke in two... but it doesn't give me any problems for polishing. The other line can occasionally give me issues. In general this stone (maybe it's just the line and I need some localized testing. In general if I let the mud on it gives some nice contrast but a more scratchy finish, luckily it's super fast and works like a charm if I use running water or rinse often. The story shot looked cool tho, so I left it xD.


----------



## valgard

Krassi said:


> i got a second ohira uchigumori with still stamps on that needs some inital lapping to get it fully plane, i still hesitate to keep it at this "new car look"


Damn, I need another one of these it's my favourite stone and I was so sad when it broke. I would die for a clean one.


----------



## XooMG

I think this was with a mizukihara tomae. Shiny but not mirror.


----------



## valgard

love it Robert


----------



## dwalker

There are worse ways to spend a Friday evening.......


----------



## Badgertooth

That's gonna be nice, I can already tell. What knife is that?


----------



## dwalker

Sharaki Tesshu 300mm. It was time to tame this beast.


----------



## TheCaptain

Why do I get nervous every time I see a shot of a knife and alcohol in the same picture? [emoji38]


----------



## dwalker

I must admit, I received a very minor nick, but that happens often alcohol or no alcohol.


----------



## dwalker

Turned out ok.


----------



## ewebb10

Looks good D. I don't know why but a glass of whiskey almost always makes me want to sharpen/polish knives.


----------



## fatboylim

ewebb10 said:


> Looks good D. I don't know why but a glass of whiskey almost always makes me want to sharpen/polish knives.


Almost the same for me, sharpening makes me want a whiskey


----------



## TheCaptain

Nice! How did you affix the handle?


----------



## dwalker

It was an o.k. fit so beeswax was all it needed.


----------



## hambone.johnson

my oatley fish sword. 330 takobiki in 52100 and nickel 

polishing progression:
-green brick of love
-5k
-uchi koppa 
-uchi finger stones from Aframes

even though the knife is large i like using the koppa, i find the smaller stone forces me to take my time and be more conscious. of what im doing. its like when you have a huge work space in the kitchen you spread out to take it up, small station = efficiency. just me 




[/IMG]


----------



## valgard

sandpaper and uchigumori fingerstones 






and oiled


----------



## Choppin

Looking great valgard. What sandpaper progression did you use?


----------



## valgard

Choppin said:


> Looking great valgard. What sandpaper progression did you use?



Started from 220>320>600>1000>1500>2000>3000>5000>7000>micro mesh 8000 and 12000


----------



## valgard




----------



## brooksie967

Excellent work!


----------



## valgard

thx, trying to step up my game [emoji12]


----------



## TheCaptain

Ok, now you're just showing off! [emoji1]


----------



## valgard

TheCaptain said:


> Ok, now you're just showing off! [emoji1]



[emoji56] it was a lot of work but very satisfying. And wait until you see it with its new Anton handle!


----------



## zetieum

I hate you all. 
I was so super satisfied with my polish skills....... And then I just looked at this thread. 
:surrendar:


----------



## Mute-on

hambone.johnson said:


> my oatley fish sword. 330 takobiki in 52100 and nickel
> 
> polishing progression:
> -green brick of love
> -5k
> -uchi koppa
> -uchi finger stones from Aframes
> 
> even though the knife is large i like using the koppa, i find the smaller stone forces me to take my time and be more conscious. of what im doing. its like when you have a huge work space in the kitchen you spread out to take it up, small station = efficiency. just me
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [/IMG]



Sick!

More photos please


----------



## hambone.johnson

Mute-on said:


> Sick!
> 
> More photos please



thanks. it is certainly the jewel of my collection ... pics shortly


----------



## hambone.johnson

[/IMG]

the layers 




[/IMG]

the grind on the back side 




[/IMG]

I made a friction fit saya out of figured maple. its roundish/oval to look like a katana saya. the bolster also recesses into the saya by about 1/2". you might be able to see that in the next picture 






this is the finished product. I had a friend make a soft deer skin leather "sock" for it because its too large to fit in any knife roll. i needed something custom to fit it in. And here the fish sword rests, waiting for tuna and salmon and the like to blaze through.

it gets Absurdly sharp with very little effort. Oatleys grinds on his Tako's are amazing. having talked with him and followed his work for a while he absolutely LOVES making this shape and really puts the TLC into the shape and it comes through. i originally wanted it in W2 steel but then this one came up and i went for it. very very happy with the look and the 52100 over the W2.


----------



## TheCaptain

Very nice work! That's one I'd love to see in action.


----------



## brooksie967

Testing lots of new stones with my yanagi.


----------



## valgard

all three are so good Jeremy, last one brought out some interesting banding :doublethumbsup:


----------



## Mute-on

^ agree with this. What was that last stone?


----------



## brooksie967

Thanks guys. The last one is a massive ultra hard ozuku. Here it's beside a regular 8*3" stone


----------



## nutmeg

https://youtu.be/cy5AdB1Q4O0


----------



## Krassi

Hii!

i wanted to post some Testing i did on Sunday with some of my best stones on the same Shiro Kamo Aogami2 Test Nakiri. 
I used a Ikarashi before every stone that made a a scratch pattern (if some pictures are scrachted then thats a ikarashi shot  )

It was fun testing them all an i had some good sunlight in my kitchen for the photos. 
Mostly Stone wet / Stone Slurry with Aotoma / Slurry after 20 Strokes with the Nakiri / and then lets have a look ate the nakiri

I hope its interesting for you! YOu can click on the Thumbnail and then enlarge the bigger picture that opens up.. My Canon 450 from ancient times when Dinosaurs ruled the planet is not the ISo noise wonder so sorry for Noise inferno in the closeups.
Allright i always used my ikarashi first so that the stones have some scratches to remove and do some work!


*Ohira Shiro Suita Aka Renge*


 

 

 



*Shou honyama Unknown softer Suita similar to Maruyama, working super fast and smooth..*


 

 

 



 

*Unknown soft fast Prefinisher, similar to soft Narutaki making a nice hazy finish. Making more Slurry than harder Suitas and removes Scratches very good.*


 

 



 

 

 

*First some Ikarashi Action and next one is a Carpenter beige/orange Nakayama Suita. Weird pattern and smooth and fast. *




 

 

 



 

 

*A Okudo Shiro Suita Aka Renge from 330dude. I forgot how fast its polishing. Okudos are amazing!*


 



 

 

 





*A Lovely collectors style Mizuhikara Uchigumori. That the "Wagyu Stone"  .Very nice an smooth polishing and makes a nice white slurry, first time really trying it out*


 

 



 

 

 



 

 



*A Lovely collectors style Ohira Uchigumori. Thats much bigger and also very nice and smooth for polishing. Makes a nice white Slurry too, first time really trying it out*




 

 

 



 



*A unknown Shiro Suita Ao Renge... "the Deathstar"!  The weird thing is its the fastest stone of the ones i tested. But since its snowwhite the slurry looks more dramatic than on the dark Uchigumoris for example. Still a very pleasent hardness level. o this could exclude Okudo as the Origin. THose are mostly hyper hard and the Ao renge looks different more like dense Clouds and not like those Ohira Ao renge with more sprinkled Dots and those thick Dots. Was the only one i did a touchup with my Testknife and the edge you get its also very awesome*




 

 



ehmm the blade pictures are a bight overbrigtht ;( damned.. but hard to show them great in the sunlight.
seeya Daniel!


----------



## valgard

Damn Daniel, I don't even know where to begin. I want to raid your house.


----------



## dwalker

Nice Daniel. No wonder your shipping bill is huge. Those are monsters! Nice pickups for sure.


----------



## Krassi

Ok thanks for that comment  thats about 25% of my stones and a good overview. I havent used my harder and finer stones in this case.. but i should do the same next time with my Wakasa, Nakayama Awesedo, different Carpenter Nakayama kiita Awesedo and some other hard stuf. 

theese stones are very different from the origin but its a good showcase that whatever starta and mine they all polish like crazy. stuff from 3 years collecting like a maniac 
thats something i observed often that i cant really say some things are always faster than others
all Stones got rid of the fine scratches from the ikarashi what was nice. Its just not more than 50 Strokes or so that i did per side because it was testing like on a conveyor belt 

My test Nakiri was glowing  and i did the same with 8 other stones before (http://postimg.org/image/do0u4we45/ )



seeya , Daniel


----------



## Krassi

Oh by the way i still got a link from some days ago with *all the stuff from my kitchen http://imgur.com/a/H6KB1*
my kitchen looks like a stone quarry  and as nice as 3 Uchis are i think its a bit overkill.


----------



## Marek07

Krassi said:


> Oh by the way i still got a link from some days ago with *all the stuff from my kitchen http://imgur.com/a/H6KB1*
> my kitchen looks like a stone quarry  and as nice as 3 Uchis are i think its a bit overkill.


A *bit* of overkill?!? Your kitchen may not quite look like a stone quarry - too clean and tidy really - but I think it might just compete with some specialist stone shops. Good grief that's an awesome array of stones!
:bigeek:


----------



## valgard

Krassi said:


> Oh by the way i still got a link from some days ago with *all the stuff from my kitchen http://imgur.com/a/H6KB1*
> my kitchen looks like a stone quarry  and as nice as 3 Uchis are i think its a bit overkill.


Yes, I hate u and I am dying of envy for your Uchis. That wagyu one is just too much.


----------



## StonedEdge

Daniel, do you even stone bro? ... kidding aside, I'm speechless!


----------



## zetieum

Krassi said:


> Hii!
> 
> *Ohira Shiro Suita Aka Renge*



THIS stone is the one that made me fall into the Jnat rabbit hole the first time I met Daniel. I hate you because this rabbit hole is now an abyss, but I love you because I enjoy digging it.


----------



## zoze

The view on Daniels collection is deceiving. 
It's even worse. Besides the few examples in his kitchen he piles them in drawers and in his living-room.


----------



## dwalker

Oh Daniel! I feel your shipping pains. My last batch of stones just cost me $215 in shipping alone. I don't know why I thought it would be less, I was figuring around $125. Maybe I'll have some ringers in there.


----------



## Krassi

Hi And sorry for showing off all my stuff  my living room table is also covered with stones ... you might guess correctly that i am not married 

Its sad that the Photos of the Nakiri after every stone is so unfocused.. really hate it when photos are not as expected ;(
But i should make more of some other stones .. Those narutakis are also insane polishers and the harder Stuff is also interesting.. And compared to my watanabe ohira ao renge the big one feels softer..

But thanks for the praise! regarding the uchis i think ill only keep one.
Yep i totally infected Zoze and Zetieum with stone Addiction ) Well but its a nice hobby and the cool thing is that jnats dondt loose value!! Some would be much more expensive now.. the problem with the jnat stuff is that most mines are closed, newer stuff is low quality compared to old 1930-1950s stuff that was digged out and you can only get good vintage ones if someone is willing to sell them.

so more photos are coming soon !

seeya, daniel


----------



## nutmeg

wow it's a stone quarry! &#128540;


----------



## dwalker

Look what I found in my Toyama Nakiri cladding. Clouds!


----------



## valgard

cool clouds


----------



## brooksie967

Oooh pretty cloudiness!


----------



## TheCaptain

Amazing dwalker! What progression did you use? (and yes I'm totally green with envy and am going to try to get this going this weekend.)


----------



## dwalker

TheCaptain said:


> Amazing dwalker! What progression did you use? (and yes I'm totally green with envy and am going to try to get this going this weekend.)


I started with the Aizu I just sold and then was testing one of my vintage unknown mine stones that recently arrived. It is hard and fine. I think it was used as a razor hone. You can work the edge with this stone and it does nothing. When you work the blade road, it makes inky black swarf quickly. Afterwards, it is decently fast for its level of polish. It makes a wicked fine edge that sticks to your fingertips. I havent used the knife since sharpening, so i dont know how long it would hold the edge. I did use it on a white #2 yanigiba in preperation for sushi night. WOW. 
I would have never in a million years think the cladding would look like this. It was only visible after the mystery stone. If anybody has an opinion about what it is, I'd love to hear it.


----------



## Badgertooth

I don't know what it is but almost certainly old school higashimono. I had that acted very similarly and needed wide bevel contact or nagura before it came alive and did crazy stuff to cladding. Very nice polish job


----------



## nutmeg

still on quest for the holy grind


----------



## ewebb10

I can't wait to see what you consider the holy grind because that's pretty amazing.


----------



## nutmeg

ewebb10 said:


> I can't wait to see what you consider the holy grind because that's pretty amazing.



I wish I've ever seen one! &#129412;
This could be the best I did


----------



## nutmeg

This is an old Tamahagane yannagiba 270mm made about 60 years ago.
When I received it, the mirror was strong but its shape was weak. The shinogi line was badly drawn and rounded.
The Ura was miserable. There is still a lot of to do work on this part! 

















I find the shinogi line is sharper when the bevel has been only polished on benchstones without fingerstones or maybe I should train more. 
Oiling the blade gave a duller shinogi line too.


----------



## khashy

Beautiful work as ever nutmeg [emoji7]


----------



## nutmeg

Hiromune Takaba Miyabi Series: Bad-ass tamahagane damascus out of the box.
I don't like etched blades but this time I admit it is beautiful. A very special knife.





































I don't even know if I should polish it this time..


----------



## StonedEdge

Gorgeous blade man. The handle looks really interesting as well


----------



## nutmeg

StonedEdge said:


> Gorgeous blade man. The handle looks really interesting as well



Yes the handle fits the blade very well. 
Maybe you can see some golden reflections on the damascus.


----------



## StonedEdge

Wow!!


----------



## Marek07

nutmeg said:


> I don't even know if I should polish it this time..


A dilemma to be sure. Certainly very beautiful as is.


----------



## brooksie967

nutmeg said:


> Hiromune Takaba Miyabi Series: Bad-ass tamahagane damascus out of the box.
> I don't like etched blades but this time I admit it is beautiful. A very special knife.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I don't even know if I should polish it this time..



I wasn't a fan of the etch when I had it here but was too pretty for me to do anything else with it. I hope you enjoy it, it's been on quite a journey. The handle is eucalyptus burl and is very special I'm.


----------



## Anton

nutmeg said:


> Yes the handle fits the blade very well.
> Maybe you can see some golden reflections on the damascus.



if you polish I'll hurt you 

Who made the handle?


----------



## Nemo

brooksie967 said:


> The handle is eucalyptus burl and is very special


Do you know which eucalypt is the handle made of?


----------



## brooksie967

Anton said:


> if you polish I'll hurt you
> 
> Who made the handle?



Karl Mckinlay


----------



## brooksie967

Nemo said:


> Do you know which eucalypt is the handle made of?



I don't unfortunately


----------



## geoff_nocon

Nigara hamono KU yanagi, cladding made from chains from ships during the meiji era. Suprised how consistent the grind is. Virtually no low spots. Straight to 8k synth-ohira suita. Bit of fingerstones mostly because of my technique not because of the grind. 

Also a shig gyuto going to its new home did a farewell polish kindda regret selling it now.

Both no oil so theres a bit of water marks and oil streaks from my fingers. Was aiming for a mirror hagane on both.


----------



## valgard

that yanagi is a pretty piece


----------



## zetieum

Today was the German national day. I had time to play with my Jnats.


----------



## Aogami

zetieum said:


> Today was the German national day. I had time to play with my Jnats.



That is NICE! How'd you get to that finish?


----------



## valgard

zetieum said:


> Today was the German national day. I had time to play with my jnats



nice Zietum


----------



## Badgertooth

zetieum said:


> Today was the German national day. I had time to play with my Jnats.



Very nice. Details?


----------



## K813zra

Badgertooth said:


> Very nice. Details?



+1 I want details too.


----------



## pd7077

K813zra said:


> +1 I want details too.



+2


----------



## zetieum

I am actually making a a review of all my stones one after each other in term of polish. So this one went through a lot of stones before from low to high grit. 
To avoid having the fake effect of multiple super finisher after each ohter. I go back to an aizu after testing each stone and then go up. 

This finish is from a very hard unknown (but I would bet okudo) suita. (step before was aizu, as described above). Here is a pic of the stone https://www.instagram.com/p/BZmcw7PgnMr/?taken-by=zetieum_clementziza


----------



## Krassi

Hi!

Is it the one that you lapped on the asphalt in front of your house?
Looks good.. since i have holiday for the rest of the week ill also try some stones and also make some videos and stuff.. i was in Austria last weekend with around 16 kilos of my stones for a knife gathering and holy moly i saw a lot of interesting stuff!


----------



## zetieum

Krassi said:


> Hi!
> 
> Is it the one that you lapped on the asphalt in front of your house?
> Looks good.. since i have holiday for the rest of the week ill also try some stones and also make some videos and stuff.. i was in Austria last weekend with around 16 kilos of my stones for a knife gathering and holy moly i saw a lot of interesting stuff!




Yes indeed. It is the one I lapped on the pavement


----------



## pd7077

Picked up from the classifieds, but sadly found an area pitting on the left blade face after I removed the patina. It took a bit of work, and its not perfect...but Im pretty stoked with the end result.


----------



## Badgertooth

pd7077 said:


> Picked up from the classifieds, but sadly found an area pitting on the left blade face after I removed the patina. It took a bit of work, and its not perfect...but Im pretty stoked with the end result.



Nice classic, clean, straight line finish


----------



## nutmeg

Konosuke Honyaki 270mm








hazy blade, mirror edge


----------



## FoRdLaz

Wow! That's just too beautiful Nutmeg!


----------



## zetieum

@nutmeg strikes again. Superb


----------



## valgard

sweet honyaki


----------



## geoff_nocon

A bit of stone testing on this ohira ao renge. Getting the hang of it, its best to apply very minimal pressure to get a mirror hagane.


----------



## Badgertooth

Damn... that is really shiny. What else can you tell us about the stone. Is it harder than aka Renge


----------



## geoff_nocon

Very hard its around hs70 not much slurry but fast cutting. Bought it mainly for setting microbevels and for sharpening the ura. Also a good follow up to a softer stone such as an aka renge. however i have not tried achieving this kind of finish without having to go through a high grit synthetic finish such as an an 8k synth. Ill try to achieve a similar result later from a full jnat progression aoto-haka-aka renge-ao renge


----------



## Badgertooth

Why do you have so many naturals Otto?

Because some day, someone is gonna make me the most amazing wrought iron clad gyuto that I can nerd out over with countless combinations of stones.

The 9 makes a bloody good knife


----------



## geoff_nocon

Jesus christ... i better ge me one of those


----------



## Choppin

Seems like a fair reason to have a bunch of Jnats. Must be fun playing with those layers...


----------



## zetieum

@Badgertooth splendid!


----------



## geoff_nocon

Stone testing on this massive ohira renge suita. Probably the easiest ohira suita ive used. Quite muddy not too soft not too hard and its 67mm thick


----------



## TheCaptain

Hnngh! I can only hope to have something like that in my collection someday.


----------



## geoff_nocon

Its has very similar properties to my favorite ohira suita it will not alter the finish of the hagane it will maintain its mirror finish. Ill probably let go of my smaller one


----------



## valgard

Badgertooth said:


> Why do you have so many naturals Otto?
> 
> Because some day, someone is gonna make me the most amazing wrought iron clad gyuto that I can nerd out over with countless combinations of stones.
> 
> The 9 makes a bloody good knife



My goodness gracious!


----------



## zetieum




----------



## brooksie967

Doing some testing with my stones and a few from @Valgard. 

All of these were reset on a 5kish synth prior to the stone to avoid any claims of multiple stone results. 

Control polish looks like this:












First up: Asano Botan Nagura (Bench stone)




















Next up: Gigantic Okudo Tenjyou suita













Next up: Gigantic Nakayama Namito
















.




Next up: Softer possibly nakayama nashiji






















Next up: One from Carlos. Soft Ohira.
























Next: Another from Carlos. Shinden Suita



















Continued on Next post


----------



## brooksie967

Unknown Shiro Suita:



















Most likely Okudo renge suita: 













Nakayama Shiro Suita: 
















Narutaki Tomae:


----------



## zoze

Thanks for sharing. Very impressive stones and interesting results.


----------



## valgard

super awesome post Jeremy, thanks for sharing I've enjoyed the chat about the stones over the last couple weeks.


----------



## valgard

The Namito and Okudo Tenjou suita look awesome BTW


----------



## Choppin

Great post Jeremy. I think you managed to capture really well the effect of each stone in those pics. That's something I always find super tricky to do...


----------



## Badgertooth

brooksie967 said:


> Doing some testing with my stones and a few from @Valgard.
> 
> All of these were reset on a 5kish synth prior to the stone to avoid any claims of multiple stone results.
> 
> Control polish looks like this:



I like the idea of a control polish. Vast array of very nice finishers there


----------



## geoff_nocon

Shig petty 180 kitaeji revisited


----------



## nutmeg

geoff_nocon said:


> Shig petty 180 kitaeji revisited


 well done &#128077;


----------



## nutmeg

very nice Brooksie!
I love thins kind of middle hard but ultra fine Narutaki Tomae. The finish they give is with little contrast but so clean and uncomplicated..
The soft Ohira seems to a cool and forgiving one.


----------



## brooksie967

Thanks guys. I want a better quality kanna but since i only use it for testing i can't justify the cost. 

@geoff_nocon that polish is disgusting!


----------



## geoff_nocon

Used the ao renge(with a little help from fingerstones) and was able to bring out the damascus like pattern on the cladding.


----------



## brooksie967

Brilliant!!!


----------



## Badgertooth

Geoff you've come a long way in a very short amount of time.


----------



## geoff_nocon

Thanks really appreciate it specially coming from you guys


----------



## nevin

brooksie967 said:


> Doing some testing with my stones and a few from @Valgard.





brooksie967 said:


> All of these were reset on a 5kish synth prior to the stone to avoid any claims of multiple stone results.



Woooh!!! Really love the huge pictures showing the details!


----------



## zetieum

Stunning!!! Just a question: when you speak of damascus like pattern. the knife is damascus clad. isn't it?


----------



## geoff_nocon

Nope its not it was labelled as hon kasumi. The cladding is made of old chains from french warships during the meiji era so its kinda like wrought iron. When i first got it it wasnt as visible. Ill post old pics


----------



## geoff_nocon

Heres a pic when i first got it. It was only visible towards the heel




russian image hosting site


----------



## bryan03




----------



## cenc

Toyama 80mm paring. It has such a nice HT and takes a very bright polish. 

I would like the jigane to be a bit darker but I don't want to go back to lower grits unless it's necessary later on.

To be honest, this knife dropped to the floor at work once. I was devastated when it happened but was pleasantly surprised that the tip had only slightly bent, and the heel very barely chipped; hardly noticeable. I was lucky it probably dropped at the right angle, but it still goes to show that Toyama knives are incredibly durable.


----------



## valgard

Bryan that looks really good!


----------



## valgard




----------



## Badgertooth

https://youtu.be/j3oxM8MuXVg


----------



## zetieum

Badgertooth said:


> https://youtu.be/j3oxM8MuXVg




f a n t a s t i c


----------



## Doug

Badgertooth said:


> https://youtu.be/j3oxM8MuXVg




Tennen Toishi Titilation

Beautiful stone and polish Otto


----------



## nutmeg

Wow!


----------



## MarshallCS

I have a question - on all of these beautiful examples, do you thin the wide bevels until there are no hi-low spots before you start to polish? I've tried to polish with fingerstones, and it shows where the high and low spots are on the blade road very much


----------



## cenc

It seems to me like your finger stones need to be thinner and almost flexible.


----------



## Choppin

Badgertooth said:


> https://youtu.be/j3oxM8MuXVg



Loved that


----------



## YG420

Awesome badger!


----------



## geoff_nocon

MarshallCS said:


> I have a question - on all of these beautiful examples, do you thin the wide bevels until there are no hi-low spots before you start to polish? I've tried to polish with fingerstones, and it shows where the high and low spots are on the blade road very much



Everything needs to be roughly in the same grit before you fingerstone. Either you flatten first or sndpaper so that everythings uniform. What i sometimes do if im feeling lazy i get a pretty hard fingerstone something that scratches and try to give everything a uniform scratch(doesnt have to be perfect)although you have to stay clear from the hagane it will ruin your mirror finish. then move on to a softer one. Its what i did on thos shig no sandpaper on this one. I broke off a piece from my old shapton 1k and made a fingerstone(highly suggest you dont do this cause if a piece breaks off it will leave a deep scratch) then i used a harder fingerstone( mine was around hs59 from a suita) to soften prev scratch then moved on to a softer fingerstone to coverup some off the scratches. I highly suggest you do the first 2 options this is just my lazy way to speed things up im just lazy at using sandpaper. 





imageupload


----------



## valgard

Badgertooth said:


> https://youtu.be/j3oxM8MuXVg



:viking:


----------



## cenc

@geoff_nocon: Nice contrast on your shig!

Here is my 300m Toyama Sujihiki. It is my favorite Toyama knife so far. It has visible jigane folds when seen close up and performs perfectly for my needs.


----------



## geoff_nocon

gave this an ohira ao renge treatment(hagane) before going to its new home


----------



## nutmeg

this is a flashy one!


----------



## Anton

geoff_nocon said:


> gave this an ohira ao renge treatment(hagane) before going to its new home



Steps?


----------



## geoff_nocon

Not really that hard it already had a nice base. Perfect for fingerstones. The challenge was removing the ridges around the kanji area. other than that was prety straight forward. for the hagane 8k synth-ohira aka renge suita-ao renge suita. Fingerstones for the rest.


----------



## valgard

Some more testing, three aizu. The are all very similar, extremely consistent and clean.
No 1 Pale blue with white dots




No 2 white with dark spots



diagonal scratch pattern


parallel to the edge



No 3 Monster Aizu with a mix of both patterns



Diagonal


Parallel


----------



## geoff_nocon

Another ohira ao renge. Im addicted to these black renges and light green base. its not as good looking as my first one but this one has a better/smoother feedback and better working space because of its width. And the finish on the hagane is mirror just how i like it.


----------



## nutmeg

yes Ao rocks! I guess their high hardness and relative coarse grain are a part of the magic.


----------



## geoff_nocon

nutmeg said:


> yes Ao rocks! I guess their high hardness and relative coarse grain are a part of their magic.



That is true im part of the weird guys that prefer harder rocks than muddy


----------



## nutmeg

All my Ao were in the HS60-72 range. 
I grabbed the Ao #3 HS45, quite excited to give it a try &#128512;


----------



## geoff_nocon

nutmeg said:


> All my Ao were in the HS60-72 range.
> I grabbed the Ao #3 HS45, quite excited to give it a try &#128512;



almost bought that one together with my Ao renge no 1. it had an interesting back story according to Sinichi he got it from a miner in Ohira. Unfortunately he passed away and when Sinichi visited the miners wife he saw the AO-AKA renge in a display box together with 2 more and asked to buy that particular one so it must be special. Sinichi said its more AKA than AO in terms of performance so decided to not buy it. But im kindda kicking myself now for not pulling the trigger specially with its Christmas sale discount. would love to hear from you once you get it and please post pictures


----------



## nutmeg

Last year I got a soft uchigumori with Aka and Ao renge (and Namazu) and the results are very good.
Next time I'll post pictures!


----------



## Choppin

geoff_nocon said:


> That is true im part of the weird guys that prefer harder rocks than muddy



My first Jnats were all soft, muddy ones, but as I progressed to try some stones out of this spectrum I find myself preferring the harder ones as well. I like the feeling / feedback.


----------



## valgard

most of my stones are hard :O. I like the extra detail they can reveal and love finishing my edges on hard stones.


----------



## Badgertooth

I've still got a mile-wide soft spot for softies. That said, I have more appreciation for harder stones now. They keep you honest


----------



## nutmeg

My keepers are more on the middle soft/middle-hard side (HS43/HS55) but I like also the "uncomplicated" finish soft stones with very fine grain give sometimes. 
With less "character" but like perfectly clean. I guess it should be good for some knife makers for example.


----------



## valgard

Badgertooth said:


> I've still got a mile-wide soft spot for softies. That said, I have more appreciation for harder stones now. They keep you honest



Trade u my collection for yours :whistling:


----------



## nutmeg

Badgertooth said:


> I've still got a mile-wide soft spot for softies. That said, I have more appreciation for harder stones now. They keep you honest



Is it possible the Nakayama you used for the mirror finish last week was a middle one like HS50 or so? 
It looks like very time consuming but it gave me want to give such a finish a try soon.


----------



## Badgertooth

No, that one is incredibly hard. I would put it at hs65 or up. Very smooth and has great cutting strength if you manage the water level. But does the mirroring when you mute the cutting ability by using lots of water.


----------



## K813zra

nutmeg said:


> My keepers are more on the middle soft/middle-hard side (HS43/HS55) but I like also the "uncomplicated" finish soft stones with very fine grain give sometimes.
> With less "character" but like perfectly clean. I guess it should be good for some knife makers for example.



I think I fall into that group as well. Although I do have a Takashima that is HS34 that I really enjoy. I remember when I first got it thinking it was not near as soft as I had thought it would be. I think the term soft is abused when talking about rocks...:rofl2:


----------



## MarshallCS

This is my first decent result from refinishing a blade - it's certainly not up to the standards that I see here, but I'm pretty proud of it. This is a well used Myabi artisan gyuto that I've owned for about 5-6 years. It had tons of usage marks, even over the soft hammered cladding. I thinned the knife with a kai 400 and a superstone 1000, then I went through a sandpaper progression of 240-320-400-600, and finally used a kiita fingerstone to get the haze.


----------



## Badgertooth

Marshall, I can see a lot of love has gone into an old favourite, so thank you for sharing. And you gotta start somewhere right. Keep us updated with other finishes


----------



## MarshallCS

Badgertooth said:


> Marshall, I can see a lot of love has gone into an old favourite, so thank you for sharing. And you gotta start somewhere right. Keep us updated with other finishes



Thanks very much!

Do you think going over it more with the fingerstone will produce a better result? Or do I need to go back to sandpaper?


----------



## geoff_nocon

Try going back to sandpaper maybe around 2k or whatever finishing grit you have. It may mute the contrast a bit but will even out the finish/scratches or you can do it wiyh a bit of fingerstone mud


----------



## valgard

MarshallCS said:


> Thanks very much!
> 
> Do you think going over it more with the fingerstone will produce a better result? Or do I need to go back to sandpaper?


First of all good on you to refinish that knife and sharing :doublethumbsup:. I'm still learning lots, not anywhere close to some of the gurus here xD but I'd say go back to sandpaper, make sure u get long consistent scratches (along the edge direction might be better) and take it up to 1500-2000 grit minimum before using fingerstones. Good luck!


----------



## MarshallCS

geoff_nocon said:


> Try going back to sandpaper maybe around 2k or whatever finishing grit you have. It may mute the contrast a bit but will even out the finish/scratches or you can do it wiyh a bit of fingerstone mud





valgard said:


> First of all good on you to refinish that knife and sharing :doublethumbsup:. I'm still learning lots, not anywhere close to some of the gurus here xD but I'd say go back to sandpaper, make sure u get long consistent scratches (along the edge direction might be better) and take it up to 1500-2000 grit minimum before using fingerstones. Good luck!



Thanks guys - gotta go and get some higher grit sandpaper


----------



## geoff_nocon

Unlike my other knives that ive posted here this one is no drawer queen. Finally gave it a well deserved polish. Didnt bother making it perfect, will be using it anyway. And its the knife that got me into Jnats and polishing


----------



## valgard

[emoji106]


----------



## Konge

#9 from Nutmeg's recent sell-off. Decent enough for a first try. There are still some deep scratches towards the heel which will hopefully disappear with subsequent sharpenings. I'm not too fond of the sharpness (it's a zero grind with a microbevel), what do you normally do after thinning/polishing, put on a cutting bevel or just a microbevel?


----------



## geoff_nocon

Micro most of the time but with my everyday knives cutting bevel


----------



## Badgertooth

Zero it


----------



## valgard




----------



## nutmeg

Ultimate suita without fingerstones, oil or anything


----------



## valgard

[emoji7]


----------



## Badgertooth

That's insane


----------



## Badgertooth




----------



## Badgertooth

View attachment 37552


View attachment 37553


Wrought + honyama


----------



## Badgertooth

God I hate the apps photo attachment compression, sorry guys


----------



## valgard

bit of contrast there


----------



## nutmeg

Kiritsuke Keijiro Doi (R.I.P.)


----------



## nutmeg

Born again





















*deep concentration &#128300;&#128170;&#127995;


----------



## brooksie967

What's going on at the tip there? I'm guessing it's just because of work on a very coarse stone?


----------



## nutmeg

Yes it's only the fondation grind on AI#Diamond #170 and Atoma #600 for now.
Getting these angles and ultra crisp lines was very challenging..!


----------



## brooksie967

nutmeg said:


> Yes it's only the fondation grind on AI#Diamond #170 and Atoma #600 for now.
> Getting these angles and ultra crisp lines was very challenging..!



Looks great!


----------



## nutmeg

thanks! actually I am very proud of this one, my most difficult sharpening until now. 
Getting the Kissaki tip totally flat and with correct angles with Shinogi and Yokote was extremly tricky: one needs strokes that are long enough but 100% controlled like a machine.


----------



## brooksie967

nutmeg said:


> thanks! actually I am very proud of this one, my most difficult sharpening until now.
> Getting the Kissaki tip totally flat and with correct angles with Shinogi and Yokote was extremly tricky: one needs strokes that are long enough but 100% controlled like a machine.



I'm actually doing a big overhaul on a shiraki right now but there is no kissaki involved. I can only imagine how difficult it is to hold the blade in a manner that makes it easy to complete that stroke and get the angle locked in.


----------



## geoff_nocon

Kintaro ame KU gyuto from watanabe. Gave it a quick fingerstone polish.


----------



## nutmeg

geoff_nocon said:


> Kintaro ame KU gyuto from watanabe. Gave it a quick fingerstone polish.



Nice Kintaro Ame


----------



## nutmeg

brooksie967 said:


> I'm actually doing a big overhaul on a shiraki right now but there is no kissaki involved. I can only imagine how difficult it is to hold the blade in a manner that makes it easy to complete that stroke and get the angle locked in.



There are probably alternatives but the trick I found was to move the whole body and not only the arms.


----------



## nutmeg

Dream combo without water, oil, finger stones or anything: 
Ohira Suita Ao Renge, soft, middle and hard.


----------



## Choppin

Love this



nutmeg said:


> Dream combo without water, oil, finger stones or anything:
> Ohira Suita Ao Renge, soft, middle and hard.


----------



## Valkyrae

That is incredible contrast... Wow. 



nutmeg said:


> Dream combo without water, oil, finger stones or anything:
> Ohira Suita Ao Renge, soft, middle and hard.


----------



## nutmeg

Valkyrae said:


> That is incredible contrast... Wow.



Wow is the right word. Very difficult stones to use and they dont work every time but when they activate they are incredible. As versus to Uchigumoris for exemple that are to me the safest finishers.


----------



## valgard




----------



## valgard




----------



## nutmeg




----------



## khashy

nutmeg said:


>




Jaw.... meet floor.


----------



## Valkyrae

wow... those Kato look magnificent...


----------



## brooksie967

Horrid lighting but all i've got to capture the cleanup of my 300mm Ashi


----------



## nutmeg

Kato again..


----------



## geoff_nocon

Nice. Why does that kato have a diffeeent kanji?


----------



## valgard

geoff_nocon said:


> Nice. Why does that kato have a diffeeent kanji?



That kao (think of it as a signature) is special for Morihei


----------



## geoff_nocon

Ah ok thanks for clearing that up


----------



## Valkyrae

I don't think it's JUST to Morihei- the pictures on Japan-Tool have them as well (the kao). I've never heard an official explanation though..


----------



## valgard

https://youtu.be/Eg4-sp8zK2s
Oohira ao renge suita finish on Halcyonforge wrought iron san mai gyuto.


----------



## nutmeg

valgard said:


> https://youtu.be/Eg4-sp8zK2s
> Oohira ao renge suita finish on Halcyonforge wrought iron san mai gyuto.



Cool! it's like hollogram


----------



## valgard

nutmeg said:


> Cool! it's like hollogram


Thx, this cladding and hard stones do crazy things, this stone was the best of them all IMO.


----------



## valgard

Some pics


----------



## Krassi

Holy s.!

That looks sick!!

Is that done with your Aircraftcarrier Ao Renge? 
the result looks pretty sick!


----------



## valgard

Krassi said:


> Holy s.!
> 
> That looks sick!!
> 
> Is that done with your Aircraftcarrier Ao Renge?
> the result looks pretty sick!



yesss, thank you Daniel, this is with the Ao renge suita.


----------



## ynot1985

Valkyrae said:


> I don't think it's JUST to Morihei- the pictures on Japan-Tool have them as well (the kao). I've never heard an official explanation though..




Kato has 2 different kanji at the end to distinguish between point of sale

The kao is stock for domestic sale within japan..

The kanji we often see is actually for export only


----------



## Anton

valgard said:


> Some pics
> View attachment 37911
> View attachment 37912
> View attachment 37913
> View attachment 37914



Whats this? All of it


----------



## valgard

Anton said:


> Whats this? All of it



That's a 235mm Aogami 2 wrought iron san mai gyuto from Halcyon forge, wrought iron is barn support from the 1800s. Handle is figured ironwood and fossilized oosik. The finish is off an Oohira Ao renge suita (before that aizu and hard Shinden suita).


----------



## Valkyrae

ynot1985 said:


> Kato has 2 different kanji at the end to distinguish between point of sale
> 
> The kao is stock for domestic sale within japan..
> 
> The kanji we often see is actually for export only



Ahhh okay. That definitely makes sense. Thank you!


----------



## Bigkev2828

https://instagram.com/p/Bc0f69FlBUu/


----------



## Badgertooth

Some densely packed aka Renge Oohira produced this contrast


----------



## Bigkev2828

Looking good


----------



## Bigkev2828

https://instagram.com/p/Bc0gL5Nl6kR/


----------



## Badgertooth

Bigkev2828 said:


> https://instagram.com/p/Bc0gL5Nl6kR/



That profile with that polish and contrast is sex


----------



## Bigkev2828

Dood look at the other video I posted . Its quite a fine knife . I have 4 more I need to finish for joe


----------



## cheflivengood




----------



## Nemo

Bought out that hamon nicely, CLG.

What progression did you use?


----------



## cheflivengood

Nemo said:


> Bought out that hamon nicely, CLG.
> 
> What progression did you use?



I took the patina off and re buffed with these trizact 3000grit pads greg recommended. Then just used finger stones, it was like a 15 minute job since it was a brand new knife.


----------



## geoff_nocon

After removing some patina using flitz it faded the hamon a bit. Used some uchi fingerstones and was quite surprised how well it responded. 










private image upload


----------



## LucasFur

cheflivengood said:


> View attachment 37952
> View attachment 37953
> 
> View attachment 37954
> View attachment 37955
> 
> View attachment 37956



I cant get over how nice this knife looks, Its like a modern day ashi hamono.


----------



## cheflivengood

LucasFur said:


> I cant get over how nice this knife looks, Its like a modern day ashi hamono.



Greg has great hamon control. This is what I call my training knife as its by a long shot the heaviest knife I have used haha. I need to get a weight on it.


----------



## Bigkev2828

geoff_nocon said:


> Kintaro ame KU gyuto from watanabe. Gave it a quick fingerstone polish.



What a cool knife


----------



## geoff_nocon

also did the other side




how to upload image on internet


----------



## cheflivengood




----------



## nutmeg

My wife has wanted a nice knife to "cut everything" , rust resistant and polished with love.
Tomorrow it's her birthday, I hope she will like this one.

150mm petty from Watanabe
http://www.kitchen-knife.jp/special/gyutoknife.htm


----------



## tripleq

Nice Job Nutmeg. Can't complain about a gift like that! Never had a western handle from Sin. How do you like it?


----------



## nutmeg

thanks. Stainles is not my speciality but the result is not that shabby.

For the handle it was a bit edgy but once the edge got rounded with sand paper it became very beautiful.
Btw the knifeb was for someone who doesnt cook a lot so the handle had to be extremely comfortable to motivate to use &#128521;


----------



## StonedEdge

I just received my Watanabe 150 petty and I can hardly put it down. Although I have the wa, polished stainless clad version.

This is his kintaroame steel (spelling?) Right? Beautiful


----------



## nutmeg

yes kintaro ame but stainless.

The grind is just perfect. 

Here is mine for @ work, kintaro ame blue2 with ebony handle. The best petty I ever had! 




top to cut some grapes in 0,5mm slices and it still has a gyuto touch.&#128536;


----------



## tripleq

nutmeg said:


> thanks. Stainles is not my speciality but the result is not that shabby.
> 
> For the handle it was a bit edgy but once the edge got rounded with sand paper it became very beautiful.
> Btw the knifeb was for someone who doesnt cook a lot so the handle had to be extremely comfortable to motivate to use &#128521;



Understood &#128521;. Thanks for the response.


----------



## Bigkev2828

https://instagram.com/p/Bc-ysKHFJQy/


Heres one I finish today


----------



## brooksie967

300mm ashi honyaki clouds/cloudy hamon!

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


----------



## nutmeg

wiw thats a cool blade &#128536; ...! 
How did you do this one?


----------



## brooksie967

First is a 300mm Ashi:

























Next is a 240 Watanabe Honyaki:


----------



## dwalker

Brooksie, that's next level stuff right there.


----------



## brooksie967

dwalker said:


> Brooksie, that's next level stuff right there.



Glad you enjoy!


----------



## dwalker

brooksie967 said:


> Glad you enjoy!


Now go get some patina on them [emoji14]


----------



## brooksie967

dwalker said:


> Now go get some patina on them [emoji14]



Haha, i use them both very frequently so that won't be a problem!


----------



## valgard

naughty


----------



## pd7077

Im still learning, but I think Im making some progress.


----------



## valgard

very nice finish on the Kato


----------



## Badgertooth

pd7077 said:


> Im still learning, but I think Im making some progress.



Damn son!


----------



## Badgertooth

Finally hit most of the lows on my most challenging polishing knife. Have to even up the sanding on the hira but thats another days problem.


----------



## fatboylim

Badgertooth said:


> Finally hit most of the lows on my most challenging polishing knife. Have to even up the sanding on the hira but thats another days problem.


Niiiiicccceee.


----------



## valgard

Badgertooth said:


> Finally hit most of the lows on my most challenging polishing knife. Have to even up the sanding on the hira but thats another days problem.



hello sexy


----------



## brooksie967

Got a new Kanna for christmas. Watetsu cladding is a dream.

[video=youtube;xTrrrww0C70]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTrrrww0C70[/video]

[video=youtube;M-4Y0oRDVpY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-4Y0oRDVpY[/video]


----------



## HRC_64

Badgertooth said:


> Finally hit most of the lows on my most challenging polishing knife. Have to even up the sanding on the hira but thats another days problem.



looks v. nice... what is the profile?


----------



## valgard

This guys are dry :wink:

Kato 210 WH







[video=youtube;bLc9BHuUEYw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLc9BHuUEYw[/video]

Tanaka B2 KU 190mm

[video=youtube;QE3nxR0PmUA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QE3nxR0PmUA&feature=youtu.be[/video]

Halcyon Forge gyuto 235mm

[video=youtube;Eg4-sp8zK2s]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eg4-sp8zK2s[/video]


----------



## brooksie967

Fantastic Carlos!


----------



## valgard

brooksie967 said:


> Fantastic Carlos!



thank you [emoji4]


----------



## brooksie967

Doing some more testing with my new Kanna (stupid fun to polish) and figured i'd share some of the stuff here.

Nakayama Maruka


----------



## brooksie967

MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kiita glory! Softer by a fair margin but i'd argue that it's just as fine as most very hard stones out there.


----------



## brooksie967

MORE MORE MORE!!!!!!!

Atago Suita ( I think ). Could be a takashima suita too.... Whatever. My 6 year old asked "dad, are you using the flower as a background". I said yes... then he decided to photobomb me


----------



## valgard

Those are pretty awesome as usual Jeremy


----------



## brooksie967

valgard said:


> Those are pretty awesome as usual Jeremy



Thanks dude! I probably won't go through all my stones with this thing but since it's new to me I can't help but play!


----------



## valgard

I tested a hard aizu today


----------



## brooksie967

I've still yet to get my hands on one. I think i need to.


----------



## valgard

brooksie967 said:


> I've still yet to get my hands on one. I think i need to.


yep, you should get one, pretty naughty edge and nice in a polishing progression. Although this one can pass as a pretty decent finish TBH.


----------



## Andreu

My first try at a kasumi polish. Never tried this before so please be gentle with me. &#128512; Please forgive me for my horrible iPhone pictires. Any constructive cristism will be most welcome. 

https://imgur.com/a/ENRhE


----------



## valgard

Andreu said:


> My first try at a kasumi polish. Never tried this before so please be gentle with me. [emoji3] Please forgive me for my horrible iPhone pictires. Any constructive cristism will be most welcome.
> 
> https://imgur.com/a/ENRhE



Thats not bad at all! Very well done, especially for a first try. You need to improve the consistency of the finish a bit IMO, work a bit longer maybe paying attention to spend time on every section of the knife to get a more even finish. 

What finger stones did you use?


----------



## Andreu

Hi Carlos. Thanks for being so kind. I figured that there were a lot of inconsistency with the finish and I believe my fault was more of being in a hurry rather than taking my time in each section of the knife. I used an Ohira uchi from Nutmeg. He sent me a couple of uchi benchstones and some fingerstones. He sent the package separately and the fingerstones were in another package with a knife. That hasnt arrived yet so I just chiseled a small portion of the benchstone and used that. He sent me one hard/fine and soft/coarse. I used the hard/fine.

Anything else you can give me as far as pointers? Thanks.


----------



## valgard

Andreu said:


> Hi Carlos. Thanks for being so kind. I figured that there were a lot of inconsistency with the finish and I believe my fault was more of being in a hurry rather than taking my time in each section of the knife. I used an Ohira uchi from Nutmeg. He sent me a couple of uchi benchstones and some fingerstones. He sent the package separately and the fingerstones were in another package with a knife. That hasnt arrived yet so I just chiseled a small portion of the benchstone and used that. He sent me one hard/fine and soft/coarse. I used the hard/fine.
> 
> Anything else you can give me as far as pointers? Thanks.



be careful chiseling a good benchstone! you can break the whole stone (dont ask how I know). 
Just try to be patient with the finger stones and put water just a tiny drop at a time but without letting it dry. Other than that maybe start with the softer stone before using the harder but that is not a requirement at all. But you could be surprised and like the finish of the coarser better.


----------



## Andreu

Lol. Thanks for the advice on the benchstone. I think I have more than enough for now to last me until the other package arrives. Still stuck in custom in New York. Not sure whats taking so long when both packages were sent at the same time. Anyway, once I get the fingerstones in the mail, I will try the coarser stone. BTW, I would assume that the coarser stone will leave more of a darker hazy finish, right?


----------



## valgard

Andreu said:


> BTW, I would assume that the coarser stone will leave more of a darker hazy finish, right?



typically, but theres a lot of variation. Definitely less shiny but could be more witish instead of darker for example.


----------



## Andreu

Awesome. More things to play with. Thanks again, Carlos!


----------



## zeus241129

Thank you all for the infos... Learnt a lot but still gotta learn more. You guys rock &#128077;&#128077;


----------



## valgard

Andreu said:


> Awesome. More things to play with. Thanks again, Carlos!



I have about 9-10 different types of finger stones and at least 4-5 give a distinctively different finish that I would consider very nice.


----------



## Andreu

9-10 figerstones?! Wow! Care to share some with me? &#128512;


----------



## valgard

Andreu said:


> 9-10 figerstones?! Wow! Care to share some with me? &#128512;



I just sent some of my spare stuff to a couple friends. I have very little of most, especially the Ao Renge and other hard stones. Could try to get a piece of one of the oohira uchi, this one is pretty fast and easy to use, not one of the more exotic ones but good quality as far as I'm concerned.


----------



## valgard

Hard Shinden suita brings out all the character in this wrought iron :cool2:


----------



## pd7077

Played around a bit more over the weekend...


----------



## Badgertooth

pd7077 said:


> Played around a bit more over the weekend...



Damn dude, thats more than played around spill it, what stones in what progressions etc?


----------



## Badgertooth

Stone sale prep results in lots and lots and lots of polishes


----------



## valgard

Otto, that the.9 and Konosuke are illegal. Insane cladding and insane polish! Some gems coming up!


----------



## Badgertooth

Police are coming!


----------



## Anton

Thats art


----------



## brooksie967

Badgertooth said:


> Stone sale prep results in lots and lots and lots of polishes



You've been a busy boy!!!


----------



## labor of love

That 9 is so baller.


----------



## brooksie967

Just finished my first real re-polish like this. Hope you like it!

270mm white #2 Shigehiro

Youtube:

[video=youtube;SBC9zQaGmqk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBC9zQaGmqk[/video]


PICS


----------



## HRC_64

Looks Amazing...


----------



## brooksie967

HRC_64 said:


> Looks Amazing...



Thank you. If i had taken it way down with sandpaper i think it'd look better/get rid of all the scratches left by the maker. It was a pretty scratchy finish to begin with. Maybe next time i'll drop it down and completely smooth it out.


----------



## valgard

nice work J!


----------



## valgard

holy smokes u have 666 posts :bigeek:


----------



## geoff_nocon

Finally had time to finish this. yoshimitsu tamahagane watetsu gyuto 240


----------



## valgard

pretty cool


----------



## Badgertooth

geoff_nocon said:


> Finally had time to finish this. yoshimitsu tamahagane watetsu gyuto 240



I love that


----------



## brooksie967

geoff_nocon said:


> Finally had time to finish this. yoshimitsu tamahagane watetsu gyuto 240



What an insane knife. Good job.


----------



## nutmeg

Kato Yannagis polished on different Ao Renge, this is the first one, very hard Ao (hopefully soon finished..!)


----------



## Badgertooth

Jesus


----------



## Andreu

Badgertooth said:


> Jesus



Otto, I think his name is Benjamin. Lol

Although his polishing on knives are like miracle from how the knives turn out after.


----------



## valgard

:fanning:


----------



## nutmeg

... and turning the water bucket into wine!


----------



## valgard

Hard Narutaki I just received from @Badgertooth





[video=youtube;-0RmBEr6Tpw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0RmBEr6Tpw[/video]


----------



## valgard

Soft Narutaki Iromono




[video=youtube;XHirogZH9-0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHirogZH9-0[/video]


----------



## Andreu

Awesome looking, Carlos!


----------



## nutmeg

raising the slurry:


----------



## K813zra

Dude, those photos are wicked.


----------



## nutmeg

edit


----------



## nutmeg

...and finally:
https://youtu.be/Hr5SmD9v5z4


----------



## zetieum

Absolutely stunning work nutmeg. jaw-dropping
:Ooooh:


----------



## HRC_64

zetieum said:


> Absolutely stunning work nutmeg. jaw-dropping
> :Ooooh:



+1 

blade itself a jaw dropper for sure
great photog skills, also


----------



## valgard

beauties


----------



## Andreu

That is just amazing.


----------



## Simonsimon

If i would be able to do that kind of work one day i would be very happy.


----------



## nutmeg

homework


----------



## Interapid101

:bigeek:


----------



## Badgertooth

This one took me by surprise a little. Polish off a Maruka :

https://instagram.com/p/BfhtHZoA2Y_/


----------



## valgard

That one is just insane!



Badgertooth said:


> This one took me by surprise a little. Polish off a Maruka :
> 
> https://instagram.com/p/BfhtHZoA2Y_/


----------



## nutmeg

glossy! it looks very fine.
I love those Nakayama too.


----------



## nutmeg

I made a small movie:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tMXAG0B5mr8


----------



## Marek07

nutmeg said:


> I made a small movie:
> https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tMXAG0B5mr8


And it's a damn fine movie! Well done sir.


----------



## khashy

nutmeg said:


> I made a small movie:
> https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tMXAG0B5mr8



Beautiful, an actual production. Inspired me to start polishing stuff!


----------



## loopback

Really beautiful results in that video. I'd love to reproduce that, but other than just copying what stones you used, I'd be lost.


----------



## zetieum

OK. This is not at the professional level of what you guy are throwing, but I am quite happy with my polish of this Deba, especially since it is done only with bench stone (no finger stones) and that it is just a working polish not for the show: I used this deba each time I make fish and I maintain this deba like a deba should be, with some addtional bevel at the heel etc. BTW, I took the pic after breaking a dorade... I should have done it before.







[video=youtube;Ku97kKES-6U]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ku97kKES-6U[/video]


----------



## valgard

nice work!


----------



## Tler

Great Movie. I hope your post won't be lost in this long thread


----------



## jaknil

nutmeg said:


> I made a small movie:
> https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tMXAG0B5mr8



Genius


----------



## K813zra

nutmeg said:


> I made a small movie:
> https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tMXAG0B5mr8



That is pretty neat! Thanks for taking the time to make it and post it. I like stones, polishing, coffee and music but don't mix them together because I am simple minded and clumsy. I am more likely to have a glass of wine or a beer when sharpening as it relaxes me. Coffee...heh...I'd be all jumpy.  Music distracts me.


----------



## nutmeg

Thanks! &#129303;
Actually I also prefer beer or gin for long sharpening sessions.. Maybe for the next video!


----------



## StonedEdge

Nutmeg just letting you know your inbox is full


----------



## Anton

nutmeg said:


> Thanks! &#129303;
> Actually I also prefer beer or gin for long sharpening sessions.. Maybe for the next video!



gin tends to makes my sessions shorter


----------



## valgard

WIP, polishing my new Shig kasumi gyuto whenever I get some time here and there.


----------



## mikaelsan

Trying something new, stainless clad, patina makes the only contrast. 
Seriously though, what do you guys like to do with your stainless clad ?


----------



## Choppin

valgard said:


> WIP, polishing my new Shig kasumi gyuto whenever I get some time here and there.
> 
> View attachment 38950



Crazy clouding going on... Care to share the details?


----------



## valgard

mikaelsan said:


> Trying something new, stainless clad, patina makes the only contrast.
> Seriously though, what do you guys like to do with your stainless clad ?


Sorry but I can't see a thing in those pictures, can you link better pics or provide the link to them?


----------



## valgard

Choppin said:


> Crazy clouding going on... Care to share the details?



Yeah, the figure is pretty crazy.

First tried lightly etching the cladding with BKF, rubbing lemon, rubbing vinegar, this brought u a bit of the cladding after many passes but not enough. Then I just started to polish it with finger stones and the clouds reveal more and more as the horizontal marks are being polished away by the finger stones. I've tried 5-6 types of finger stones on this one until I have found the ones that give me the most detail and contrast, some softer narutaki. At this point it's a very laid back project but at some point I will take the handle off and use sand paper to remove the hairlines from the original finish and re do the finger stones with some chi and then the above mentioned narutaki. Getting rid of the texture from the original finish really helps revealing the clouds, the areas where the figure is clearer is where the cladding has been smoothed out by rubbing the finger stones.


----------



## valgard

[video]https://youtu.be/BEgQDO8ElCM[/video]


----------



## Badgertooth

Very nice Carlos


----------



## Badgertooth

One day I might even fix up this tip.


----------



## valgard

Badgertooth said:


> Very nice Carlos



Thank you Otto


----------



## valgard

Badgertooth said:


> One day I might even fix up this tip.



nice, I say the same thing about the tip on my KU Kato [emoji23]


----------



## Eitan78

check out this amazing work 
https://www.instagram.com/p/BhRocTAgyp3/

the most amazing polish work I have seen in a while 
kasumi kev at his best !!


----------



## cschoedler

Damn, I want my hide to look like that!


----------



## Eitan78

cschoedler said:


> Damn, I want my hide to look like that!



You should send your knife to Kevin, he is the best!


----------



## geoff_nocon

pretty decent work still has some low spots though. like the mirror hira


----------



## QCDawg

That guy might rival that Nutmeg feller


----------



## Eitan78

geoff_nocon said:


> pretty decent work still has some low spots though. like the mirror hira



Im pretty sure he is aware of the low spots and just didnt think it was necessary to take off any more metal this time around.
probably next sharpening.


----------



## Eitan78

geoff_nocon said:


> pretty decent work still has some low spots though. like the mirror hira



https://www.instagram.com/p/BhR7AVeg0xm/?taken-by=*********

how about now?


----------



## Tler

Eitan78 said:


> https://www.instagram.com/p/BhR7AVeg0xm/?taken-by=*********



Wow wow wow. Care to share how you did that?


----------



## Tler

especially the mirror hira


----------



## Eitan78

Tler said:


> Wow wow wow. Care to share how you did that?



Im sure Kevin would love sharing his techniques, 
check out his Instagram he has amazing photos of his Stuff, this guy is a pro!
https://instagram.com/p/BhSoMb4gl8m/
Unfortunately he cant post his work here in the forum.


----------



## YG420

Just polished my 300 Kato yanagiba that might hit bst soon using chosera 400, 1000, 3000, tsushima, uchigumori, hakka, nakayama kiita, and narutaki fingerstones. Theres still a bit of a low spot towards the heel, but my fingers, hands and arms got tired lol. Been a while since Ive done any polishing.


----------



## Anton

YG420 said:


> Just polished my 300 Kato yanagiba that might hit bst soon using chosera 400, 1000, 3000, tsushima, uchigumori, hakka, nakayama kiita, and narutaki fingerstones. Theres still a bit of a low spot towards the heel, but my fingers, hands and arms got tired lol. Been a while since Ive done any polishing.



nice work. Nicer blade! I'll trade you for a Shig Kitaeji


----------



## valgard

Looks very nice, I want to polish my Kato yang as one of my Summer projects.



YG420 said:


> Just polished my 300 Kato yanagiba that might hit bst soon using chosera 400, 1000, 3000, tsushima, uchigumori, hakka, nakayama kiita, and narutaki fingerstones. Theres still a bit of a low spot towards the heel, but my fingers, hands and arms got tired lol. Been a while since Ive done any polishing.


----------



## YG420

Thanks guys! Most of the work done to this blade wasnt cosmetic but more of fixing the actual performance. Alot of the edge was crooked, places on the ura side wouldnt touch the stones even after being straightened, fixing the wavy ura, etc. 

Anton- man i wasnt even considering a trade but that does sound interesting. Still on the ropes about everything tho


----------



## pd7077




----------



## Andreu

pd7077 said:


>



Wow! :eek2:


----------



## HRC_64

holy 









pd7077 said:


>


----------



## Luftmensch

@pd7077

:fanning:

Looks amazing! Any more pictures or detail?


----------



## nutmeg

No true kasumi here but I found a trick to get this effect with an AI#1000












pic hosting


----------



## valgard

Looks like you did an X shaped scratch pattern?


nutmeg said:


> No true kasumi here but I found a trick to get this effect with an AI#1000
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> pic hosting


----------



## nutmeg

valgard said:


> Looks like you did an X shaped scratch pattern?


Exactly! 
That traps the light very good &#128521;


----------



## geoff_nocon

Finally done with this honyaki by kenji togashi/tosa aka thejames. I gave up trying to mirror polish this and settled with this semi mirror/satin finish. Tried etching the hamon and didnt like it so just finished it with fingerstones. Im done with honyakis its too time consuming.


----------



## HRC_64

lower pic looks great IMHO,
even if its not bling
(mirror)


----------



## geoff_nocon

Yeah the hamon on the right side is different. Looks really wild in person. Has some small details thats hard to see


----------



## daddy yo yo

Much nicer than mirror polish!!!


----------



## Eitan78

https://instagram.com/p/BhpadAMAq0T/


Another amazing work by Kevin 
This time its my knife too [emoji5]

Check out his work on IG its incredible


----------



## nutmeg

... Working on a clever for Dalman..


----------



## valgard

Playing around with my Blue 2 Honyaki for different finishes to bring out the hamon and figure.

View attachment 39216

View attachment 39217


----------



## nutmeg

HEy guys,
here is my new video!
with a Dalman cleaver &#128540;
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nHqLHbgk2QM&feature=youtu.be


----------



## Anton

nutmeg said:


> HEy guys,
> here is my new video!
> with a Dalman cleaver &#128540;
> https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nHqLHbgk2QM&feature=youtu.be


Thats's awesome!!! I want that cleaver


----------



## ewebb10

Those stones!! Lets get some close ups of those too. As always amazing stuff man. 





nutmeg said:


> HEy guys,
> here is my new video!
> with a Dalman cleaver &#128540;
> https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nHqLHbgk2QM&feature=youtu.be


----------



## swarth

mikaelsan said:


> Seriously though, what do you guys like to do with your stainless clad ?



Ive been wondering the same. Anyone rubbing on stainless cladding?


----------



## brooksie967

[video=youtube;zi4O5-nj6mo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zi4O5-nj6mo[/video]


----------



## valgard

WIP refinishing a Kato Damascus on bench stones. This is off Aizu. Still working on it, most likely will smooth over the finish with finger stones at the end.

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


----------



## HRC_64

love that understated damascus


----------



## YG420

valgard said:


> WIP refinishing a Kato Damascus on bench stones. This is off Aizu. Still working on it, most likely will smooth over the finish with finger stones at the end.
> 
> [video=youtube;SsYsrJtTcHs]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsYsrJtTcHs[/video]



Kinda starting to look like kikuryu a lil bit. Did you polish the whole blade face?


----------



## valgard

YG420 said:


> Kinda starting to look like kikuryu a lil bit. Did you polish the whole blade face?



yes, polished the whole knife, unlike the kasumi, the dammy was very well ground and mostly only needed removing the frind marks (except for a shallow low on the left side). However, it is NOT flat, theres convexity all over the blade face. Ive moved past that stage of the polish and will post pictures once its done.


----------



## valgard




----------



## geoff_nocon

Wip yoshkane tamomoku w#2




delete nike account


----------



## brooksie967

Updated my 300mm Ashi polish. Started off with something i wasn't totally happy with then moved to different finger stones to make it more to my liking. 

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


----------



## swarth

You have to stop posting this knife.


----------



## brooksie967




----------



## HRC_64

...sick...


----------



## YG420

Some beauties up in here!


----------



## Interapid101

Whoa


----------



## nutmeg

posted image


----------



## tgfencer

nutmeg said:


> posted image



I like that floral reflection! Very well done.


----------



## zetieum

Interapid101 said:


> Whoa



la crème de la crème.


----------



## valgard

Testing a super fine Wakasa suita



[video=youtube;EI5xMkrS7jY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EI5xMkrS7jY[/video]


----------



## nutmeg

tgfencer said:


> I like that floral reflection! Very well done.



Thanks!


----------



## nutmeg

my meditative rose


----------



## brooksie967

Okudo Power!


----------



## brooksie967

More of the Kanna and Okudo:


----------



## valgard

beauty


----------



## Mute-on

valgard said:


> beauty



+1,000!!

J


----------



## Xenif

Well theres a first time for everything, please don't laugh at my feeble first attempts [emoji14] 






Trying out diffrent progression/finish






I can't get the Hello Kitty Shigefusa out of my head, but maybe Hello Kitty x Munetoshi ?


----------



## geoff_nocon

Repolished my yoshimitsu tamahagane watetsu gyuto and gave it a sanjo makeover(burnt chestnut handle and saya from my yoshikane fits better than the yoshi lol)


----------



## nutmeg

Xenif said:


> Well theres a first time for everything, please don't laugh at my feeble first attempts [emoji14]
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Trying out diffrent progression/finish
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I can't get the Hello Kitty Shigefusa out of my head, but maybe Hello Kitty x Munetoshi ?



It doesn't look like a first time


----------



## slickmamba

Xenif said:


> Well theres a first time for everything, please don't laugh at my feeble first attempts [emoji14]
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Trying out diffrent progression/finish
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I can't get the Hello Kitty Shigefusa out of my head, but maybe Hello Kitty x Munetoshi ?




are you hand polishing to get the finish? Or how are you avoiding scratching the kuroichi?


----------



## Xenif

nutmeg said:


> It doesn't look like a first time


I watched a lot of Nutmeg videos in the last frew months [emoji11] 

Man, after restarting about 8 times, because everytime I thought I had removed all the scratches out, and everytime the uchi-finger stones will say "NOPE". I have a much deeper appreciation for the work you guys post, and I realized that I LOVE doing this, I cant explain why.



slickmamba said:


> are you hand polishing to get the finish? Or how are you avoiding scratching the kuroichi?



Yes everything was done by hand, its a wide bevel knife, so you just polish it from the shinogi down, it shouldn't touch the kurochi.


----------



## TEWNCfarms

brooksie967 said:


> Okudo Power!



This is insane! Beautiful! Great pictures in general and then the edge. Ill have to upload of picture of my edge after I do it on the cheap king 6k, I can get it to a mirror polish on my Gekko blue2. Makes me really want a Uchigomori Stone.

Ive got a medium Nakayama coming soon if 330mate doesnt take a month to send it!


----------



## Badgertooth

let's see if this works:






Konosuke MB on a bright red Nakayama


----------



## valgard

stone seems like a gem &#129321;


----------



## niwaki-boy

Yup that definitely works &#128077;&#128077;


----------



## labor of love

geoff_nocon said:


> Repolished my yoshimitsu tamahagane watetsu gyuto and gave it a sanjo makeover(burnt chestnut handle and saya from my yoshikane fits better than the yoshi lol)



Time to move that yoshi.


----------



## geoff_nocon

Lol still having fun with it


----------



## Grunt173

Badgertooth said:


> let's see if this works:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Konosuke MB on a bright red Nakayama



Love it.That is some cool stuff there now.


----------



## pd7077

A few of my recently completed projects...

Keijiro Doi B#2 270mm kiritsuke:













Sakai Takayuki W#2 300mm kiritsuke:













And the grand finale...Hattori KD 330mm yanagiba:


----------



## Badgertooth

Damn dude


----------



## Badgertooth

Can you share a little process and method?


----------



## Anton

WOW 
WOW
WOW


----------



## brooksie967

That KD is killer dude!


----------



## Grunt173

Wow,talk about eye candy.


----------



## nutmeg

Very nice job!


----------



## pd7077

Thanks guys. The KD was a really tough one to work on, not to mention scary due to the value of the knife. I received it after it had been deeply etched to a point that both the core and ura were a deep gray/black color. The ultra-hard Cowry-X meant that it took a long time to really get a nice polish on the ura, but I eventually got there. Here are a few more shots of the knife, including a couple of “before” pics.

Before:









After:


----------



## nutmeg

A new video of a Shigefusa yanagiba.



The grind is like perfect from heel to tip!
I finished it on benchstones without any finger stones this time ;-)


----------



## brooksie967

nutmeg said:


> A new video of a Shigefusa yanagiba.
> 
> 
> 
> The grind is like perfect from heel to tip!
> I finished it on benchstones without any finger stones this time ;-)




Awesome video as usual. You need to send me a playlist of music to check out. Love love love this stuff.


----------



## Luftmensch

nutmeg said:


> A new video of a Shigefusa yanagiba.
> 
> 
> 
> The grind is like perfect from heel to tip!
> I finished it on benchstones without any finger stones this time ;-)




Cant argue with a guy who likes Shigefusa, Guru and Premo. Nice video...



brooksie967 said:


> Awesome video as usual. You need to send me a playlist of music to check out. Love love love this stuff.



Sticking to a musical theme here... there are some serious Skills in here:


----------



## pd7077

A pair of Kato 300mm yanagibas






















https://instagram.com/p/BmZbNWvAp9q/


----------



## nakneker

pd7077 said:


> A pair of Kato 300mm yanagibas
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> https://instagram.com/p/BmZbNWvAp9q/


 Wow, gorgeous!!


----------



## Chicagohawkie

Nice work Steve.


----------



## pd7077

nakneker said:


> Wow, gorgeous!!





Chicagohawkie said:


> Nice work Steve.



Thanks Sean & Scott. This was a super fun pair to work on.


----------



## ashy2classy

Luftmensch said:


> Cant argue with a guy who likes Shigefusa, Guru and Premo. Nice video...
> 
> 
> 
> Sticking to a musical theme here... there are some serious Skills in here:




OT:

YES! RIP, GURU! Premier and GURU is a combo that's hard to beat!

Can't forget their most well-known track...doesn't relate, but I love me some Gang Starr. #KINGOFMONOTONE



I'm a huge fan of GURU's Jazzmatazz albums, too.


----------



## Drayquan

I just had the most mangled knife I've ever seen sent to me to repair, a Damascus Shun... I never had the chance to find out how/why this madness would happen to such a nice knife.. sigh, SMH

Obviously not a perfect finish - it still had some minor scratch marks visible under certain lighting angles on the bevel of the finished product, but I was under tight time constraints.

I would also have liked a little more time to fully smooth off the bevel into a true single bevel convex. In the "after" pic, you can see the just slightly present secondary bevel line running up along the top 1/4 of the edge, leading towards the tip. Its rounded/curved off (its definitely not a flat thin V grind at all), but also not a 100% fully convex single beveled finish like I'd have preferred. Ah, if only I had more time, oh well, the owner was ecstatic grinning ear to ear when he picked it up, so that was nice 

I don't own a belt grinder, this was done by hand. I just used an old rough cement slab -> relatively flat brick -> heavy metal file -> medium metal file -> 240 whetstone -> Chosera 400 -> King KDS 1k -> 6k. 

I used some quality 600 -> 1200 grit wet/waterproof sandpaper to buff out some problem areas along the body flat (it was worn sandpaper, so both grits were effectively higher/smoother than normal), then newspaper and a nice thick/smooth leather belt to finish with some stropping.






Found a few extra minutes before it's pickup to get a little extra polishing in, faded some of the remaining minor scratch marks. Still not perfect, but glad I got the main repair done in time.


----------



## HRC_64

Wow. Nice job on the finished restoration.

That "before" pic raises alot of questions 
about the state of our civilization


----------



## geoff_nocon

Finally had time to finish this. Yoshikane dammy white#2. 













the tyger poem meaning


----------



## McMan

Nice work!
Any etching at all? Or fingerstones/powder?


----------



## geoff_nocon

No etching just fingerstones. No oil. I find that oil makes it less mirror. Took pictures right after wiping it dry. Did not use sandpaper just some wa powder for the jigane. Stones for the hagane to get it mirror. Finished on a shapton 8k.


----------



## geoff_nocon

Etching the hamon on this 300mm ikeda blue#2 honyaki. Was trying to minimize the contrast of the soft and hard area. Just wanted the line to be visible. Unfortunately there is still some but not much.


----------



## labor of love

geoff_nocon said:


> Finally had time to finish this. Yoshikane dammy white#2.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> the tyger poem meaning



If you love something, set it free


----------



## labor of love

Jk! Nice work geo


----------



## panda

geoff you know who to call when you get bored of that yoshi


----------



## geoff_nocon

Guys im sorry its already with badgertooth(soon). I offered it as trade for a stone i liked. If i were to sell both of you were on the top of my list but really liked the stone he had on bst and didnt have funds. Sorry again


----------



## labor of love

Oh well...don’t hate the player, hate the game.


----------



## panda

badger will get bored of it soon enough, i hope.. hehe


----------



## pd7077

Custom Yoshikazu Ikeda/Takahide W#1 suminagashi gyuto:















IG video link - https://instagram.com/p/BoIBhqjBkt1/


----------



## HRC_64

more details... 
what is the cladding
looks amazing


----------



## geoff_nocon

Amazing what etchant did you use? Its very similar to the hiromune takaba finish


----------



## pd7077

geoff_nocon said:


> Amazing what etchant did you use? Its very similar to the hiromune takaba finish



That’s actually exactly what I was going for. The blade flat is very textured like a Takaba miyabi series, but the bevel is smooth and polished so the final results show two slightly different finishes. It used 30% FeCl as the etchant.


----------



## panda

How is the grind? Does he do kasumi San Mai w#1?


----------



## geoff_nocon

Did you completely submerge it then polish the lower area or did you just apply the FeCl at the top? Ill try this on my yoshimitsu watetsu cladding


----------



## pd7077

Toyama Noborikoi 240 Damascus


----------



## Hanmak17

Nice work Steve! The reference point for what I hope to achieve with mine.


----------



## pd7077

Polished and re-etched the hamon on a Sukenari 300mm W-#2 honyaki yanagiba


----------



## geoff_nocon

amazing job. love the details in the hamon.


----------



## Badgertooth

Actually just seeing if I can post a gif


----------



## valgard

Badgertooth said:


> Actually just seeing if I can post a gif View attachment 45129
> View attachment 45130


no, you can't


----------



## geoff_nocon

Bringing out the hamon on this tanto by tatsuo ikeda. Wanted to try using nugui


----------



## geoff_nocon

Finally done with both sides. 







baby name creator


----------



## ThaFurnace

geoff_nocon said:


> Finally done with both sides.



Very nice, stunning knife.


----------



## Badgertooth

Re-finish on a very old Shiraki yanagiba. Do excuse the WD40 soaked handle


----------



## Badgertooth

It involved carefully opening up the kiriba to maintain a nice shinogi while flattening most of the blade road and the using edge pressure to build convexity and to get the edge to make contact with the stones. Then a careful progression of my favourite synthetic stones before going Aizu > suita > fine finisher. I hand sanded the belt finish off the hira and carefully opened the ura.


----------



## Hanmak17

Badgertooth said:


> It involved carefully opening up the kiriba to maintain a nice shinogi while flattening most of the blade road and the using edge pressure to build convexity and to get the edge to make contact with the stones. Then a careful progression of my favourite synthetic stones before going Aizu > suita > fine finisher. I hand sanded the belt finish off the hira and carefully opened the ura.



Otto, that is really amazing work!


----------



## nutmeg

Badgertooth said:


> Re-finish on a very old Shiraki yanagiba. Do excuse the WD40 soaked handle
> 
> 
> View attachment 45917



I see no trade off and a very time consuming job here!


----------



## geoff_nocon




----------



## Badgertooth

geoff_nocon said:


>



Damn Geoff, that hamon is sexy


----------



## geoff_nocon

Badgertooth said:


> Damn Geoff, that hamon is sexy



Thanks. Was aiming for an ashi look where the top of the hamon is shiny/darker while the lower part is lighter/bluish


----------



## lars78

Watanabe Pro Gyuto 240


----------



## geoff_nocon

Very clean. good job. I miss kasumi polishing


----------



## daddy yo yo

Looks good, despite the sticker on the ferrule...


----------



## geoff_nocon

lars78 said:


> Watanabe Pro Gyuto 240
> View attachment 46185



One advice though if you want more contrast try to get the hagane as mirror as possible. It makes the jigane pop more. You still did an amazing job


----------



## nutmeg

geoff_nocon said:


> One advice though if you want more contrast try to get the hagane as mirror as possible. It makes the jigane pop more. You still did an amazing job
> 
> View attachment 46197



that is pop!


----------



## valgard




----------



## refcast

That is the nicest jnat polished and crisp kissaki I've ever seen outside of swords.


----------



## valgard

refcast said:


> That is the nicest jnat polished and crisp kissaki I've ever seen outside of swords.


woah, making me blush here hahaha.

I did have a lot of "fun" grinding that tip crisp . It was, as a friend says, "character building".


----------



## refcast

The only harder thing to do is to make it convex like swords -- that I imagine would be excruciating in having no streaking, and the fingerstones . . . but yeah! Great job.


----------



## Xenif

Nothing epic like you guys can make, but I think I'm on the right track. Trying to have some photography fun with this [emoji4]


----------



## tongas

valgard said:


>



Beautifull work.
The second pic, with the light angle w'd make think of a KU . One day maybe I wish I'll be able to get close. elbow grease !


----------



## valgard

tongas said:


> Beautifull work.
> The second pic, with the light angle w'd make think of a KU . One day maybe I wish I'll be able to get close. elbow grease !


yeah, the shadow makes it look like a KU. And thx for the compliment!


----------



## pd7077

Kikuichimonji B#1 240













Watanabe 240 Honyaki


----------



## Anton

^that's not even fair


----------



## Drayquan

I'd have to agree with Anton. Not fair. Wow, amazing polish, pd70777 !!

On a lighter note though, I'm happy to present the madness of metal removal of the year for me, in a traditional Indian war axe. Just finished preliminary work on this the other day, before - after links:

Before: Thick paddle (7 sec imgur vid clip)
https://imgur.com/3AARGkP

After: (13 sec vid clip) Servicable indian military war axe - replica of ones used in ages passed:
https://imgur.com/9fQbvPT


----------



## Drayquan

Also, brilliant photography pd7077, all respect due to you, sir.


----------



## lemeneid

That is one lucky Watanabe, you even mirrored the choil


----------



## pd7077

lemeneid said:


> That is one lucky Watanabe, you even mirrored the choil



Anything worth doing is worth doing right [emoji6] In fairness, the choil and spine already had a good polish so all I did was to bring the polish up to match the rest of the blade. 

A bit of a departure from my normal polishing but this was a fun, quick and easy weekend project...


----------



## mikaelsan

Who wants to see a chinese cleaver kasumi polish ^^? 
Shibazi cleaver, was looking at this because i was thinking about what knives to thin before i packing away the belt grinder, i never realized these were iron clad, i always thought they were mono's. Just hit it with a finger stone for a minute, to make sure i really did see what i thought i did. 
I guess it does makes a lot sense though, but it makes me wonder why i don't see more cleaver polish jobs


----------



## kevin

Quick polish , nothing crazy like above


----------



## pd7077

Gave my Miz a facelift


----------



## hennyville

Mazaki/Ohira uchigumori


----------



## MrHiggins

hennyville said:


> View attachment 48729
> 
> Mazaki/Ohira uchigumori


Nice. I decided to remove the shinogi like from my mazaki. The line remains, but in much more muted form.


----------



## hennyville

MrHiggins said:


> Nice. I decided to remove the shinogi like from my mazaki. The line remains, but in much more muted form.
> View attachment 48749
> View attachment 48750
> View attachment 48751


yeah, good idea. My Mazaki have very specific grind  left side is actually pretty flat and very uniform so you can make very nice finish here but right side is totally different, lets say Hamaguriba style. Maybe this is the Mazakis magic why his knives are so popular


----------



## Jeffrey McCue

View media item 31293
View media item 31296
View media item 31295
This weekend's piddling.


----------



## tongas

As it is my first attempt , i didn't choose the best blade. I took a second hand Munetoshi petty I bought for that purpose. I love this petty, love the steel but she had "some" low spots. Also didn't use @nutmeg finger stones as I can't find them anymore. I cross finger and hope my gf didn't throw them away in the bin as they where in an enveloppe, looking almost empty ! Comments, critics welcomed (helmet on)

-Some "long" low spots !













Getting better










Done




Thanks to @PalmRoyale ,@nutmeg ,@DanielC ,@childermass for the stones and KKF for the great amount of shared knowledge.


----------



## valgard




----------



## geoff_nocon

2 honyakis. One is unknow steel and maker. Second is a genkai. The genkai has the best hamon ive polished so far. The first one ive finished it in an uchi and suita then etched to bring out the line( lei did an amazing job with raising the shinogi while keeping it crisp and made it easy for me). The genkai is just straight up etch


----------



## nutmeg

Great Geoff! it looks like a very painful job.


----------



## geoff_nocon

Not really they are already mirror finished. i jus had to play with etching and polishing. The first one though had to finish the bevels in atones but was already 90% flat when i got it


----------



## lemeneid

Is that a double hamon??? How does it look like on the other side?


----------



## geoff_nocon

Kindda. The bottom one is not as white. ive seen similar hamon in Older shirakis. Havent polished the otherside yet. Need to lighten the grind marks a bit. Too lazy to do it for now


----------



## MrHiggins

I chipped the a bit of the tip of my mazaki in the sink today, so I went ahead and repaired it, including a little thinning and a bit of polishing. I didn't really mean to, but I got quite a nice mirror effect using a CBN slurry on a piece of felt.


----------



## Foltest

Little bit of polishing on my kiridashi, aogami 2 with soft cladding, tsushima kuro toishi



2019-03-14_03-26-19 by Marek Vagunda, on Flickr


----------



## brooksie967

Foltest said:


> Little bit of polishing on my kiridashi, aogami 2 with soft cladding, tsushima kuro toishi
> 
> 
> 
> 2019-03-14_03-26-19 by Marek Vagunda, on Flickr


That's a great finish for a tsushima!


----------



## brooksie967

I've refinished a few knives lately but particularly happy with the results on this 240 "doi" honyaki in blue 2.


----------



## brooksie967

MORE


----------



## brooksie967

Does video work with imgur?


----------



## Foltest

brooksie967 said:


> Does video work with imgur?


Nope, doesn't work


----------



## nutmeg

sweeeeet honyaki!


----------



## Foltest

2019-03-20_04-47-18 by Marek Vagunda, on Flickr

Same kiridashi, different stone. Some kind of asagi, mine unknown


----------



## pd7077

Hiromoto AS 240


----------



## valgard




----------



## GoodMagic

Wow, that Hiro looks amazing, well done! You have a lot more patience than I. If I spent that much time finishing a knife I probably wouldn’t want to use it!


----------



## mozg31337

This is one stunning Hamon polishing. Could you please share with us how you've achieved it? I have a Watanabe Honyaki in mirror finish with a faint Hamon and I always wanted to have a nice wavy visible Hamon line. I've recently bought Uchigumori finger stones from Watanabe and also have one of the Uchigumori stones from him with medium hardness (42 was the rating I think). I've not tried the finger stones, but have used the Uchigumori stone on one of the utility knives that I have and it does create a fantastic dreamy / cloudy look. Anyway, please share with us how you've made such a stunning Hamon line. Cheers 









[/QUOTE]


----------



## geoff_nocon

mozg31337 said:


> This is one stunning Hamon polishing. Could you please share with us how you've achieved it? I have a Watanabe Honyaki in mirror finish with a faint Hamon and I always wanted to have a nice wavy visible Hamon line. I've recently bought Uchigumori finger stones from Watanabe and also have one of the Uchigumori stones from him with medium hardness (42 was the rating I think). I've not tried the finger stones, but have used the Uchigumori stone on one of the utility knives that I have and it does create a fantastic dreamy / cloudy look. Anyway, please share with us how you've made such a stunning Hamon line. Cheers


[/QUOTE]

Lemon juice is your friend. Ive tried many fingerstones. It does not come close to bringing out the white lines in hamons. If you want that darkened area on the softer steel sure use fingerstones but for the line?acids are your friend and the best IMO is lemon juice followed by a light metal polish.


----------



## mozg31337

Lemon juice is your friend. Ive tried many fingerstones. It does not come close to bringing out the white lines in hamons. If you want that darkened area on the softer steel sure use fingerstones but for the line?acids are your friend and the best IMO is lemon juice followed by a light metal polish.[/QUOTE]

Thanks, I will try that at some point!


----------



## mozg31337

Lemon juice is your friend. Ive tried many fingerstones. It does not come close to bringing out the white lines in hamons. If you want that darkened area on the softer steel sure use fingerstones but for the line?acids are your friend and the best IMO is lemon juice followed by a light metal polish.[/QUOTE]

Did you use something like a cotton bud to draw the line with lemon juice? How long is it safe to leave the lemon juice before washing it away?


----------



## geoff_nocon

mozg31337 said:


> Lemon juice is your friend. Ive tried many fingerstones. It does not come close to bringing out the white lines in hamons. If you want that darkened area on the softer steel sure use fingerstones but for the line?acids are your friend and the best IMO is lemon juice followed by a light metal polish.



Did you use something like a cotton bud to draw the line with lemon juice? How long is it safe to leave the lemon juice before washing it away?[/QUOTE]

If you plan to etch just the hamon yes use cotton buds or a small brush. But what i do is because i want a bit of contrast on the steel i wipe the whole blade with lemon juice which creates a bluish tint on the hardened steel while keeping the area above the hamon mirror which i like. But if you want just the hamon to comeout and everything else mirror. Just apply it to the hamon. Id say leave it on for about 2min ish. I normally just keep whipping it untill it turns really dark. Then remove it with either some loose abrasives or metal polish. Heres a photo of mine notice how the bottom has a bluish tint and will also lesten the mirror polish. But thats the look that i was going for so its up to you


----------



## geoff_nocon

Oh would like to add that by applying lemon juice to the whole blade. You may also get the extra details on the hamon similar to my first picture where you can almost see 2 hamons which wasnt visible at all when i first got it. But keep in mind that it will lessen the shinyness of the mirror polish if you choose to do so


----------



## mozg31337

geoff_nocon said:


> Oh would like to add that by applying lemon juice to the whole blade. You may also get the extra details on the hamon similar to my first picture where you can almost see 2 hamons which wasnt visible at all when i first got it. But keep in mind that it will lessen the shinyness of the mirror polish if you choose to do so



Thanks for the information and the details!


----------



## pd7077

mozg31337 said:


> This is one stunning Hamon polishing. Could you please share with us how you've achieved it? I have a Watanabe Honyaki in mirror finish with a faint Hamon and I always wanted to have a nice wavy visible Hamon line. I've recently bought Uchigumori finger stones from Watanabe and also have one of the Uchigumori stones from him with medium hardness (42 was the rating I think). I've not tried the finger stones, but have used the Uchigumori stone on one of the utility knives that I have and it does create a fantastic dreamy / cloudy look. Anyway, please share with us how you've made such a stunning Hamon line. Cheers



Just keep in mind that your Watanabe honyaki has a straight hamon...not wavy. I finished this one with uchi FS rather than acid etching.


----------



## mozg31337

pd7077 said:


> Just keep in mind that your Watanabe honyaki has a straight hamon...not wavy. I finished this one with uchi FS rather than acid etching.



Oh, that blade looks remarkably like mine ))) They are stunning, aren't they? How long is your blade and what handle did you use? It looks very good!

Thanks for the tip. Indeed, the Hamon line looks almost straight, but not perfectly. Will lemon juice etching achieve a greater contrast compared with the FS?


----------



## geoff_nocon

pd7077 said:


> Just keep in mind that your Watanabe honyaki has a straight hamon...not wavy. I finished this one with uchi FS rather than acid etching.



Fingerstones are better if you are after contrast


----------



## pd7077

mozg31337 said:


> Oh, that blade looks remarkably like mine ))) They are stunning, aren't they? How long is your blade and what handle did you use? It looks very good!
> 
> Thanks for the tip. Indeed, the Hamon line looks almost straight, but not perfectly. Will lemon juice etching achieve a greater contrast compared with the FS?



I agree with what Geoff said. FS will give you more contrast in the soft area, but acid etching will give you a more vibrant hamon. 

The knife belongs to a friend of mine. It’s a 240, but I can’t remember what the handle materials are. I believe it’s something along the lines of rosewood burl, African blackwood ferrule & nickel-silver spacer.


----------



## brooksie967

Watanabe, while having straight hamon, can still be polished to do some pretty cool things


----------



## geoff_nocon

While i think this is a wonderfull polish and knife. It may confuse the op and give him the impression that his watanabe has bandings aswell. Just want to make it clear for him that not all honyakis have bandings. Im pretty sure that most dont, even though its more common in blue steel.


----------



## lemeneid

How would you induce banding in honyakis? Etching or using jizuya?


----------



## valgard

You can show it but not induce it. It's either there or not. Etching is by far the easier way to get it to show.


----------



## Badgertooth

View attachment FE6482CF-0FAC-4194-93CD-CF4D2AC59189.jpg



 https://instagram.com/p/Bwd7S1JBGwO/


----------



## geoff_nocon

Have you tried etching the hamon? Amazing mirror finish


----------



## zetieum

Badgertooth said:


> View attachment 52730
> 
> 
> 
> https://instagram.com/p/Bwd7S1JBGwO/



Man. impressive and beautiful


----------



## Ian Van Staden

Badgertooth said:


> View attachment 52730
> 
> 
> 
> https://instagram.com/p/Bwd7S1JBGwO/




Wow Otto! It looks amazing


----------



## Badgertooth

Ian Van Staden said:


> Wow Otto! It looks amazing



Thanks Ian!


----------



## valgard




----------



## YG420

valgard said:


>


Never seen Shiggy grain pop like that, nice job!


----------



## valgard

YG420 said:


> Never seen Shiggy grain pop like that, nice job!


Thx [emoji51], this one has very tight clouds.


----------



## _THS_

valgard said:


>


Wow! That's a very deep contrast!


----------



## _THS_

Nearly finished this 250mm dammy clad wh
Here is just a trial polish on a 5k sand paper finish. Very happy how the grind turned out tho


----------



## geoff_nocon

Refinished this genkai yanagi. This time no etching just fingerstones


----------



## nutmeg

Looks great! nice hamon


----------



## pd7077

Wrought iron clad 52100 gyuto (245x54) by Jeff Steele (Black Lotus Knives). All fingerstones...no etching.


----------



## Badgertooth

Yasushige gyuto reborn


----------



## YG420

pd7077 said:


> Wrought iron clad 52100 gyuto (245x54) by Jeff Steele (Black Lotus Knives). All fingerstones...no etching.


Skillz


----------



## YG420

Badgertooth said:


> Yasushige gyuto reborn
> 
> View attachment 54347
> 
> 
> View attachment 54348


Dam looking at this makes my fingertips sore!


----------



## milkbaby

pd7077 said:


> Wrought iron clad 52100 gyuto (245x54) by Jeff Steele (Black Lotus Knives). All fingerstones...no etching.



The contrast between the wrought cladding and the 52100 core is freaking awesome. Beautiful work!


----------



## McMan

pd7077 said:


> Wrought iron clad 52100 gyuto (245x54) by Jeff Steele (Black Lotus Knives). All fingerstones...no etching.


I'm interested to hear your thoughts on this one. 
I've been following his work for a little while and it seems nice.


----------



## pd7077

McMan said:


> I'm interested to hear your thoughts on this one.
> I've been following his work for a little while and it seems nice.



This is actually a collaboration project that I’m doing with Jeff for charity. Doing a passaround first and then will either auction it off or do a raffle with the proceeds going to an animal rescue. The grind itself is in the middle to heavy-middleweight territory. Blade measures 245x54 and weights 201g without a handle. 3.5mm spine at the handle and tapers down nicely to the tip. Here’s a choil shot. Grind feels like a high wide bevel with softened shoulders.


----------



## McMan

pd7077 said:


> This is actually a collaboration project that I’m doing with Jeff for charity. Doing a passaround first and then will either auction it off or do a raffle with the proceeds going to an animal rescue. The grind itself is in the middle to heavy-middleweight territory. Blade measures 245x54 and weights 201g without a handle. 3.5mm spine at the handle and tapers down nicely to the tip. Here’s a choil shot. Grind feels like a high wide bevel with softened shoulders.


Thanks. A lot to like there. Some very good knives coming out of Oz...
Please keep me in the loop about the charity auction/raffle.


----------



## BoostedGT

Amazing polishing technique !! It looks stunning, great job. 



pd7077 said:


> Wrought iron clad 52100 gyuto (245x54) by Jeff Steele (Black Lotus Knives). All fingerstones...no etching.


----------



## Donald Roe

An little before and after on this white steel Yawamura San. Spent quite a long time hand sanding and polishing up to roughly 12000 grit.


----------



## daddy yo yo

Gorgeous!


----------



## daddy yo yo

Badgertooth said:


> Yasushige gyuto reborn
> (...)
> View attachment 54348


Wow!


----------



## Luftmensch

valgard said:


> Thx
> 
> 
> 
> , this one has very tight clouds.



Care to share your method? Those clouds can be a bugger to bring out...


----------



## valgard

Just bench stones polish. Very tight progyrssion to clean the scratches well and finish diluting the slurry until it's just water. The stone I used to finish there was a fine Mikawa Nagura which greatly helps as it gives amazing details but with this knife I can show the clouds to some extent on most stones.


----------



## mattador

I was playing around with a broken synthetic aoto and ended up making finger stones with it. Figured I play around with polishing before I eventually get some jnats and nicer finger stones.


----------



## Badgertooth

mattador said:


> I was playing around with a broken synthetic aoto and ended up making finger stones with it. Figured I play around with polishing before I eventually get some jnats and nicer finger stones.
> 
> View attachment 54472
> View attachment 54473



That’s came out nice. And a good way to approach it


----------



## Luftmensch

valgard said:


> Just bench stones polish. Very tight progyrssion to clean the scratches well and finish diluting the slurry until it's just water. The stone I used to finish there was a fine Mikawa Nagura which greatly helps as it gives amazing details but with this knife I can show the clouds to some extent on most stones.



Thanks! you did a great job!


----------



## Donald Roe

Hand polished Yawamura San (yoshimune)


----------



## nutmeg

Working on an Ikeda honyaki W2!
100% stones. No sandpaper or anything.

The hagane became very matte, white and almost scratchfree at any angle of view.
I guess this should be the last step before finger stones.


----------



## nutmeg

It hasn‘t been that easy to grind the bevel slightly convex AND get a sharp shinogi line.
Actually finger stones on the bevel are not amust, this part could stay like it is. 

In this condition the bevel can be sharpened on an uchigumori when needed and the surface should never look very different from now.

The ura has been polished on an Ohira Ao Renge. Not the finest but I like its strong mirror and its elegant bite.



Now the next goal will be to make the hamon „pop“ and the jigane finer and darker.


----------



## geoff_nocon

Im currently working on a genkai yanagi. Flattening the hira and removing the lowspots on the bevel is taking forever.


----------



## nutmeg

geoff_nocon said:


> Im currently working on a genkai yanagi. Flattening the hira and removing the lowspots on the bevel is taking forever.



oh I believe you!

I used about 10kg pressure (measured) on the Watanabe Ai Diamond -which is a Beast of a #220 diamond plate! and managed to remove the low spots after hours and hours..

On blades with soft clad you can use "tricks" in order to add contrast and hide scratches but on honyaki shortcuts seem to not work at all. A scratch is much more visible and mirror will be featureless. 
On a kasumi finish one may get a +-scratchy mirror core and add contrast with very soft fingerstones on the cladd in order to get contrast on color, light and texture. This is a classical way but this works and most of the time the results are very good like this!
On honyaki skills seems to net help, only patience.


----------



## Badgertooth

Ikeda. The end of an era. I spent months reworking this.


----------



## Prgcook

First real try at kasumi on an old tojiro shiro work deba let me know how I did still scratches from atoma plate though


----------



## mozg31337

My first experiment with Uchigomori fingerstone polishing. Spent about an hour working with one of the HRC 48 marked stones, which I bought from Mr Watanabe. My








fingers are soar. Need much to learn!


----------



## Kozuka

nutmeg said:


> Working on an Ikeda honyaki W2!
> 100% stones. No sandpaper or anything.





Badgertooth said:


> Ikeda. The end of an era. I spent months reworking this.



Amazing work. Both of you!


----------



## Carl Kotte

I took one of my project knives to start practice kasumi. This is the first time, the result is bad, and overall it is really turd polishing. But I enjoy it!


----------



## XooMG

Sorry I don't have any cool kitchen knives or big projects to share.

I did recently get a few kiridashi from Alexander Bazes in a trade, and his initial finishes were very nice considering they were done with artificial abrasives.








Since I plan to use the little one (16mm wide) more, I figured I'd ruin its finish first.

The initial finish had nice contrast, a misty reflective edge and a somewhat matte iron with good detail.

I took it to stones and brought it up to a foggy mirror on a fine hard stone without extra mud, which didn't really show well with a basic detail pic:




So I grabbed an iPad, put up a pic of stripes, and took a photo to show the reflection compared to the uncorrupted bigger blade:




Then yesterday I took it to a stone again, but instead of doing a high polish, I wanted to add some grunge to the iron. Had to add a little scratch to the steel from a stray grit in slurry, just to undercut any pride I may have gotten from rubbing a tiny utility knife on a rock.

Still, looks kinda cool, though not very subtle:


----------



## Badgertooth

XooMG said:


> Sorry I don't have any cool kitchen knives or big projects to share.
> 
> I did recently get a few kiridashi from Alexander Bazes in a trade, and his initial finishes were very nice considering they were done with artificial abrasives.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Since I plan to use the little one (16mm wide) more, I figured I'd ruin its finish first.
> 
> The initial finish had nice contrast, a misty reflective edge and a somewhat matte iron with good detail.
> 
> I took it to stones and brought it up to a foggy mirror on a fine hard stone without extra mud, which didn't really show well with a basic detail pic:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> So I grabbed an iPad, put up a pic of stripes, and took a photo to show the reflection compared to the uncorrupted bigger blade:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Then yesterday I took it to a stone again, but instead of doing a high polish, I wanted to add some grunge to the iron. Had to add a little scratch to the steel from a stray grit in slurry, just to undercut any pride I may have gotten from rubbing a tiny utility knife on a rock.
> 
> Still, looks kinda cool, though not very subtle:




There’s a lot to like here, that depth and banding in the cladding on that final finish is quite something


----------



## nutmeg

This year, I‘ve been polishing only one knife!
Finished today.. painful job that took forever but f*cking perfect finish 





hd image upload

to be continued..


----------



## nutmeg




----------



## nutmeg

I'm preparing more "solid" images so I shouldn't post now..


----------



## Sharpchef

hope we gonna see this beaty in austria.... !

Greets Sebastian


----------



## Xenif

Absolutely stunning!


----------



## Kozuka

You are insane... in a good way.

See you in Amstetten!


----------



## Luftmensch

Mad skills!


----------



## HRC_64

Love this style with alot of semi-mirror(?)...contrast is amzing...
The whole aesthetic I find most pleasing 



nutmeg said:


> ...


----------



## Xenif

Quick polish on the Mazaki KU Nakiri with a new stone


----------



## nutmeg

...and finally:


----------



## stonetoes

Unreal finish. I'm currently working on refinishing a Kato 180mm petty. At this stage, and can only dream of getting to a finish like that.

May i ask what brand/model that polisher is? I have a few "Ura's" I'd like to take it to.


----------



## nutmeg

stonetoes said:


> Unreal finish. I'm currently working on refinishing a Kato 180mm petty. At this stage, and can only dream of getting to a finish like that.
> 
> May i ask what brand/model that polisher is? I have a few "Ura's" I'd like to take it to.


Thanks!

you mean the dremel?
It‘s a Proxxon. Used with coarse to softest cotton.
Some pastes produce whiter mirrors than others. I was lucky to get a kind of noname wax from a friend that gave a nice dark mirror.


----------



## stonetoes

Yes. That’s it. Looks like a high quality tool. Appreciate the reply.


----------



## childermass

Xenif said:


> Quick polish on the Mazaki KU Nakiri with a new stone View attachment 58594
> View attachment 58595



Nice!
Let’s see the stone [emoji4]


----------



## nutmeg

Waiting for the next project.. :


----------



## Luftmensch

nutmeg said:


> Waiting for the next project.. :



Nutmeg? More like... Nut-job!! You sir... are a mean machine.


----------



## nutmeg

Luftmensch said:


> Nutmeg? More like... Nut-job!! You sir... are a mean machine.


Haha! thanks.. 
I had a very hard time with the tip this time.. this is not my favorite polish but you should have seen how it looked like when I received it..!


----------



## Luftmensch

I have no doubt you improved it markedly!


----------



## nutmeg

honyaki cloud party..


----------



## Luftmensch

nutmeg said:


> honyaki cloud party..



Banding is my favourite aesthetic... t has the 'interest' of pattern welding without being so gaudy! Good job bringing it out


----------



## nutmeg

nutmeg said:


> honyaki cloud party..






epic honyaki on progress


----------



## Froztitanz

My first contribution to the jnat side of things and my first uchi.

Mizukihara uchi


----------



## geoff_nocon

Hiromoto honyaki with ashi style polish


----------



## nutmeg

geoff_nocon said:


> Hiromoto honyaki with ashi style polish



Bim!


----------



## daddy yo yo

What did you do??? And more importantly, how long??? 











Great job!


----------



## geoff_nocon

the etch itself is pretty easy. Didnt take that long. Just 3-4 cycles of lemon juices. Just tried mu beat not to touch the above the hamon with the lemon juice. Then last part which i think is not necessary. Just did it since i have some around. Used some nugui (red mixed with black). Now the mirror polishing is the hard part. That wasnt done by me. Wish i could take credit but its done by JKI


----------



## inferno

does a mirror finish like this produce "stiction" on food?


----------



## geoff_nocon

There is some stiction but not much different fromwhen it had its original finish.


----------



## captaincaed

My Ikeda was a suction cup with a mirror, and a ghost with a patina. Made a massive difference in that particular knife. Then you see a Mizuno mirror just demolish a potato. Grind plays a part.


----------



## nutmeg

Finally done..
new life to an Okishiba Masakuni for a client:

Original









Remix


















Ura:





At the beginning I wanted to replicate a bit the finish from my Ikeda and finally the banding brought other ideas


----------



## captaincaed

Hng


----------



## domrun

nutmeg said:


> Finally done..
> new life to an Okishiba Masakuni for a client:
> 
> Original
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Remix
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Ura:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> At the beginning I wanted to replicate a bit the finish from my Ikeda and finally the banding brought other ideas



Awesome job as usual [emoji122]


----------



## nutmeg




----------



## domrun

Magnificent result 
Very beautiful hamon line.
I love the "damascus like" pattern on the dark part.
It reminds me the polishing style on a old Katana blade.
Some Nugui for final touch ?


----------



## nutmeg

domrun said:


> Magnificent result
> Very beautiful hamon line.
> I love the "damascus like" pattern on the dark part.
> It reminds me the polishing style on a old Katana blade.
> Some Nugui for final touch ?


only light Vitamin C- etch on the jigane. 
etch, finger stones, etch, finger stones etc. Maybe 10-15 times


----------



## domrun

Ok, thank you for the tip[emoji106] 
Very consuming time work but outstanding result 
Congratulation


----------



## nutmeg

domrun said:


> Ok, thank you for the tip[emoji106]
> Very consuming time work but outstanding result
> Congratulation


thank your for the flowers!


----------



## nutmeg

More about the restoration of this Okishiba Masakuni honyaki:


----------



## inferno

how long in total did it take to get that finish for you?


----------



## ian

nutmeg said:


> thank your for the flowers!



So, I googled this expression, and it told me that in German, people mostly use it sarcastically. Is this true?


----------



## domrun

nutmeg said:


> More about the restoration of this Okishiba Masakuni honyaki:




Broken link :-(


----------



## inferno

i can see it!


----------



## domrun

inferno said:


> i can see it!



Yes, me too !
Does not work in the KKF app but it works in a web browser


----------



## nutmeg

inferno said:


> how long in total did it take to get that finish for you?


I hadn't any timer but this has been quite long! But probably half as long as for the Ikeda, so it's ok ;-)


----------



## nutmeg

ian said:


> So, I googled this expression, and it told me that in German, people mostly use it sarcastically. Is this true?


In this context I wrote it as "thanks for the compliment! You made my day "


----------



## geoff_nocon

Some double hamon from this genkai


----------



## Luftmensch

@nutmeg... perfect 10 every time... 11 on the spinal tap scale...

The way you bring out the banding makes me very envious. Beautiful work. Kudos sir!


----------



## Luftmensch

geoff_nocon said:


> Some double hamon from this genkai



Nice work!


----------



## pd7077

Toyama Noborikoi 270 honyaki


----------



## Froztitanz

pd7077 said:


> Toyama Noborikoi 270 honyaki


Phenomenal work! One of the best polishes I've seen!


----------



## Froztitanz

My far more humble contribution to the thread. Progression: Natsuya, nakayama suita, soft uchi, hard uchi.


----------



## ashy2classy

pd7077 said:


> Toyama Noborikoi 270 honyaki



Fantastic work, Steve! I'll have to send mine to you to make it look like this. ;o)


----------



## Kristoffer

pd7077 said:


> Toyama Noborikoi 270 honyaki



Wow! Absolutely stunning work, and photos!


----------



## ethompson

Got an uchigumori from Nutmeg over a month ago and just now had a few moments to play around with it. Nothing like most of the polish work here, but I’m fairly pleased for my first go-at-it. Tried it out on my used and abused Takeda nakiri and got this finish after just a few minutes. Can’t wait to get it going on my single bevel. Any tips/feedback welcome.


----------



## brooksie967

ethompson said:


> Got an uchigumori from Nutmeg over a month ago and just now had a few moments to play around with it. Nothing like most of the polish work here, but I’m fairly pleased for my first go-at-it. Tried it out on my used and abused Takeda nakiri and got this finish after just a few minutes. Can’t wait to get it going on my single bevel. Any tips/feedback welcome.
> View attachment 67464
> View attachment 67465
> View attachment 67466



Based on scratches on the cladding i'm guessing it's a nice softie! try working it a little longer, let the mud develop and those should turn into a wonderful haze.


----------



## nutmeg

Actually, this uchigumori is very fine and doesn‘t produces scratches that can be seen on pictures made with a cellular phone.

What I see is you went from 800-1000#grit diagonal to the edge directly to the uchigumori.
A finer synth is missing like 2k parallel or almost parallel to the edge.


----------



## SilverSwarfer

Worked on the 2 blades on the left tonight. Made a lot of progress this year, and though I’ve plenty of room for improvement; I’m finally starting to really enjoy the results. 

Finish was given by the Uchigumori beast on which this blade is resting.


----------



## pd7077

Post-Christmas touchups. These two get a lot of use...


----------



## JAMMYPANTZ

Started dabbling with finger stones thanks to some complimentary stones from Ben! Nowhere near your guys’ finesse, but I was pretty proud of this polish. Seems like this is the perfect thread to show it! Kasumiiiiiii


----------



## kidsos

First time posting in this sub so I am nowhere near the level you guys have! So today I felt like refinishing my Takeo Murata petty because i got some sandpaper in the mail from aliexpress (only one side this time, it really takes a bit of time doing this manually). I used the sandpaper and my king 1000 stone to achieve this result and I must say that I am pretty chuffed about it for a first faux sumi wabi sabi refinish!


----------



## JOSHUA PETERSON

EDC touch up on a harder numata torato ..


----------



## Matt Zilliox

pd7077 said:


> Post-Christmas touchups. These two get a lot of use...


wow, these look lovely. the knives are stunning and great work on the finish. i really like the contrast level


----------



## BarryMM

pd7077 said:


> Post-Christmas touchups. These two get a lot of use...


Very nice blades. Who made those and do you have measurements for the smaller one? I really like it!


----------



## valgard

BarryMM said:


> Very nice blades. Who made those and do you have measurements for the smaller one? I really like it!


Those are made by Monsieur Raquin


----------



## stonetoes

A few years back i was going through my late grandfathers workshop - he was a handyman's handyman - and came across this beast of a cleaver. Brought it home from CA to TX to give it some much needed love. Used a handheld belt sander to remove the rough stuff. Then a progression of wet sandpaper up to 800 grit if i recall correctly. Went to about 2k grit on the bevel. Used olive wood for handle scales. My cousin and her husband lived close to grandpa and were very good to him so i gifted. They raise pigs and a few cattle for sale/food so I've sharpened their knives from time to time. Recently hooked them up with a pair of Munetoshi butchers. Changed their world. 

Don't have the blade, but do have the pics and memories. He was a great man.


----------



## zizirex

First time working with uchigumori


----------



## Matt Zilliox

I have no idea what im doing, but i love it already. Got my first Natural stones yesterday and last night went to work on messing up my Haclyon Forge. First i felt like it was cheating to just work over top his finish, so i took out the bester 1k and just started to carelessly polish. This shined up the blade in some spots, scratched it in others, now i had some pressure to perform!
Be sure there is hip hop in the background, as it seems to be the sharpening music of choice, amiright? mainly Gift of Gab
Setup: 400 atoma plate, 1k bester, takenoko, red aoto stone, Naritaka kiita stone, local hazy ipa, towels, Haclyon Forge knife




result after maybe 10-20 minutes per stone per side. I have no idea how long actually, i was not sober.




early morning sunlight shot:





I have a lot to learn, but im not embarrassed and i didn't ruin the knife as far as i can tell. the Narutaki kiita stone is amazing. Fine but really gets muddy and cuts. and even though its a bit rough cut, i think its a gorgeous stone to look at. I have another stone arriving soon between these 2 grits to play with, I think this will enhance things.

I can understand why you guys can get addicted to the Naturals, they are something to behold. The edge the Red Aoto put on my knives was incomparable to what i was getting on synthetics. so toothy and sharp, i made some veggie stock this morning so i could test edges. the feel of the naturals is superior to me, at least these stones. really good feedback, nice rate of cutting, much more pleasant than i had expected from naturals.

Im in it for sure, now to find that perfect cheaters stone... haha.

Looking forward to learning more here, and putting more finishes on knives


----------



## andrewlefilms

JAMMYPANTZ said:


> Started dabbling with finger stones thanks to some complimentary stones from Ben! Nowhere near your guys’ finesse, but I was pretty proud of this polish. Seems like this is the perfect thread to show it! Kasumiiiiiii
> 
> View attachment 68853


Reviving an old post but how did you achieve this finish on a non-wide bevel knife? Did you lay it flat on a jnat or was it sandpaper/fingerstones?


----------



## valgard

andrewlefilms said:


> Reviving an old post but how did you achieve this finish on a non-wide bevel knife? Did you lay it flat on a jnat or was it sandpaper/fingerstones?


If you read the post it starts by saying fingerstones.


----------



## andrewlefilms

valgard said:


> If you read the post it starts by saying fingerstones.


Don't know how I missed that. Thanks


----------



## DanielC

2 different knives made by myself. First is stainless-clad 1.2442, the other is mild steel-clad 9-fold oroshigane which is also wrapped around W2 for the cutting edge. Polish revealed large clusters of cementite (bright dots) as the carbon content in the oroshigane was above 2% in places and for reasons unknown to me did not diffuse into the surrounding area.










The oroshi blade...


----------



## Matt Zilliox

since Daniel jut posted, ill post results with the stone i got from Daniel recently: this was done with red aoto then maruo tomae.

first, the less flattering shots showing micro scratches i need to work on. im finding it difficult on this stone to get rid of these, just a lighter touch i guess? maybe more slurry. overall though, the finish is pretty clean and even.












and i just thought this was cool, fun colors, even though the picture is gritty


----------



## DanielC

Matt Zilliox said:


> since Daniel jut posted, ill post results with the stone i got from Daniel recently: this was done with red aoto then maruo tomae.
> 
> first, the less flattering shots showing micro scratches i need to work on. im finding it difficult on this stone to get rid of these, just a lighter touch i guess? maybe more slurry. overall though, the finish is pretty clean and even.
> View attachment 73115
> 
> View attachment 73116
> 
> View attachment 73117
> 
> and i just thought this was cool, fun colors, even though the picture is gritty
> View attachment 73120



It is persistent with all Maruo stones I've used. More pressure always helped me.


----------



## Matt Zilliox

yes, i started to understand the stone more as the evening went on. its still not as intuitive as the other 2 i have, but it does give the best contrast when i get it right! i think that area of scratches was a bit higher than the rest of the bevel at the shoulder too, so prob just needed longer to smooth out compared to the rest of the bevel. i got the majority of the blade looking pretty clean, but i didnt want to pretend it was without its flaws. ill keep learning more about the stone as i gain skill.


----------



## Badgertooth

DanielC said:


> 2 different knives made by myself. First is stainless-clad 1.2442, the other is mild steel-clad 9-fold oroshigane which is also wrapped around W2 for the cutting edge. Polish revealed large clusters of cementite (bright dots) as the carbon content in the oroshigane was above 2% in places and for reasons unknown to me did not diffuse into the surrounding area.
> 
> View attachment 73105
> 
> View attachment 73107
> 
> 
> The oroshi blade...
> 
> View attachment 73110
> 
> View attachment 73106
> 
> View attachment 73111
> 
> View attachment 73109
> 
> View attachment 73108
> 
> View attachment 73112
> 
> View attachment 73113
> 
> View attachment 73114



So much to love about this post Daniel. I must get round to posting some shots of your knife on here.


----------



## Badgertooth

stonetoes said:


> A few years back i was going through my late grandfathers workshop - he was a handyman's handyman - and came across this beast of a cleaver. Brought it home from CA to TX to give it some much needed love. Used a handheld belt sander to remove the rough stuff. Then a progression of wet sandpaper up to 800 grit if i recall correctly. Went to about 2k grit on the bevel. Used olive wood for handle scales. My cousin and her husband lived close to grandpa and were very good to him so i gifted. They raise pigs and a few cattle for sale/food so I've sharpened their knives from time to time. Recently hooked them up with a pair of Munetoshi butchers. Changed their world.
> 
> Don't have the blade, but do have the pics and memories. He was a great man.
> 
> View attachment 71904
> 
> 
> View attachment 71905
> 
> 
> View attachment 71906
> 
> 
> View attachment 71907



Your dad would be proud, you did a beautiful resorption and that hairline finish really sings.


----------



## DanielC

Badgertooth said:


> So much to love about this post Daniel. I must get round to posting some shots of your knife on here.



Thanks Otto. I've been in a rut for the past month after hitting a wall with some handles, but I'm getting back at it. 

Crucible steel is next.


----------



## DanielC

Same knife as earlier but used on an unmarked, old, incredibly fast and incredibly fine Mikawa Nagura that I was just assuming is a flavor of mejiro, but wow. Noted fineness! It's such a soft, buttery but super fast nagura.

Again, Oroshigane, which can be found in Japanese swords
























And then another angle showing scratch pattern.


----------



## DanielC

Quick Koma.


----------



## Forty Ounce

Recent uchigumori polish on my wrought iron clad 52100 Comet.


----------



## brooksie967

send knife asap Daniel


----------



## DanielC

brooksie967 said:


> send knife asap Daniel



I'm actually considering replacing the handle on this (the handle is the reason I decided not to sell) and selling 

Also, video of effects of Uchi hato and Jito bench stones.


----------



## Matt Zilliox

The above video is set to private.

rainy surreal sort of day, so why not space out and get stoney? did some general sharpening, but then pulled out the raquin for a polish session. (i need a knife to practice on, haha, so i stop using the good knives) went from the marouyama tomae to a naritaka kiita and then back to the marouyama. I figured maybe i could get more mirror hagane, then go back and get a bit more cloudy contrast on the jigane. im pleased with the results in terms of consistency, but still looking for more contrast. maybe more time on the marou, but it takes good pressure, then i start to notice the odd scratch, and i was already proud of the lack of scratches, haha. I need some finger stone maybe, or another softer stone for upping my contrast perhaps. and of course more and more skill and experience. i feel like i understand the stones more each session. like Andy Goldsworthy says, it takes a lifetime to understand the stone, but we can try to understand the stone.


----------



## Matt Zilliox

HOLY smokes, that is a sexy picture of steel and stone



brooksie967 said:


> MORE


----------



## stonetoes

Badgertooth said:


> Your dad would be proud, you did a beautiful resorption and that hairline finish really sings.


Appreciate it Badgertooth. Really enjoyed getting into it, and I know my cousin and her husband think of him often when they're processing "Porky". Have a very old hand axe and a couple large blocks of walnut from his shop. Plan is to someday carve a new handle for it. btw, Grandfather, not Dad. Made him a sanding block in 7th grade wood shop (~1972, yikes!). Now it's in my workshop - still has my initials on it. Don't know what it is about tools but when my father in-law passed about 3 years ago I got a hammer, shop brush, and a few clamps. Use them all often. Sometimes it's the simple things that can bring back some of the best memories...


----------



## Froztitanz

Black lotus 235mm Gyuto. 

Description direct from the blacklotus knives web shop.

Canister twist Damascus. 1084, 15N20, 1095 high carbon steels.

Handle is Arizona Desert Ironwood burl and G10.

Saya is dyed Silky Oak.

Workhorse convex grind.


----------



## nutmeg

Not the polish of the month but I like the pic:


----------



## Alder26

Here are some pics of my Watanabe 240. 

sanded to 1000 grit, and then super soft Uchigomori finger stone to create contrast. 
The finish from the finger stones turned out a little streaky. Any tips?


----------



## nutmeg




----------



## _THS_

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-P2TMhDXV8/?igshid=1gnq0vtmr26nh


----------



## domrun

_THS_ said:


> https://www.instagram.com/p/B-P2TMhDXV8/?igshid=1gnq0vtmr26nh


Just a perfect work


----------



## Matt Zilliox

amazing work


----------



## Matt Zilliox

im not even pretending to be good at this, but i do enjoy it. this blade was covered in patina 2 days ago.
looked like this, not that theres anything wrong with patina, but i knew there was something to find underneath:




A bit of time on the Marou and the narutaki and i found some goodness:


----------



## MartinJ

Does every blade have this "potential" or some San mai are just more basic?


----------



## Matt Zilliox

MartinJ said:


> Does every blade have this "potential" or some San mai are just more basic?


im just learning this, but i will try my best to answer, and others should also help.
these are layers of iron, so i think it depends on who made the billet and what technique they used, but i dont know much beyond that. I think each cladding has its own sort of potential, some have swirls, some have lines or waves, perhaps some have no special character to be found, i am not sure. when i first began to polish this one, first it was just turning more grey and foggy. after time i could just begin to see hints of those layers. then this morning i tried some different things on the stone and was able to coax more of the layers to show themselves. it was a long process with of experimenting on the stones to find this effect.
before that, i was able to get a line at the core, that now is not so visible, so different things happen depending on how you understand the stone. because i dont really know what im doing yet, i cannot replicate my efforts, so i play. this is what it looked like last night after some polish. notice the lighter layer where cladding meets the core. this was the same knife on the same stones last night.


----------



## DanielC

Matt Zilliox said:


> im just learning this, but i will try my best to answer, and others should also help.
> these are layers of iron, so i think it depends on who made the billet and what technique they used, but i dont know much beyond that. I think each cladding has its own sort of potential, some have swirls, some have lines or waves, perhaps some have no special character to be found, i am not sure. when i first began to polish this one, first it was just turning more grey and foggy. after time i could just begin to see hints of those layers. then this morning i tried some different things on the stone and was able to coax more of the layers to show themselves. it was a long process with of experimenting on the stones to find this effect.
> before that, i was able to get a line at the core, that now is not so visible, so different things happen depending on how you understand the stone. because i dont really know what im doing yet, i cannot replicate my efforts, so i play. this is what it looked like last night after some polish. notice the lighter layer where cladding meets the core. this was the same knife on the same stones last night.
> View attachment 75240



The lighter layer is actually a portion of the iron jacket that hardened. In the forgewelding and forging process, and also even during heat treat, carbon in migrating from the high carbon core steel into the jacket. The area of the jacket that is exposed at the core is the closest portion of the iron jacket to the core. The austenizing temps that followed anywhere between 1485-1520F (known ranges for white and blue steels) also happens to harden carbon steel as low as a 1050 steel. 

In short, that bright portion of the iron jacket is hardened steel. It polishes brightly *similarly to core steel on a stone.


----------



## MartinJ

Thanks for your answers guyz


----------



## ethompson

Used some of this extra time at home to finally put my kiritsuke to stones. This knife hasn't had an easy life - its been tipped multiple times (by me) and "sharpened" by less than capable hands (not me, until now). Stuck to the higher grit stones as this was my first time sharpening a single-beveled knife to make sure my inevitable mistakes wouldn't be as hard to fix. 

I still have some learning to do, but am reasonably happy with how the finish turned out. I did kick up some grit at one point and picked up some gouges in the cladding towards the tip, but I'll just work those out over time.


----------



## MartinJ

Thats a really nice finish ! Would you share your progression ?


----------



## ethompson

MartinJ said:


> Thats a really nice finish ! Would you share your progression ?


Sure! Shapton glass 2k, Shapton glass 4k, King super 6k, Ohira Uchigumori (my only J-nat).


----------



## Runner_up

@ethompson looks great. Nice even finish and great contrast.


----------



## MartinJ

Thanks man


----------



## Matt Zilliox

bored, why not:
alexander bazes on a newly acquired finishing stone, a shobudani suita from carbon knife co


----------



## valgard

that's a pretty nice polish


----------



## Nagakin

Y'all do some great work. I gotta put some time in so I can stop carrying Frankenstein's knife roll.


----------



## Matt Zilliox

valgard said:


> that's a pretty nice polish


thanks Carlos, this was my first time trying to reset the bevel to convex like in your video tutorial. this knife is ground assymmetric, flat and high on the left bevel while convex and a touch lower on the right bevel. i had troubles when going back to blend the convexity like you showed, i lost a bit of the contrast going back to blend that in, but i had to be satisfied for this session. now to consider if im ready to try harder stones like your okudo suita


----------



## Joao lourenco

Matt Zilliox said:


> thanks Carlos, this was my first time trying to reset the bevel to convex like in your video tutorial. this knife is ground assymmetric, flat and high on the left bevel while convex and a touch lower on the right bevel. i had troubles when going back to blend the convexity like you showed, i lost a bit of the contrast going back to blend that in, but i had to be satisfied for this session. now to consider if im ready to try harder stones like your okudo suita


Great work!
Could you share that video link?


----------



## pd7077

Lucas Gumbiner 300mm wrought iron clad W2 yanagiba













Short video I made of the knife:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B--qGxtDX2E/?igshid=uwp6h1l9tkky


----------



## Matt Zilliox

daaaaayuuuuum


----------



## MrHiggins

I wanted to put a little contrast on my new Y. Tanaka from JNS.


----------



## Froztitanz

My most recent polish work: an unknown awasedo after a jibiki.

Super thick custom kiri by Black Lotus Knives. Wrought iron clad, 52100 core. 

Mirrored-finish, with a Kasumi in the last picture.


----------



## Matt Zilliox

thats clean


----------



## bahamaroot

MrHiggins said:


> View attachment 77096


I would have guessed you had a nicer stove...


----------



## Hassanbensober

Hands down my best results to date! Very happy with this one.


----------



## Matt Zilliox

Hassanbensober said:


> Hands down my best results to date! Very happy with this one.View attachment 77758


looks great!


----------



## valgard




----------



## ethompson

Lots of polishing lessons learned between my first attempt with this Takeda and today - thanks nearly exclusively to the veterans on this forum. After 2 years of daily use/abuse on cheap poly-boards in a commercial kitchen and a couple chip repairs, it has lost 7-9mm in height. Now that this is retired to home use, it feels good to make it pretty again.


----------



## Matt Zilliox

heck yeah, great contrast!


----------



## valgard

Playing with a very fine Ueno, more like a finisher than a midgrit in the polish it leaves.


----------



## valgard

And a polish off a Nakayama suita


----------



## Matt Zilliox

thats some pop from that nakayama suita. razzle dazzle!


----------



## valgard

Matt Zilliox said:


> thats some pop from that nakayama suita. razzle dazzle!


It's the classic Nakayama suita polish, super fine and glossy with dark cladding. I love them. Watch the video in HD


----------



## kidsos

Got some finger stones in from @nutmeg in today and decided to do polishing on my Mazaki. Definitely still getting the hang of it but it was fun. I did a sandpaper progression up to 1200, but did not go far enough as there are still some pretty deep factory scratches left. Next time I will try to take the handle off and do the sandpaper till at least 3000, but all in all I am pretty happy


----------



## M1k3

If you have scratches leftover, you need to work the previous grits more.


----------



## kidsos

M1k3 said:


> If you have scratches leftover, you need to work the previous grits more.


 I know, I was mostly pretty done after 2 hours of sanding


----------



## ian

Yea, all my hand sanding is done over multiple days now, usually while half watching a dumb action movie. “The Core” was really good for this. Alternate your strokes from parallel to the spine to perpendicular to the spine as you increase in grit, and don’t move up to the next grit until you can’t see the previous scratches.

And start super low grit if there are deep scratches.


----------



## kidsos

ian said:


> Yea, all my hand sanding is done over multiple days now, usually while half watching a dumb action movie. “The Core” was really good for this. Alternate your strokes from parallel to the spine to perpendicular to the spine as you increase in grit, and don’t move up to the next grit until you can’t see the previous scratches.
> 
> And start super low grit if there are deep scratches.


Thanks for the tip! will drop down and start wit 120/240 grit somewhere next week and really take my time


----------



## soigne_west

First couple polishes I’m pretty proud of.


----------



## Ruso

I decided to tackle my Yanagi by flattening the bevel and put some "polish". I do not have any polishing stones so after trying few finishers I settled on Gesshin 6000S. This stone gives some contrast and does not mirror polish. This is a first time for me doing such type of job.

Original State of affair:


Spoiler: Pics















Naniwa Pro 400 was a poor choice, I've spend more than two and a half hours with it. I did not realize how much work were there.
Naniwa Pro 400 - day 1:


Spoiler: Pics











Naniwa Pro 400 - Day 2:


Spoiler: Pics















Naniwa Chosera 800 - Day 3


Spoiler: Pics











After Chosera 800 I spend some time on the 6000, then I decided to try 8K and 10K stones, but they were putting mirror finish and I was not looking for that. So I went back to lower grit, JNS 1000 this time, and then back to 6K. No pictures of that proccess.

End Result - Gesshin 6000S - Day 5
It is interesting to see how different lighting affects the perceived finish.


Spoiler: Pics


----------



## Matt Zilliox

wow, patience and a great end product. well done there. you really took some time to remove the scratches


----------



## Michi

Ruso said:


> This stone gives some contrast and does not mirror polish. This is a first time for me doing such type of job.


Love this post, thank you!


----------



## Robert Lavacca

Wife brought this gyuto from Tsubaya home last year. After sharpening it a few times the one low spot it had is gone. It’s a 210 so I usually just use this at home and not at work. Put a polish on it today.


----------



## valgard




----------



## soigne_west

Making some good progress. Still having lots of issues in the tip area. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.


----------



## M1k3

I'm not sure if you're rotating and lifting the blade to much or not enough.


----------



## soigne_west

I think your right. It doesn’t seem to be so much of a problem for me on softer stones.


----------



## Hassanbensober

I have a similar problem with a blade not polishing the way I would like near the tip. Mine is a grind issue and the cladding was ground away in a spot and the core steel is exposed largely on one side. Don’t think there’s anything to be done with it.


----------



## ian

soigne_west said:


> I think your right. It doesn’t seem to be so much of a problem for me on softer stones.


 
I find that some knives seem to decrease in width slightly near the tip as you go toward the spine, so it’s hard to hit that area when polishing, especially on hard, high grit stones. It’s tempting to lift the knife up to hit those areas, eg when working on lower grit stones, but that just makes it even harder to get an even finish there. I’m not sure I’d be trying to lift up at all. I mean, you want the bevel to be flat on the stone, right? This might be one of those times where it’ll be hard to get an even finish without dropping down to a lower grit and focusing on evenness of your strokes rather than getting the finish to look right there. (So, even out the low spot, don’t polish the low spot.)

I’m not that great a polisher, though, so please ignore me if you prefer since I only 1/4 know what I’m talking about.


----------



## ExistentialHero

First serious attempt at stone polishing (be gentle!): 

Had some old scuffing on my Wat nakiri, so I decided to try cleaning it up. Flattening out the bevels on a Shapton Pro 120 went pretty well once I realized I needed to dress the stone *constantly*--after twenty or so strokes with the knife, I'd start to feel the abraisive slowing down, so I'd give it a quick scrub with my diamond plate. I finished with a red Aoto, which left a nice contrast and a fairly uniform fine scratch pattern.


----------



## lemeneid

320 grit sandpaper on a TF Denka to remove all the grind marks followed by a huge jump to Narutaki asagi just to mirror the core.


----------



## ModRQC

To this date, I have messed up two Victorinox when thinning, managed to do only moderate damage to a third, tried to salvage a fourth, old one from much worse ending up no better, also thinned a Misono pretty unevenly... giving me juuuust enough experience - would that only be the anguish of having to put so many knives right and trying that on at least one - to say that I admire all of your posts, patience, dedication and passion.


----------



## Stewart122

This is such an aesthetic thread - makes me want to try to put a higher finish on my blades. Well done everyone!


----------



## lars78

Make fingerstone stock


----------



## lemeneid

ModRQC said:


> To this date, I have messed up two Victorinox when thinning, managed to do only moderate damage to a third, tried to salvage a fourth, old one from much worse ending up no better, also thinned a Misono pretty unevenly... giving me juuuust enough experience - would that only be the anguish of having to put so many knives right and trying that on at least one - to say that I admire all of your posts, patience, dedication and passion.


Never too late to learn and start. I too am starting to do my first mirror finish on a honyaki right now. Main thing I’ve taken out from learning polishing like this is don’t be afraid to heck up. It’s a learning journey. 

In these 2 months of isolation, I’ve actually learned more than in my 2 years owning Japanese knives, so I must say, take this prime opportunity to learn more!


----------



## Stewart122

lemeneid said:


> Never too late to learn and start. I too am starting to do my first mirror finish on a honyaki. Main thing I’ve taken out from learning polishing like this is don’t be afraid to heck up. It’s a learning journey.
> 
> In these 2 months of isolation, I’ve actually learned more than in my 2 years owning Japanese knives, so I must say, take this prime opportunity to learn more!



^We need more of this attitude (without being completely reckless)!


----------



## lemeneid

Stewart122 said:


> ^We need more of this attitude (without being completely reckless)!


Nothing wrong with being reckless though. IMO, the only way you can truly screw up a knife would be by using machines. Believe me, I tried my best, and it did not look great


----------



## Stewart122

lemeneid said:


> Nothing wrong with being reckless though. IMO, the only way you can truly screw up a knife would be by using machines. Believe me, I tried my best, and it did not look great


Very fair, most things can be fixed up... Just won't get the time back


----------



## ModRQC

Hence why most I’ve ****ed up are cheap blades... learning journey all right but trying not to mess up more expensive knives.

I guess there’s something to be said about a Kurouchi finish the kind of Mazaki’s nakiri... thinned that fat bastard quite a lot and it doesn’t really show.


----------



## Malcolm Johnson

soigne_west said:


> Making some good progress. Still having lots of issues in the tip area. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
> 
> View attachment 81110
> View attachment 81111
> View attachment 81112



I have a very similar knife to yours (tsubaya branded Tanaka) and was wondering if yours was hollow ground. If so, did you create this polish with that hollow grind or did you thin it out and remove the hollow? Thanks! I want to start laying with polishing it.


----------



## soigne_west

It was hallow. I flattened the bevels


----------



## Malcolm Johnson

soigne_west said:


> It was hallow. I flattened the bevels


Sounds like a need some stones for thinning. Thanks. I figured that was the case but wanted to make sure


----------



## soigne_west

lemeneid said:


> 320 grit sandpaper on a TF Denka to remove all the grind marks followed by a huge jump to Narutaki asagi just to mirror the core.
> 
> View attachment 81685
> 
> 
> View attachment 81686



How did you get the core so polished and the clad looks untouched?


----------



## Carl Kotte

Messing up finishes?! That’s my middle name. Here’s some of the damage I’ve done recently:


----------



## M1k3

Carl Kotte said:


> Messing up finishes?! That’s my middle name. Here’s some of the damage I’ve done recently:


Second pic, shadow or you add a hollow? Avoid those spots because reasons?


----------



## Carl Kotte

M1k3 said:


> Second pic, shadow or you add a hollow? Avoid those spots because reasons?


Munetoshi concavity! So a real thing (not a shadow) that I didn’t add myself . I took out some of it after this pic was taken, but they go quite deep so I felt I had to leave them be. I didn’t want to waste too much knife only for a nice finish, so the deepest ones are saved for the future.


----------



## lemeneid

soigne_west said:


> How did you get the core so polished and the clad looks untouched?


The clad was worked on before this. Got rid of the grind marks, then I put back 320 grit marks, you can see my scratches are much finer than the original and has a hazy look.

So all I needed to do after that was reach for my finest stone and put a mirror on the core. Once core steel has been mirrored before, it’s pretty difficult to in-mirror it.


----------



## soigne_west

lemeneid said:


> The clad was worked on before this. Got rid of the grind marks, then I put back 320 grit marks, you can see my scratches are much finer than the original and has a hazy look.
> 
> So all I needed to do after that was reach for my finest stone and put a mirror on the core. Once core steel has been mirrored before, it’s pretty difficult to in-mirror it.




I see, the soft clad takes the fresh marks of the sandpaper and the core doesnt. I think? Looks great.


----------



## lemeneid

soigne_west said:


> I see, the soft clad takes the fresh marks of the sandpaper and the core doesnt. I think? Looks great.


Nope, the core went through the sandpaper and became matted too, but I just lay my stones flat enough to touch the core after to get the mirror on it


----------



## ethompson

Weekend project - this 270 Mazaki took a tumble into the sink and lost about 7mm off the top and 2mm on the heel. Ground from the spine down to the edge then reworked the bevel from 220 up to 6k on synthetics before switching to an uchigumori. Since i removed half the ku from the spine fixing the tip I just went all the way and eased/polished the spine/chill too.


----------



## Malcolm Johnson

Man... I might need a mazaki again after seeing this. It’s beautiful. Love that iron after the Uchigumori.


----------



## Carl Kotte

I did some Mazaki too! Didn’t look as good as the one above, but still:
Amakusa, blue aoto and a finisher.


----------



## nutmeg

Not sure this is the right thread but.. this is a work on uchigumori so, it should be ok 

This is a lacquered double sided keychain I made.
One side is a painterley Nakayama Iromono and the other side is Ohira Uchigumori with beautiful aka renge.


----------



## Runner_up

^^ that is super neat, @nutmeg


----------



## valgard

Koshiji polish on western handle Yoshikane black damascus


----------



## Badgertooth

ethompson said:


> Weekend project - this 270 Mazaki took a tumble into the sink and lost about 7mm off the top and 2mm on the heel. Ground from the spine down to the edge then reworked the bevel from 220 up to 6k on synthetics before switching to an uchigumori. Since i removed half the ku from the spine fixing the tip I just went all the way and eased/polished the spine/chill too. View attachment 82343
> View attachment 82344



You did very well to rescue that, great job


----------



## Badgertooth

valgard said:


> Playing with a very fine Ueno, more like a finisher than a midgrit in the polish it leaves.



When the Ueno bug bites


----------



## valgard

Quick polish during a video of this Shig nakiri with a Mikawa nagura


----------



## ModRQC

Thought I'd cut in with a 40 minutes dirt job sandpaper polish... using my fingers, mind you.

I present to you... the new and improved two tones Victorinox Santoku.... Or... what have you... cheap stainless steel core Victorinox cladded with the same cheap stainless steel... 















Stupidly holds the farce under many kind of lighting and angles...









But of course the veneer doesn't stand true...












And with the proper angle or lighting the dirty trick is revealed...

Still better on first sight than when out of thinning. That's about all there is to say. Oh yeah and still some marker to remove out of the dimples.

To cheap knives, cheap treatments.


*What you guys do... is another thing completely. Kudos and fascinating pictures guys!*


----------



## Badgertooth

Hisamoto, iron clad white one made by the inimitable Teruyasu Fujiwara.
All the heavy lifting was done on the Naniwa Gouken Arata 400, the so-called baby Chosera.
I wanted to experiment with a very tight progression as I usually do big jumps so the next cab off the rank was Morihei 500
Then King 800
Then King Hyper 1k
Then shapton glass 2k
Chosera 3k
Aizu
Nakayama Karasuita (I haven’t just made that name up, I promise)


----------



## valgard

Nowhere near done but it's starting to look good from a distance. This is at 2k Naniwa Kagayaki.


----------



## Unstoppabo

First attempt at polishing ironclad carbon in about 3 years. 

This one's a Shigehiro 210 gyuto forged by Yoshikazu Ikeda and sharpened by Kasahara. Came with a nice hazy polish on the cladding that's somewhere between 3-5k. The knife was a bit chubby behind the edge so I thinned it a bit and straightened up the secondary bevel and moved that up to ~3-5mm above the cladding line, then rounded the shoulder. Basically tried to move up the convexing a bit further up the blade. Then hit this all over with a muddy Hideriyama from JNS that left the iron matte white and the steel hazy. After that, I hit a tip with my softest uchi, which left the whitened up the matt cladding and shined up the core a bit. 

Unfortunately, that uchi also started spitting out some crunchy bits so moved on to testing the handful of suita's I have with varying results. My Ohira's shined up the core and whitened up the cladding in a pretty nice way, but this Mystery Suita from the JapanStone got a lot closer to mirror on the cladding, started to really mirror the core and got me closer to contrast level I was looking for. Saving the best for last, I busted out another mystery suita with telltale signs of being a Nakayama (bought here from Brooksie). Definitely saved the best for last and this stone got me closer to the mirror core I was looking for and a nice pop on the cladding line. This stone also revealed a bit of a shadow line above the cladding line in some places and left a darker, wetter look on the cladding. Then hit above the shinogi with a uchi fingerstone then rubbed it down with a felt pad loaded up with the mud from the last suita, which dialed down the matte look and turned it a bit darker and glossier looking.

Watcha guys think? Wish I had something better than my phone camera but hopefully good enough for you guys to see how this ended up.


----------



## TSF415

Unstoppabo said:


> First attempt at polishing ironclad carbon in about 3 years.
> 
> This one's a Shigehiro 210 gyuto forged by Yoshikazu Ikeda and sharpened by Kasahara. Came with a nice hazy polish on the cladding that's somewhere between 3-5k. The knife was a bit chubby behind the edge so I thinned it a bit and straightened up the secondary bevel and moved that up to ~3-5mm above the cladding line, then rounded the shoulder. Basically tried to move up the convexing a bit further up the blade. Then hit this all over with a muddy Hideriyama from JNS that left the iron matte white and the steel hazy. After that, I hit a tip with my softest uchi, which left the whitened up the matt cladding and shined up the core a bit.
> 
> Unfortunately, that uchi also started spitting out some crunchy bits so moved on to testing the handful of suita's I have with varying results. My Ohira's shined up the core and whitened up the cladding in a pretty nice way, but this Mystery Suita from the JapanStone got a lot closer to mirror on the cladding, started to really mirror the core and got me closer to contrast level I was looking for. Saving the best for last, I busted out another mystery suita with telltale signs of being a Nakayama (bought here from Brooksie). Definitely saved the best for last and this stone got me closer to the mirror core I was looking for and a nice pop on the cladding line. This stone also revealed a bit of a shadow line above the cladding line in some places and left a darker, wetter look on the cladding. Then hit above the shinogi with a uchi fingerstone then rubbed it down with a felt pad loaded up with the mud from the last suita, which dialed down the matte look and turned it a bit darker and glossier looking.
> 
> Watcha guys think? Wish I had something better than my phone camera but hopefully good enough for you guys to see how this ended up.View attachment 85531
> 
> View attachment 85532
> 
> View attachment 85533
> View attachment 85534
> 
> View attachment 85535
> View attachment 85536



That looks great


----------



## Matt Zilliox

Ive not done much polish work the last couple months, the brain is too stormy.
However i ordered a couple stones form our Nutmeg here in March and they finally arrived after being stuck in customs for 3 months, so i had to test them.




i do not consider this a final or full polish, just a test of the stones. theres still a couple scratches i didnt take the time to remove. this was just some time on the Uchigumori to see how it works, and it was a great stone, softish, really clean, easy to get a nice hazy kasumi with good contrast. it was a nice finish, and even showed off some banding.




however i also bought my first Nakayama stone, so of course i had to try that one as well. its a hard stone, a finisher, something im not very experienced with. And its gorgeous!!! This thing brought out what you see in the photo. very good contrast and lit up the banding like no stone before.

thats why this is a Rabbit hole, chasing this kind of finish is fun, but expensive and time consuming, haha.


----------



## Unstoppabo

Nakayama = magic! What knife is that?


----------



## Matt Zilliox

Unstoppabo said:


> Nakayama = magic! What knife is that?


Its my Bazes, you can see past polish jobs a few pages back, but this is superior results. thanks!


----------



## YG420

Havent had alot of time to work on stuff like this lately, but managed to polish up my Kato Kikuryu.

Before:





After:


























With some oil:


----------



## domrun

Beautiful pictures 
Good looking dark pattern. 
Etched a bit ?


----------



## YG420

Thanks! I suck at taking pics tho. Yes etching, sandpaper, fingerstones, etching, sandpaper, fingerstones, etc...


----------



## domrun

Go for a patina now


----------



## valgard

YG420 said:


> Havent had alot of time to work on stuff like this lately, but managed to polish up my Kato Kikuryu.
> 
> Before:
> View attachment 86050
> 
> 
> After:
> 
> View attachment 86051
> 
> 
> View attachment 86052
> 
> 
> View attachment 86053
> 
> 
> View attachment 86054
> 
> 
> View attachment 86055
> 
> 
> With some oil:
> 
> View attachment 86056
> 
> 
> View attachment 86057
> 
> 
> View attachment 86058
> 
> 
> View attachment 86059


FK! Knife envy levels are really high right now.


----------



## zizirex

Part 1 of my project Deba,

Start grinding the Hira by using Naniwa Lobster/Traditional 220, Shapton Glass 220, Morihei Hi 500, King Hyper 1000, Aizu and weird Uchigumori. Uraoshi sharpening using Chosera 3000 then Morihei Hi 6000.


----------



## valgard

I don't thing you did the hira with those stones, maybe you meant the kireha/bevel?



zizirex said:


> Part 1 of my project Deba,
> 
> Start grinding the Hira by using Naniwa Lobster/Traditional 220, Shapton Glass 220, Morihei Hi 500, King Hyper 1000, Aizu and weird Uchigumori. Uraoshi sharpening using Chosera 3000 then Morihei Hi 6000.


----------



## zizirex

valgard said:


> I don't thing you did the hira with those stones, maybe you meant the kireha/bevel?


AH yes The Kireha... Bevel. Hira is the face right? I confused with the Japanese word. I will be Polishing the face as well as the next step.


----------



## valgard

zizirex said:


> AH yes The Kireha... Bevel. Hira is the face right? I confused with the Japanese word. I will be Polishing the face as well as the next step.


Yep


----------



## camochili

YG420 said:


> Havent had alot of time to work on stuff like this lately, but managed to polish up my Kato Kikuryu.
> 
> Before:
> View attachment 86050
> 
> 
> After:
> 
> View attachment 86051
> 
> 
> View attachment 86052
> 
> 
> View attachment 86053
> 
> 
> View attachment 86054
> 
> 
> View attachment 86055
> 
> 
> With some oil:
> 
> View attachment 86056
> 
> 
> View attachment 86057
> 
> 
> View attachment 86058
> 
> 
> View attachment 86059



Amazing... didn't think this could be possible having seen the knife before.


----------



## reagan

Here is my current work in process. Decided to tackle my Higonokami pocket knife. Been putting this off since it was a large project.












Still needs some work. Didn't get my lower grits dialed near the pivot thingy. To be continued.....


----------



## Xenif

Mid way through polishing my shig ku nakiri


----------



## valgard

I just finished this one for a member here.


----------



## AbeFroman

My first attempt at a kasumi finish, let's just say it needs work.... a lot of work.
The knife is a cheap Tojiro Shirogami 210mm Yanagi that I bought a while back to practice single bevel sharpening on.
The set up is King 800, Gesshin 2k, Gesshin 6ks, Kitayama 8000, Uchigumori finger stones from Aframes.

I'd like to get more contrast between the jigane/hagane so I'm thinking to pick up a Jinzo Aoto since people seem to have good results from that stone and it's not nearly as pricey as a natural.


----------



## Kawa

reagan said:


> Here is my current work in process. Decided to tackle my Higonokami pocket knife. Been putting this off since it was a large project.
> 
> View attachment 86709
> View attachment 86710
> View attachment 86711
> 
> 
> Still needs some work. Didn't get my lower grits dialed near the pivot thingy. To be continued.....




I did the same knife, what a coincidence!
I got myself a green black jade handle  and I have the 'iron (or atleast black) cladded look' topside.

Do you have the SK-carbon, aogami or shirogami version?
I got myself the aogami version, dont know which number. The shirogami was 130,- euro (150 dollar?) versus 60,- euro (70 dollar?) for aogami, dont know why... Felt too much for a experiment.

And how was yours out of the box? Mine was simply dull. Felt like plastic over my nail and couldnt even cut normal printing paper. Not even a starting cut, it just slid over the paper. I was almost about to send it back , but then i remembered why i bought it: to see how its like to sharpen aogami 

I mirror polished mine, the whole second bevel. I went for about 80%. of the total. Near the handle the steel got irregular. Wasn't worth the 100% extra time of grinding over the total knife length for me.

The actual sharpening didnt go so well. I can shave my legs with it (dry), but the hairs aint exactly popping... The knife is so tiny and "low" in your hands while sharpening... really hard profile to get a good (stable) grip on
The profile might also do its part here, its a pocket knife, not a laser kitchen knife after all... It goes wide behind the edge really fast

ill try to post some pictures tomorrow!




Do you, or anyone else, know anything about the quality of this knife? It feels like a rough piece of steel, quickly grindend into the form of a knife.


----------



## reagan

I have the aogami in the 5cm and 30cm. Those prices seem a bit high. I got the 5 cm for about 20usd and the 30cm for about 35 usd. The small one was dull but the 30cm was pretty sharp. That being said I took it to the stones immediately. Did you sharpen the whole bevel? Meaning putting the whole bevel flat on the stone? It took me a while to thin out the low spots but once I did it got screaming sharp. I also put a microbevel on it. I think it’s good for the price I got it for. I just use it mostly to break down cardboard boxes.

And I know what you mean about the rough spot near the handle. It’s hard to get to that area with the stone


----------



## Kawa

reagan said:


> I have the aogami in the 5cm and 30cm. Those prices seem a bit high. I got the 5 cm for about 20usd and the 30cm for about 35 usd. The small one was dull but the 30cm was pretty sharp. That being said I took it to the stones immediately. Did you sharpen the whole bevel? Meaning putting the whole bevel flat on the stone? It took me a while to thin out the low spots but once I did it got screaming sharp. I also put a microbevel on it. I think it’s good for the price I got it for. I just use it mostly to break down cardboard boxes.
> 
> And I know what you mean about the rough spot near the handle. It’s hard to get to that area with the stone








This is out the the box. I think I just started sharpening the actual cutting edge here for a second and then thought, lets make a picture of before (adn after). You can see the cutting edge was full of high/low spots: there are 3 spots with sharpie on it visible.






This is with the best possible angle. The bush (is on the left) is about 1 meter (3 foot) away. Photo taken with a Samsung S7 on a cloudy day, around noon.
Personally, not to brag, I feel its very very shiny.






This is the worst possible angle. Foto take at exactly the same moment. You see the scrathes obviously, but they are very very light. You can also see the parts I gave up on: near the handle, but also near the cutting edge, about where the 'belly' starts: you see the factory vertical lines (which are much deeper then the finish gritt around it).


About the edge. I wasn't finished here yet, but after gritt1000 I decided to finish the polishing first. From left to right, ear the handle there isnt really an edge yet, then there is a part I overgrind (which stayed in some way after finish, I wasn't able to just create an edge near the handle without touching the more centered part of the edge). I do'nt mind that much, aslong as the complete edge had the same angle at the end, which I failed a little (see my other post why I think this knife was hard to sharpen).
In the near future I go for round 2.


About the polishing. All done on my regular sharpening stones. Yes, I put the bevel completely flat on my stones. I did not go to the point where the original cutting edge completely dissapeared. Did you? That will be a long grind and some serious thinning.
I hit this stones in this order:
Shapton glass 120 (very short, since this stone felt like 1000 gritt after a few minutes)
Shapton pro 220
Naniwa superstone 1000
Naniwa superstone 2000 (this is where all knives start to have mirror finish, just a little more scratches then on the last stone)
Naniwa superstone 5000


----------



## nutmeg




----------



## AbeFroman

Nutmeg, any tips you could give me based on the pics above as to how to increase the contrast or how to brighten up the mirror? I was thinking of getting the Jinzo Aoto from JKI, but I'm more inclined to think that the problem is my technique than the tools.


----------



## nutmeg

AbeFroman said:


> Nutmeg, any tips you could give me based on the pics above as to how to increase the contrast or how to brighten up the mirror? I was thinking of getting the Jinzo Aoto from JKI, but I'm more inclined to think that the problem is my technique than the tools.



I've been a bit lazy and this finish is not from me! Actually this is the finish out of the box from Milan Gravier. He uses Jnats and finger stones for the finish.
I have no idea how the Jinzo Aoto from JKI performs so I can't tell you. Usually, softer and slightly coarser stones can brighten the blade.


----------



## kingdingelling

Xenif said:


> Mid way through polishing my shig ku nakiri
> View attachment 86713
> View attachment 86712



Good job! What's the progress so far? I think I have to go on working on mine...


----------



## RolfK

Just received a (dirty) Catcheside and polished it on a fine nakayama from Nutmeg


----------



## Matt Zilliox

Random stone... decent finish!


----------



## Matt Zilliox

Buttery soft kasumi from marouyama shiro suita and a midsoft uchi.


----------



## Matt Zilliox

maybe folks are done w quarantine polishing, but im just starting to figure this crap out.
Halcyon forge 230mm gyuto clad in wrought iron rubbed on a marou shiro then a really hard jibiki. High gloss





Hard jibiki w colors.


----------



## Badgertooth

Maruoyama Polish



Quick and dirty on a very unique Maruoyama Sutia giwa Daijo stone.


----------



## Matt Zilliox

contrast for days, wow


----------



## Forty Ounce

Hollow bevel kasumi


----------



## drsmp

Thank you to Steve, Graham and Roy for their advice on my first full refinish and polish. On the receipt the knife had some pits and deep scratches, now far from perfect but quite happy with the results!


----------



## Forty Ounce

Latest work


----------



## Badgertooth

Forty Ounce said:


> Hollow bevel kasumi



Not easy to man, bravo


----------



## Forty Ounce

Badgertooth said:


> Not easy to man, bravo


Thanks man! No kidding.. it only took a year of experimenting..


----------



## Wander Vanhoucke

Forty Ounce said:


> Hollow bevel kasumi



That is not easy... I once polished a Honyaki- uchigumori and everything- which had an s-grind. I will never ever do that again!


----------



## Forty Ounce

I decided to fingerstone the hira on my newly acquired Mizuno fuguhiki.. I have a bit more to do, but I'm happy with the progress that I've made, so far..


----------



## Carl Kotte

100% sharpie on this one.


----------



## Carl Kotte

Oh, and I refinished my Mazaki.


----------



## zizirex

Enjoying my day off today. My Takada no Hamono 240mm Gyuto project, not the best, could be better if I could take off the handle.


----------



## Hassanbensober

I grabbed the Watanabe couldn’t resist it. Right out of the box and on some stones. Plan to muck up the polish tomorrow with heavy wedding prep. Polished briefly on red natsuya and Bigfoot print Shiro Suita couldn’t be happier with this heavyweight.


----------



## Robert Lavacca

Hassanbensober said:


> I grabbed the Watanabe couldn’t resist it. Right out of the box and on some stones. Plan to muck up the polish tomorrow with heavy wedding prep. Polished briefly on red natsuya and Bigfoot print Shiro Suita couldn’t be happier with this heavyweight. View attachment 93132


That shiro suita is gorgeous man


----------



## naader

Hassanbensober said:


> I grabbed the Watanabe couldn’t resist it. Right out of the box and on some stones. Plan to muck up the polish tomorrow with heavy wedding prep. Polished briefly on red natsuya and Bigfoot print Shiro Suita couldn’t be happier with this heavyweight. View attachment 93132


So you were the guy that outbid me on that giant shiro suita


----------



## Robert Lavacca

naader said:


> So you were the guy that outbid me on that giant shiro suita


Dude if you ever see something you wanted sell out, 98% chance it’s someone on the forum  It’s happened to me.


----------



## naader

Robert Lavacca said:


> Dude if you ever see something you wanted sell out, 98% chance it’s someone on the forum  It’s happened to me.


It was early morning and I passed out for like 5 mins after my bid, came back and it was over...


----------



## naader

Robert Lavacca said:


> Dude if you ever see something you wanted sell out, 98% chance it’s someone on the forum  It’s happened to me.


Really sucked, I'm still sore about that one


----------



## Hassanbensober

naader said:


> Really sucked, I'm still sore about that one


Lots of lines in the same fishing hole. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had the very same reactions. My main frustrations are with knives I’m over trying to buy knives from over there.. It’s a cool stone not perfect by any stretch it’s thirsty as hell has a couple inclusions but for the most part it’s pretty solid stone. Hope you all hook that next one there’s always a next one.


----------



## naader

Hassanbensober said:


> Lots of lines in the same fishing hole. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had the very same reactions. My main frustrations are with knives I’m over trying to buy knives from over there.. It’s a cool stone not perfect by any stretch it’s thirsty as hell has a couple inclusions but for the most part it’s pretty solid stone. Hope you all hook that next one there’s always a next one.


100% right, good message and all but I'm still cheesed


----------



## Forty Ounce

Recent honyaki polish


----------



## DanielC

Mild steel over 1.2519 with nickle shim. Wip.


----------



## TRPV4

@naader was it from kurosukepapa?


----------



## DanielC

The last pictures were meh. Still need to fix faceting but its looking rather clean.


----------



## naader

TRPV4 said:


> @naader was it from kurosukepapa?


Yeah it was


----------



## TRPV4

@Hassanbensober how is the stone? seems like lots of lines haha


----------



## DanielC

Another knife from same batch with the Suji. Still a WIP. Faceting in a few area will require some 1k love. This was from 220 to where you see it at during my afternoon today.

The jacket ended up taking on banding that was brought out in the polish.


----------



## Froztitanz




----------



## DanielC

Testing blade above on different stones. It's getting along with differing Karasu.

This side is what I believe is an Ohira mine Karasu. It really brings out the banding in the jacket iron. More than I would expect from a non-suita.








And then other side is from a Nakayama karasu. The fineness is noticeably higher. Just toying until I find the right stone to match so the polish is all over the place.


----------



## drsmp

Fingerstones and a Halcyon Forge Wrought Iron cladding. No idea what the exact FS are as they were gifted to me by @soigne_west . An almost black bit from a variegated grey stone did the trick, almost magically giving instant contrast. The tan and grey ones I tried accentuated the patterns but not much contrast. Please excuse all my technical terms


----------



## soigne_west

@drsmp The variegated one your referring too is is uchigumori. The later is maxims “fine finger stone extra” no clue what it actually is.


----------



## CiderBear

drsmp said:


> Thank you to Steve, Graham and Roy for their advice on my first full refinish and polish. On the receipt the knife had some pits and deep scratches, now far from perfect but quite happy with the results! View attachment 90396
> View attachment 90397
> View attachment 90398




This looks really great. Can you share those advice with us? (or was there a thread that I missed?)


----------



## drsmp

@CiderBear The highlights of their recommendations 
Rhynowet sandpaper is the best
DONT progress to the next sandpaper grit until all scratches from previous grit are gone. Those last few stray deeper scratches won’t go away as you progress (and will often look worse)
Finish up at 800 grit for Kasumi
Add a little baking soda to your fingerstone water it will prevent rust/stains as you’re working. I like a short presoak to soften the FS a bit.
Be patient , use very little pressure until you get a little slurry going
If you’re getting scratches you’re using too much pressure or have a bad FS
Polish heel to tip
Once you have nice kasumi going with plenty of slurry, use a piece of hard felt as a fingerstone to even out the finish
A small piece of felt and diamond emulsion does a good job of polishing the core steel


----------



## drsmp

@CiderBear 
One more tip to get rid of any fine scratches from Fingerstones as well as even out the kasumi - as a final step King 800 mud with windex lubricant on the finest micro mesh pad really worked well


----------



## drsmp

Kato 240 Standard 

















Kasumi project


----------



## DanielC

Nakayama Iromono benchstone followed by Nakayama Kitta fingerstones.


----------



## valgard

WIP


----------



## valgard




----------



## Forty Ounce

Work in progress kasumi on my 240 Kisuke gyuto


----------



## Matt Zilliox

A new suita, probably ohira, probably tenjou, definately badass.


----------



## Alder26

Some WIP photos of this enormous 270 Wat that I had reground and profiled. It still need an hour or so of work on a lower grit stone to finish off the bevels. so far very pleased. The knife is full of banding which showing like crazy already after a quick polish on a soft Aizu


----------



## jwthaparc

This is the best I could do with my tanba aoto. It has a few toxic lines I had to dig out, and it sometimes releases a stray particle or two. With that being said the results with very light pressure aren't all that terrible.



Hey I finally found out how to put text after an image. Woooh!


----------



## jwthaparc

This is the same knife (210 tojiro shiro 2 gyuto) after I polished it on my asagi with a few nagura slurries. 
1. Some kind of white nagura. wasn't stamped. Definitely the coarsest of the three. 




2. This one is sort of tan-yellow (duh) have no idea what it might be. Very fine, with a smooth finish. This is my favorite of the naguras I have. 



3. An asagi tomo nagura. It's very fine. However I dont use it often because it somehow tends to release some larger particles, or clumps of particles. Very annoying when polishing. 




4. The asagi with diamond plate slurry. Smooth fine finish. Dont know what else to say here.




5. The asagi with clear water. This is where the stone really shows off how fine it is. It's also a testament to how much I suck at photography, and how bad my phone camera is.


----------



## cotedupy

This may perhaps be the most, err, 'rustic' effort of the 46 pages to date. But here's my recently re-furbed yanagiba. Sanded to 2000 and sharpened up to a Suehiro 3000:






Tho tbf I was starting at quite a low base...


----------



## Carl Kotte

Isasmedjan wrought iron.


----------



## cotedupy

Carl Kotte said:


> Isasmedjan wrought iron.
> View attachment 102668
> View attachment 102669



That knife/handle combo is pretty af!


----------



## Matt Zilliox

Playing around with a nakayama suita. Hard stone, but high gloss and contrast!


----------



## Carl Kotte

cotedupy said:


> That knife/handle combo is pretty af!


I agree! That’s Isasmedjan for you


----------



## Robert Lavacca

Matt Zilliox said:


> Playing around with a nakayama suita. Hard stone, but high gloss and contrast!
> View attachment 102734
> 
> View attachment 102735
> 
> View attachment 102731


Daaaaammmmnnnnnnnn that’s nice!
Have you found a preferred synthetic progression before naturals Matt?


----------



## Matt Zilliox

Robert Lavacca said:


> Daaaaammmmnnnnnnnn that’s nice!
> Have you found a preferred synthetic progression before naturals Matt?


Whats a synthetic?


----------



## jwthaparc

I thought I would post this this pic I took a while back of my tojiro shiro 2 "feather" santoku. Believe it or not that mirror finish on the bottom is actually from a king 4000, then I used a little piece of an asagi tomo nagura as a makeshift fingerstone. It came out pretty well actually.


----------



## Runner_up

Heiji finished on an ohira tenjyou suita


----------



## JDC

Now the bunka becomes a true laser...
Complete refinish with even thinner grind + reversely tapered hira for food release.


----------



## 4wa1l

First attempt at any sort of polishing. Plenty of work to be done with lowspots and deep scratches but it's starting to look pretty nice to me. Pretty much a mirror finish at the core but still some contrast on the soft stainless. Two photos to try and show the different look depending on angles and lighting.


----------



## jwthaparc

4wa1l said:


> First attempt at any sort of polishing. Plenty of work to be done with lowspots and deep scratches but it's starting to look pretty nice to me. Pretty much a mirror finish at the core but still some contrast on the soft stainless. Two photos to try and show the different look depending on angles and lighting.
> 
> View attachment 104777
> View attachment 104778


Very nice! Especially considering it's your first attempt.


----------



## jwthaparc

4wa1l said:


> First attempt at any sort of polishing. Plenty of work to be done with lowspots and deep scratches but it's starting to look pretty nice to me. Pretty much a mirror finish at the core but still some contrast on the soft stainless. Two photos to try and show the different look depending on angles and lighting.
> 
> View attachment 104777
> View attachment 104778


What stones did you polish it with?


----------



## 4wa1l

jwthaparc said:


> Very nice! Especially considering it's your first attempt.



Thanks! Honestly the pics make it looks much much better than it is. I also picked the best section. Not so nice near the heel.

I used a Morihei 500, Chosera 800, 3000 then Kitayama 8000. I also have some small uchigomori fingerstones and made a bit of a paste with a tiny fragment and the remaining kitayama mud. Rubbed that mainly on the cladding with a rag. It seemed to smooth out some of the scratches. The rag has a tonne of mud from previous sessions so who knows what's on it now. Probably a mix of mud from all my stones.


----------



## jwthaparc

4wa1l said:


> Thanks! Honestly the pics make it looks much much better than it is. I also picked the best section. Not so nice near the heel.
> 
> I used a Morihei 500, Chosera 800, 3000 then Kitayama 8000. I also have some small uchigomori fingerstones and made a bit of a paste with a tiny fragment and the remaining kitayama mud. Rubbed that mainly on the cladding with a rag. It seemed to smooth out some of the scratches. The rag has a tonne of mud from previous sessions so who knows what's on it now. Probably a mix of mud from all my stones.


Nice. Maybe a muddier finisher would yield you even better results. Something like the suehiro rika 5k, or something along those lines. I know my kitayama can be a little inconsistent as far as grit size goes. Maybe it's just mine that has this problem.


----------



## 4wa1l

jwthaparc said:


> Nice. Maybe a muddier finisher would yield you even better results. Something like the suehiro rika 5k, or something along those lines. I know my kitayama can be a little inconsistent as far as grit size goes. Maybe it's just mine that has this problem.



I've got a little aiiwatani koppa on the way. Pretty excited to see what I can manage with a jnat!


----------



## TRPV4

4wa1l said:


> I've got a little aiiwatani koppa on the way. Pretty excited to see what I can manage with a jnat!


from JNS?


----------



## 4wa1l

TRPV4 said:


> from JNS?


No, through KKF.


----------



## Runner_up

More Heiji. More ohira tenjyou suita.


----------



## Robert Lavacca

Runner_up said:


> More Heiji. More ohira tenjyou suita.


Clean brother. Beautiful. That kurochi is gorgeous.


----------



## Matt Zilliox

Runner_up said:


> More Heiji. More ohira tenjyou suita.


These tenjou suita are incredible stones for kasumi. I just got one thats so damn good its not fair to the other stones. Nice polish too.
Cheers


----------



## jwthaparc

Matt Zilliox said:


> These tenjou suita are incredible stones for kasumi. I just got one thats so damn good its not fair to the other stones. Nice polish too.
> Cheers


Isn't tenjou suita the strata that contains uchigumori among others?

That finish is beautiful btw runner_up


----------



## jwthaparc

4wa1l said:


> No, through KKF.


Did you get it yet? I would love to see the results from playing with it.


----------



## jwthaparc

lemeneid said:


> Nothing wrong with being reckless though. IMO, the only way you can truly screw up a knife would be by using machines. Believe me, I tried my best, and it did not look great


Yeah. I have to throw a knife away after messing it up with a belt sander. Wasn't pretty.


----------



## 4wa1l

jwthaparc said:


> Did you get it yet? I would love to see the results from playing with it.



It's still on the way. I'll post some results as soon as I have used it. I have recently picked up an iron clad Morihei gyuto which I'm keen to try and do some kasumi and polishing work on too.


----------



## Matt Zilliox

jwthaparc said:


> Isn't tenjou suita the strata that contains uchigumori among others?
> 
> That finish is beautiful btw runner_up


Yeah. Its close to the uchi layer, but there's variation in the stones. Similar but different to uchis


----------



## Runner_up

275mm Wakui Blue 2 gyuto. Purchased off of BST from @ashy2classy for a great price who in turn had bought it from @preizzo . Both said they had never sharpened it, and the blade road still had the factory bead blasted finish. Steel sharpens well, edge is definitely wear resistant, and it does well through a variety of product. I like taking this knife to work with me.

After playing around it was clear the grind was really well executed. After deciding to put on a real kasumi I figured I would run it quickly on a tenjyou suita just to see where the high and low spots were. Ended up being no need to jump down to a coarse stone. Man even my KU shigs didn't have such a smooth and well finished blade road out of the box. One probably shouldn't expect every one of his blades to be this well ground, but wow, I'm really impressed.


----------



## preizzo

Runner_up said:


> 275mm Wakui Blue 2 gyuto. Purchased off of BST from @ashy2classy for a great price who in turn had bought it from @preizzo . Both said they had never sharpened it, and the blade road still had the factory bead blasted finish. Steel sharpens well, edge is definitely wear resistant, and it does well through a variety of product. I like taking this knife to work with me.
> 
> After playing around it was clear the grind was really well executed. After deciding to put on a real kasumi I figured I would run it quickly on a tenjyou suita just to see where the high and low spots were. Ended up being no need to jump down to a coarse stone. Man even my KU shigs didn't have such a smooth and well finished blade road out of the box. One probably shouldn't expect every one of his blades to be this well ground, but wow, I'm really impressed.


Missing that knife ,the wakui aogami 2 are fantastic


----------



## tcmx3

Runner_up said:


> 275mm Wakui Blue 2 gyuto. Purchased off of BST from @ashy2classy for a great price who in turn had bought it from @preizzo . Both said they had never sharpened it, and the blade road still had the factory bead blasted finish. Steel sharpens well, edge is definitely wear resistant, and it does well through a variety of product. I like taking this knife to work with me.
> 
> After playing around it was clear the grind was really well executed. After deciding to put on a real kasumi I figured I would run it quickly on a tenjyou suita just to see where the high and low spots were. Ended up being no need to jump down to a coarse stone. Man even my KU shigs didn't have such a smooth and well finished blade road out of the box. One probably shouldn't expect every one of his blades to be this well ground, but wow, I'm really impressed.



absolutely gorgeous


----------



## j22582536

First time sharpening a Honyaki, have to say it’s so much harder and took much longer to sharpen than a Kasumi blade


----------



## ashy2classy

Runner_up said:


> 275mm Wakui Blue 2 gyuto. Purchased off of BST from @ashy2classy for a great price who in turn had bought it from @preizzo . Both said they had never sharpened it, and the blade road still had the factory bead blasted finish. Steel sharpens well, edge is definitely wear resistant, and it does well through a variety of product. I like taking this knife to work with me.
> 
> After playing around it was clear the grind was really well executed. After deciding to put on a real kasumi I figured I would run it quickly on a tenjyou suita just to see where the high and low spots were. Ended up being no need to jump down to a coarse stone. Man even my KU shigs didn't have such a smooth and well finished blade road out of the box. One probably shouldn't expect every one of his blades to be this well ground, but wow, I'm really impressed.


Looks great! Wakui's work is SO SOLID! Consistent quality you don't find in blades twice the price. One of the more overlooked makers, IMO. Just great knives all around. Enjoy!


----------



## zizirex

polishing this Project Hitohira Ren 240mm. Thinned out the tip and polish the Kireha and sloppy job on Hira.


----------



## ethompson

Slowly, I am getting better at this. This is my best result straight off a bench-stone without finger stones. Still didn't get all the lower-grit scratches removed and I wish the transition from cladding to core was a little crisper is places, but overall I'm pleased with this result.


----------



## jwthaparc

I have been wanting to post a pictures of the finish from my new jnats for a little while now, for some reason I just haven't gotten around to it until now though. 

These two are from my tenjyou suita, you might have seen me post it as my mystery suita in the jnat club thread. It gives a pretty consistent finish with just a bit of a mirror like quality to the hagane







Then the next two pictures are the finish from my uchigumori koppa. It's not perfect, but if I didn't stop myself and post this I was going to drive myself insane, and never get any sleep.


----------



## Runner_up

B.A.M.F.


----------



## jwthaparc

I've decided to do a proper polish of my tojiro shirogami santoku. I haven't been bothering to do any of the basework needed to really bring out a nice finish so I bought myself some 3m (my first time buying name brand, will never go back to the cheap stuff i was using again) sandpaper and went to town, started at 120 and went up to 600.

This is at 600





After that I went over to my medium grit rust eraser




And finally went to my fine rust eraser





I'm giving making proper fingerstones a second go. The first time I used a 2 part epoxy, and the freaking things fell off the backing. So I bought contact adhesive this time, and will see how it works out. The adhesive is drying now. So all I have left to do is the fun part!

Will update soon.


----------



## jwthaparc

Man this is probably the best this knife has looked since I bought it. It's not completely perfect, but I'm happy with the results. I actually didn't think making proper fingerstones would make such a difference.

Here's after the uchigumori fingerstones. 









After tenjyou suita fingerstones 









After asagi fingerstones 








Finally after kiita fingerstones, and a very light touch up with the suita fingerstones.


----------



## jwthaparc

I went ahead and did a quick touch up on my miyabi kaizen to get some contrast back to the Damascus cladding. I should take it down to low grit sandpaper like I did with the tojiro. So i can get better results, but I will save that for another day.


----------



## M1k3

not bad for stainless cladding?


----------



## Robert Lavacca

M1k3 said:


> not bad for stainless cladding? View attachment 107834


I actually have an easier time with stainless cladding than iron on a lot of the stones I own believe it or not. Especially this harder unknown mine stone I have.


----------



## Runner_up

Wakui 

Purchased here on BST basically new as a gift for my bro. I too have been practicing polishing stainless cladding. Very different from iron cladding for sure.


----------



## @ftermath

Runner_up said:


> Wakui
> 
> Purchased here on BST basically new as a gift for my bro. I too have been practicing polishing stainless cladding. Very different from iron cladding for sure.



What was your progression? I am likely about to start learning myself and have a stainless clad Hinoura begging for a polish.


----------



## Runner_up

@ftermath said:


> What was your progression? I am likely about to start learning myself and have a stainless clad Hinoura begging for a polish.




Coarse Omura, Shapton pro 1.5k (I would like to get maybe a natsuya around 800 grit to do a full jnat progression), a very hard blue aoto to bring the core steel to mirror, soft iromono to smooth out the cladding, very fine shobudani tomae to refine and finish the core, and then finish on an ohira tenjyou suita for excellent contrast and nice smooth finish.


----------



## @ftermath

Runner_up said:


> Coarse Omura, Shapton pro 1.5k (I would like to get maybe a natsuya around 800 grit to do a full jnat progression), a very hard blue aoto to bring the core steel to mirror, soft iromono to smooth out the cladding, very fine shobudani tomae to refine and finish the core, and then finish on an ohira tenjyou suita for excellent contrast and nice smooth finish.


Thank you! Great result.


----------



## tostadas

Runner_up said:


> Wakui
> 
> Purchased here on BST basically new as a gift for my bro. I too have been practicing polishing stainless cladding. Very different from iron cladding for sure.




That looks better than it did when it was new!


----------



## tostadas

oops, double post


----------



## j22582536

Some Uchugumori + Nugui works I’ve tried recently:


----------



## jwthaparc

I did a polish on my gyuto again. I finished the hagane on my king 4000, for some reason, it has the brightest mirror near mirror finish of all my stones. Then took uchigumori fingerstones, and did my best to clean the jigane up. The convexity makes the hagane a bit ugly from some angles, but not too bad imo.


----------



## tostadas

Refinished my stainless clad TF 240 after some thinning.


----------



## j22582536

Another repairing done on a 360mm Yoshikazu Ikeda Honyaki.


----------



## OsiKosi

Nakayama iromono 
Nakayama asagi maruka
Heiji carbon

progresion was:
shapton glass 500, amakusa, mikawa nagura, nakayama iromono, nakayama asagi.


----------



## j22582536

Another sharpening & polishing done: this knife had some deep scratches that kind of bothers me, so I finally decided to do some polishing; probably the most expensive knife I’ll ever sharpen

progression was:
Chosera 400, Chosera 1000, JNS Red Aoto, JNS 6000, diamond paste, hamon etching


----------



## OsiKosi

hei hei, I might be wrong but from the finish I get the impression that you use long movements when polishing - have you ever tried short stroke’s? short movements, in zones from top to bottom (from spine to the edge).


----------



## crocca86

Konosuke FM 240 W1


----------



## j22582536

OsiKosi said:


> hei hei, I might be wrong but from the finish I get the impression that you use long movements when polishing - have you ever tried short stroke’s? short movements, in zones from top to bottom (from spine to the edge).


Yeah I did longer stroke while sharpening on bench stones


----------



## Checkpure

crocca86 said:


> Konosuke FM 240 W1
> View attachment 119721
> View attachment 119722


Got any before pics and can you post your progression/process?


----------



## crocca86

Checkpure said:


> Got any before pics and can you post your progression/process?


Unfortunately I haven’t go any prior pictures of the knife
I followed all the steps shown on this video from tosho and I added one more finishing the knife with finger stones


----------



## @ftermath

crocca86 said:


> Unfortunately I haven’t go any prior pictures of the knife, and I followed the steps shown on this video from tosho and I added one mere finishing the knife with finger stones



I’ve been looking everywhere for this video! Thank you.


----------



## crocca86

@ftermath said:


> I’ve been looking everywhere for this video! Thank you.


It worked really well for my beginner skills


----------



## Keat

I can vouch for the micromesh pads plus 800 grit SiC powder, it made a full kasumi on a Toyama pretty easy. 

Does anyone know what powder Tosho is using?


----------



## Checkpure

crocca86 said:


> Unfortunately I haven’t go any prior pictures of the knife
> I followed all the steps shown on this video from tosho and I added one more finishing the knife with finger stones



Thanks! Looks like I have a project for this weekend.


----------



## zizirex

Keat said:


> I can vouch for the micromesh pads plus 800 grit SiC powder, it made a full kasumi on a Toyama pretty easy.
> 
> Does anyone know what powder Tosho is using?


it's a natural stone powder by Morihei. Hitohira also sells some suita powder. Also, you can get uchigumori powder on the infernet


----------



## Hassanbensober

Brought out some really awesome banding on this modified shigefusa santoku. I find if I try to go any finer then aizu or koshiji the details instantly are lost and hidden. Finally a whole morning I can just goof around with knives


----------



## crocca86

.


----------



## Illyria

Polished my Shihan W2 clad with reclaimed iron gyuto. Removed all of the deep belt scratches and thinned it a touch. Uchi finger stone finish, dipped in a muriatic acid and ferric mix.


----------



## kingdingelling

Very interesting Uchigumori from nutmeg. Depending on the perspective it turns from matt so shiny.


----------



## OsiKosi

Its always depends on perspective and light


----------



## Forty Ounce

Ku kato, polished on a natural stone.


----------



## nntnam

Etching the hamon on my Ikeda white #1

Before





After















It was a pleasant surprise to find that my knife has double hamon.

Anyone knows why? My Ikeda white#3 seems to have only one hamon line


----------



## Justablacktee

Nice polish ! 

Aren’t they just more close to each other?


----------



## nntnam

Justablacktee said:


> Nice polish !
> 
> Aren’t they just more close to each other?



Thanks!
It could be so!
But I've seen this (the double hamon) with other Ikeda's Mt. Fuji knives
Check this suisin Ikeda





I wonder if it was intentional


----------



## Justablacktee

it may be because of the steel ... the munetoshi have kind of a double Hamon to !


----------



## evilla01

nntnam said:


> Etching the hamon on my Ikeda white #1
> 
> Before
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> After
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It was a pleasant surprise to find that my knife has double hamon.
> 
> Anyone knows why? My Ikeda white#3 seems to have only one hamon line


Awesome job! The double hamon looks amazing


----------



## tostadas

135mm TF from JCK (Fu-Rin-Ka-Zan). Thinned and refinished. On it's way to my good friend.


----------



## jwthaparc

tostadas said:


> 135mm TF from JCK (Fu-Rin-Ka-Zan). Thinned and refinished. On it's way to my good friend.


What did you finish on?


----------



## tostadas

jwthaparc said:


> What did you finish on?


Sandpaper up to 1500p, then dropped back down to 800p. Hot vinegar for a couple minutes at a time, and then instant coffee for 6hrs. I brushed off the excess oxidation with king 800 mud on a felt cloth.


----------



## uniliang

Aritsugu Damascus Yanagiba Blue Steel 300mm, quick sharpening then finished it on uchigomori.




Your browser is not able to display this video.


----------



## Pie

White amakusa (binsui?) - small scratches still visible. Please ignore what I did to the heel


----------



## Hz_zzzzzz

crocca86 said:


> Unfortunately I haven’t go any prior pictures of the knife
> I followed all the steps shown on this video from tosho and I added one more finishing the knife with finger stones



Great result! What grit of mircromesh pad and what type of stone powder did you use?


----------



## crocca86

Hz_zzzzzz said:


> Great result! What grit of mircromesh pad and what type of stone powder did you use?


I started with 1500 grit then just double up every time till 12000. 
Uchigumori powder


----------



## crocca86

Same process here with this one


----------



## Hz_zzzzzz

crocca86 said:


> I started with 1500 grit then just double up every time till 12000.
> Uchigumori powder


Thank you!


----------



## ethompson

Got my second natural stone, a large Aoto, in the mail this week courtesy of bst / @nakiriknaifuwaifu. Seemed fitting to give it a test run with a quick polish and touch up on my Takeda nakiri.


----------



## Hz_zzzzzz

crocca86 said:


> I started with 1500 grit then just double up every time till 12000.
> Uchigumori powder


I tried your process and really like it! Fast and easy. I don’t have the powder so I used some Uchigumori mud. And I didn’t go higher than 3200 grit.





Your browser is not able to display this video.


----------



## crocca86

Hz_zzzzzz said:


> I tried your process and really like it! Fast and easy. I don’t have the powder so I used some Uchigumori mud. And I didn’t go higher than 3200 grit.
> 
> View attachment 132563


That looks really good  
Especially because is not that easy to remove the vertical grind marks on the kato. I’m actually working on my 240 at the moment


----------



## Hz_zzzzzz

crocca86 said:


> That looks really good
> Especially because is not that easy to remove the vertical grind marks on the kato. I’m actually working on my 240 at the moment


The vertical grind marks of mine were removed a while ago so I just started with 1000 grit sandpaper and flitz this time. It was like this before (800 grit sandpaper marks).


----------



## nakiriknaifuwaifu

ethompson said:


> Got my second natural stone, a large Aoto, in the mail this week courtesy of bst / @nakiriknaifuwaifu. Seemed fitting to give it a test run with a *quick polish and touch up on my Takeda nakiri*.



Enjoy the stone my friend!


----------



## crocca86

That’s what mine looks like atm
Still plenty of work to do


----------



## Woshigeren

This thread is so dope. So much talent!


----------



## tcmx3

work in progress on this Yoshikane bunka. current finish is a (relatively) inexpensive Shoubudani I got off Bernal. this one got featured on their insta and after using it a few times I know why; it's super super super easy to use and I dont think this is an altogether bad looking finish.


----------



## tostadas

tcmx3 said:


> work in progress on this Yoshikane bunka. current finish is a (relatively) inexpensive Shoubudani I got off Bernal. this one got featured on their insta and after using it a few times I know why; it's super super super easy to use and I dont think this is an altogether bad looking finish.
> 
> View attachment 132997


That looks great! How was this one graded by Bernal?


----------



## tcmx3

tostadas said:


> That looks great! How was this one graded by Bernal?



it was listed as:
#_509_-2 _Shoubudani_ Red Nashiji Lv3.5+-4 Hardness Lv3.5+4/4.5+ Fineness

here's the IG post that convinced me to buy it (I bought another natural they posted, an Aiiwatani they posted, too lol)


----------



## tcmx3

new project I finally got to. far from perfect but I have corrected the grind as much as I have patience for at the moment. 

this one arrived to me a mess but Ive now gotten it to functional it's as enjoyable as a real knife.

finish is a Maruoyama Shiro Suita


----------



## tcmx3

btw folks for how much work I had to put into this I can say with existential certitude the Sugi knives @Forty Ounce is doing are underpriced


----------



## Hz_zzzzzz

Finally tried the stone powder and micromesh pad method. I think it works better than my stone mud and sandpaper method as the color is deeper.


----------



## tostadas

Hz_zzzzzz said:


> Finally tried the stone powder and micromesh pad method. I think it works better than my stone mud and sandpaper method as the color is deeper.
> 
> View attachment 134984


Which micromesh did you use?


----------



## Hz_zzzzzz

tostadas said:


> Which micromesh did you use?


I started with 1500 grit, then 3200 grit, followed by 6000.


----------



## Pie

Your browser is not able to display this video.












Knifewear x Takeda hideriyama, unknown soft asagi fingerstones. Perfect? Hard no. Better than before? Most definitely.

Taking out the low spots was a little sketchy (and incomplete), it’s above my skill level for sure, but valuable experience earned.

please note that this was for sure not done on the amakusa pictured.


----------



## Pie

Takeda x knifewear Hideriyama straight off the stone. First time it’s come straight off a natural stone relatively clean/few streaks. Dark hazy, no mirror at all in the cladding. It did a good job blending uneven, random synthetic finishes together.


----------



## EricEricEric

Hi guys, 

New here, but been reading for a few years.

I’m almost finished, I have to decide if I want to increase the contrast, I might whiten the soft steel

A custom handle is being made as we speak, and this is one of four knives I’ll either sell or trade

I’ll post the others in the coming weeks


----------



## zizirex

Finishing my kikuchiyo ren.

finish on Morihei 6K and Uchigumori


----------



## nakiriknaifuwaifu

Nakayama koppa courtesy of @Hassanbensober


----------



## heldentenor

I’m decently proud of this. I scuffed the hell out of my new stainless clad Togashi kiritsuke thinning/sharpening it. A couple of hours, some fingerstones, and a bit of Morehei uchi powder later, and I think this looks decent.


----------



## tostadas

Did a polish of my Kono recently


----------



## EricEricEric

This is my latest one  

Mirror then kasumi 

This is a 270mm that I couldn’t make up my mind on how to finish

Msg me if interested


----------



## ethompson

Have been super busy for awhile and this kiritsuke was left languishing in a saya. Got some rust and I’m in the process of removing the pitting and polishing. From here I’ll remove the coarse scratches as I go with further sharpenings.

any ideas how to handle the ura?

many idea who the maker might be?


----------



## Pie

Prepolish on Takeda x Knifewear hideriyama





Hideriyama finish





Unknown origin hard suita




Not sure what I did wrong here but came up with super funky black mirror cladding.

Things are getting better, step one I think is making bevel even. Step 2 is managing mud on harder finishers. Might have to try to full mirror step down method outlined by @Steampunk. I don’t know how you guys get the whole thing so consistent, I got those perma-shakes at 36 years old.


----------



## tcmx3

Pie said:


> I don’t know how you guys get the whole thing so consistent, I got those perma-shakes at 36 years old.



well Im hardly the king of super consistent finishes on most knives as I tend to leave low spots on purpose to extend life, but I will say that it really helps to get some felt, cork, microfiber, whatever and use stone mud/powder from your finishing stone. Ive found that this definitely can give a minor but noticeable improvement to consistency. YMMV


----------



## Froztitanz

My latest attempt at convex polishing and bringing banding out from the cladding.


----------



## Bart.s

crocca86 said:


> Same process here with this one



Looks good! What mind of micro mesh pads did you use? Just the regular soft pads?


----------



## Pie

Alllll the way back to the basics - cerax 320 —> Amakusa. Just for fun/practice. Less dark haze than synthetic, but much much brighter core steel with that cool pearliness. Getting the hang of mud management with crappy stones. Cladding line waaaaay cleaner as well.


----------



## EricEricEric

How do you like amakusa and binsu? I’ve never tried them before, I wasn’t a fan of aizu or natsuya 



Pie said:


> Alllll the way back to the basics - cerax 320 —> Amakusa. Just for fun/practice. Less dark haze than synthetic, but much much brighter core steel with that cool pearliness. Getting the hang of mud management with crappy stones. Cladding line waaaaay cleaner as well. View attachment 143672


----------



## Pie

EricEricEric said:


> How do you like amakusa and binsu? I’ve never tried them before, I wasn’t a fan of aizu or natsuya



Mine are the basic mass produced/mined imanishi ones.. I hear there’s better from morihei, and some fancy uniques from JNS and tosho. They’re not amazing, the amakusa is fairly coarse (~800 grit?), harder and non-uniform. Mine has some nice goma looking spots that spit big gritty chunks at random. Synthetics do a better and more consistent job both pre polishing and for edges. 

Binsui… quite hard. Doesn’t mud up but seems to glaze instead. Somewhere in the 1000-1500 range, but atoma slurry feels a bit scratchier than I expected. Sort of difficult to manage the mud because it’s quite stingy. The polish is scratchy but works, smooth to the touch. I could stop here and it shouldn’t be draggy through food. Might be too coarse to jump to the finisher tho. I suck at edges on this stone, but they’re toooooothy if you don’t work the mud very long. 

I’m still looking for a stone for next step, oddly enough natsuya and aizu 

Disclaimer - I’m terrible at polishing, barely passable at sharpening. I only pulled these out because I’m easily charmed by jnats, and I didn’t want to flatten my NP1k.


----------



## crocca86

Bart.s said:


> Looks good! What mind of micro mesh pads did you use? Just the regular soft pads?


Just the regular one with stone powder


----------



## tcmx3

Pie said:


> Mine are the basic mass produced/mined imanishi ones.. I hear there’s better from morihei, and some fancy uniques from JNS and tosho. They’re not amazing, the amakusa is fairly coarse (~800 grit?), harder and non-uniform. Mine has some nice goma looking spots that spit big gritty chunks at random. Synthetics do a better and more consistent job both pre polishing and for edges.
> 
> Binsui… quite hard. Doesn’t mud up but seems to glaze instead. Somewhere in the 1000-1500 range, but atoma slurry feels a bit scratchier than I expected. Sort of difficult to manage the mud because it’s quite stingy. The polish is scratchy but works, smooth to the touch. I could stop here and it shouldn’t be draggy through food. Might be too coarse to jump to the finisher tho. I suck at edges on this stone, but they’re toooooothy if you don’t work the mud very long.
> 
> I’m still looking for a stone for next step, oddly enough natsuya and aizu
> 
> Disclaimer - I’m terrible at polishing, barely passable at sharpening. I only pulled these out because I’m easily charmed by jnats, and I didn’t want to flatten my NP1k.



Natsuya and Aizu tend to be about a step apart. I really like both but I dont find Aizu super necessary. I have other stones I can sub in for the Aizu but none for Natsuya, which is unique because mine is quite a coarse natural, but it doesnt suck. Which again, is unique.


----------



## drsmp

Fingerstones from JKI / Jon Broida and Halcyon Forge gyuto


----------



## ethompson

This project has given me even higher levels is respect for you people who get flawless polishes on honyaki. Polishing that much hardened steel is a serious exercise in patience (and photographing it ain’t easy either). About ready to move to finger-stones, etching, and stone powders on this little santoku. This eventually will be my go-to weeknight prep knife for when I just need to cut half an onion, some herbs, etc.


----------



## EricEricEric

This one was 100% synthetic stones Sapton pro up to 12K

It’s the first time I’ve done it with synthetic stones, I had to try some new things to get the geometry right (6hrs total starting at 150grit)

Really wish I had the 30K stone, as this would be a good chance to fully appreciate a 30k stones results. If anyone has one they want to sell let me know I’ll give it a try

Shihan makes some really amazing knives and that mesquite wood is just killer, Ultra strong hard and impervious to water

I might come back and finish this off with my Nakayama or just etch it, either one will bring out the metal alloy banding


----------



## heldentenor

Damn. That's impressive!


----------



## JDC

EricEricEric said:


> This one was 100% synthetic stones Sapton pro up to 12K
> 
> It’s the first time I’ve done it with synthetic stones, I had to try some new things to get the geometry right (6hrs total starting at 150grit)
> 
> Really wish I had the 30K stone, as this would be a good chance to fully appreciate a 30k stones results. If anyone has one they want to sell let me know I’ll give it a try
> 
> Shihan makes some really amazing knives and that mesquite wood is just killer, Ultra strong hard and impervious to water
> 
> I might come back and finish this off with my Nakayama or just etch it, either one will bring out the metal alloy banding
> 
> 
> View attachment 147481
> View attachment 147482
> View attachment 147483
> View attachment 147484


I have a Shapton glass 30k. It’s a very very hard stone, and while leaves a full mirror at certain angle the blade looks totally scratched. I think a natural mirror polisher is much better for this job. Do you see scratches with the pro 12k? I know the glass 16k also scratches.


----------



## tostadas

Put a working finish on my newly rehandled SS clad Wat, and etched the core with lemon juice. (little bit of tape residue near the handle I didnt completely clean off before taking the photo)


----------



## tcmx3

I had been looking at that HUGE lvl 3.5 Atagoyama stone that James had listed and when it went on sale during his birthday sale I broke.

It is an interesting stone; good contrast, reasonably muddy so it's not super hard to use, a sharpening face so big you can basically put a whole 210 gyuto on it. Not the most detail, if I'm honest, but dark, uniform cladding and it doesnt totally blast the details away. the edge is actually really nice, probably the best part of the stone, but this is the polish thread not the "cut a wet paper towel cleanly" thread.


----------



## Pie

Polished up on various finishers until landing on a beautiful hard suita that I love, but suck at using. Resulted in mirror core and cladding, with a sort of light smoke coloured kasumi and pearly cladding line. Hard to catch the light contrast on camera, but it’s kinda cool when you look at it irl. I’ll be honest, I don’t know what I’m doing with hard jnats, and what to expect as a “finish”, like I don’t know what it looks like when done properly.

Plenty of pressure applied, some mud made, but still hard to get to an even polish. This is the best I could do on a bevel I convexed myself. Apparently I did a crappy job on previous stones, as you can see from the scratches but fudging the lighting can make it look decent. This particular picture shows how bad it really is in bright light.





This is the beauty queen (to me) in question. I was mad frustrated with this thing, but twice now I’ve convinced it to produce smoky mirror cladding. Maybe it’s starting to like me a bit more.


----------



## tostadas

TF Maboroshi, now with 25% less wabi-sabi


----------



## Bart.s

tostadas said:


> TF Maboroshi, now with 25% less wabi-sabi



Wow, that looks really good!! Can I ask what you did to get it there?


----------



## tostadas

Bart.s said:


> Wow, that looks really good!! Can I ask what you did to get it there?


For the blade road, I used a sandpaper progression to 1500 to remove the vertical grind marks. Then followed with finger stones and Jnat powders. Core steel was several cycles of lemon juice etch and light buffing with stone mud in between.

Spine, choil and any sharp edges on the handle were all sandpaper from P120 to P2500.


----------



## Bart.s

tostadas said:


> For the blade road, I used a sandpaper progression to 1500 to remove the vertical grind marks. Then followed with finger stones and Jnat powders. Core steel was several cycles of lemon juice etch and light buffing with stone mud in between.
> 
> Spine, choil and any sharp edges on the handle were all sandpaper from P120 to P2500.



Thanks


----------



## EricEricEric

Mazaki 270mm gyuto kasumi

I learned something very interesting tonight. I feel I’ve perfected the perfect mirror finish and I’ve perfected contrast. However, I’ve never been fully satisfied with my kasumi finish until now

I used the macro lens as much as I could for this one. 

I’ll put a sexy handle on there, 150mm, something exotic and fun


----------



## Justablacktee

EricEricEric said:


> Mazaki 270mm gyuto kasumi
> 
> I learned something very interesting tonight. I feel I’ve perfected the perfect mirror finish and I’ve perfected contrast. However, I’ve never been fully satisfied with my kasumi finish until now
> 
> I used the macro lens as much as I could for this one.
> 
> I’ll put a sexy handle on there, 150mm, something exotic and fun
> 
> View attachment 149961
> 
> View attachment 149962
> 
> View attachment 149958
> View attachment 149957
> 
> View attachment 149956
> 
> View attachment 149959



Nice job ! 
Have you done a full Hamaguri grind to erase the shinogi line before polishing it (with stone/sandpaper/pad/powder) ?


----------



## DanielC

I have been battling shoulder pain from a year ago Injury, and my polishing has been pretty nonexistent for the most part. After a frustrating weekend with a big knife project, I had to blow off some steam and peek at a bevel on a knife that I plan for later release. It's scratchy and just a quick polish, but I thought the contrast was quite good. Images after different stones and lighting. I have had a lot of cladding with banding in the past, but this is like butter with some finer activity that will be brought out with a careful polish.

Your thoughts?


























Edit:

Upon further iinspection, I was wrong about the no banding part 














This will be a fun one to polish.


----------



## DanielC

The entire knife has a clean benchstone polish (with some stray scratches, but even surface), but revealed banding further with finger stones...


----------



## refcast

White 1, old iron yanagiba, Okuizumo region blacksmith (shinogi rounded need to eventually fix)


----------



## adrianopedro

sorry, Wrong post


----------



## EricEricEric

Nakagawa 240mm Mizu honyaki 

All synthetic stone finish, might do finger stone tomorrow


----------



## Pie

Prepolish done with white amakusa

Side A - Takeda Hideriyama 



Side B - Shobu suita




Dramatic lighting 




Your browser is not able to display this video.


----------



## JDC

My friend’s Konosuke Deba finished with a Nakayama kiita iromono. 









The soft iron cladding is not as soft as expected, and it didn’t patina up at all during the whole process.


----------



## EricEricEric

I have remastered the Shihan A2 knife for @pavhav

This is the first time for me to attempt this technique, it required some instincts and risk taking, but I’m hoping he will be happy with the work that I have completed and will ship it off on Monday from Oahu to Big Island.


----------



## tcmx3

EricEricEric said:


> I have remastered the Shihan A2 knife for @pavhav
> 
> This is the first time for me to attempt this technique, it required some instincts and risk taking, but I’m hoping he will be happy with the work that I have completed and will ship it off on Monday from Oahu to Big Island.
> 
> 
> View attachment 155634
> View attachment 155635
> View attachment 155636
> View attachment 155639
> View attachment 155642
> View attachment 155641
> View attachment 155643



can you share how you did this?


----------



## EricEricEric

I used all shapton pro stones from 150-5k, never use above 5k as they will scratch, 8k diamond powder, etch, 14k diamond powder, etch, 50k diamond powder, etch

A series of very light etches FeCl+ Vinegar+water as needed, rinse, very gentle clean with soap on a cloth, very gentle cleaning with dry cloth 

This is A2 which has natural alloy banding

The knife is mirror finished with a dark rainbow etch 





tcmx3 said:


> can you share how you did this?


----------



## tcmx3

EricEricEric said:


> I used all shapton pro stones from 150-5k, never use above 5k as they will scratch, 8k diamond powder, etch, 14k diamond powder, etch, 50k diamond powder, etch
> 
> A series of very light etches FeCl+ Vinegar+water as needed, rinse, very gentle clean with soap on a cloth, very gentle cleaning with dry cloth
> 
> This is A2 which has natural alloy banding
> 
> The knife is mirror finished with a dark rainbow etch



Im surprised to hear you etched between polishing steps. IME etches are very fragile and even the lightest of abrasives can completely nuke them. I think I will take from your experiment some ideas about that as I have some knives which show banding just from stones and Ive wanted to try some performance enhancing drugs on them.

stunning results btw!


----------



## EricEricEric

For honyaki I’ve been repeatedly told to just use straight vitamin C. In this case you use a kind of abrasive fabric cloth and rub the whole knife with good pressure 

When you finish just use uchi powder to finalize a stone look finish 

This whole series of techniques prevent you from making a mistake on a natural stone


----------



## pavhav

EricEricEric said:


> A series of very light etches


For the etch, did you dip the entire blade? Or apply the etchant only to the blade road with cloth, a q-tip, or some such? Just wondering how, (if at all), it affects the KU.


----------



## EricEricEric

The first technique with FeCl I just dip the whole knife, it makes the Ku and blade darker, for the second technique I keep rubbing the whole blade and it makes the blade cloudy with alloy banding showing and makes Ku lighter as well

Ku can always be darkened or restored with cold bluing methods, so keep that in mind if you ever want to create that effect


----------



## pavhav

I thought rust-bluing was the only food safe way to blue, (and a huge PITA). What are the cold bluing methods you've found effective on blades?


----------



## ethompson

Most ambitious project yet, a refinish (or maybe just a first finish?) on this Takahashi Kajiya I picked up from @thebradleycrew a little while back. Still a long road ahead if I decide I want to keep it, but the profile has had all the holes removed, I established actual bevels, and put a working polish on, This hand laminated steel has insane carbon migration at the cladding line which is really fun to play around with on different stones. Included a before video for reference where I started yesterday morning.









Your browser is not able to display this video.


----------



## nutmeg

_*the Kuzan Oda yanagiba, 360mm, honyaki*_

I was afraid of not being able to get this blade done with good conscience. This made me almost angry because of the efforts put in it..
The sword-looking blade is now going back to its owner.

You are probably thinking it was easy.






Those who tried to polish a honyaki may have noticed how hard it is. And how time consuming it is.
You can try to imagine this very hard and tough steel, resisting to pressure on coarse diamond plates. And when you put it on finer stones and JNATS, you can imagine the little quantity of metal you're removing after each stroke...





And it sounds like you feel frustrated because the iron clad you polished before felt like melted butter in comparison.
On your kasumi you gave 20% of the work and get 80% of the result. An invitation to trade offs and it's still more than good enough.
Same with honyaki? Unfortunately not.
You give 20% and get nothing .
You are hardworker and at a point you're feeling to be at 99%. (When you're close to give up and the result begins to be "not bad")

So what's the next best step?






When you polish a knife, you can take the easy way and make the whole blade look mirror. Idiot proof, the scratches remain always but are not that visible a couple of feet away.
And your blade became featureless.

Are you giving up on getting a sword-like finish?
"No way!"






The good thing, if you don't work for a museum: you can feel free to polish the way you want 

Anyway, there are some kind of "rules" you have to be aware of.

_General geometry * 
_As scratch free as possible when you look the blade at minimum distance (15-20cm) *
_Shinogi as a clear line and sharpest as possible (highest acutance)* * * 
_Sharp delimitation in color, texture and geometry at the tip (strictly perpendicular)* * *
_Bevel with feeling of exact homogeneous height from heel to tip *
_Whitish below the hamon line but not shiny* * *
_Dark above the hamon line but not too shiny* * *
_Dark mirror above the shinogi *

* Impossible with full mirror finish
* Difficult with finger stones
* Important steps on bench stones. Have to be respected in further steps.
* Only with finger stones

All these points above are impossible to reach with sand paper.





Every additional box you're ticking is doubling your work.


----------



## nutmeg

Admitting you ticked many or all the boxes..
Do you really want to leave the ura untouched?






It seems like you don't want to touch the ura too much.
And it feels like it's because you can't use any benchstone on this side..
It sounds like you are probably planing to use only finger stones on this side.





I've got bad news and it is really gonna stink.

The surface on the ura is about twice as large as on the other side.. You can imagine, the larger the surface, the larger you can see every tiny scratch or finger print.
Without benchstones, you won't get as much contrast as on the other side and it looks like you won't be able to "prepare" the blade correctly by removing scratches.
It looks like you're going to need more finger stones than you planed.





Kitchen knives are made of HARD steel.
Swords are made of not-that-hard Tamahagane.

Is the hardness difference negligible enough to use the same finger stones?
Unfortunately, Honyaki kitchen knives need much softer finger stones than swords. Hazuya/Jizuya are names that apply to tools for swords only. Harder stones will leave a scratchy surface with weak contrast.
As a bonus: If you can get finger stones everywhere, these ones are extremely difficult to find.
Ridiculous, isn't it?


----------



## captaincaed

Good lord man...


----------



## jedy617

EricEricEric said:


> I have remastered the Shihan A2 knife for @pavhav
> 
> This is the first time for me to attempt this technique, it required some instincts and risk taking, but I’m hoping he will be happy with the work that I have completed and will ship it off on Monday from Oahu to Big Island.
> 
> 
> View attachment 155634
> View attachment 155635
> View attachment 155636
> View attachment 155639
> View attachment 155642
> View attachment 155641
> View attachment 155643


I regret not buying this now, anything else you have for sale you polished? Lol. Do you take other peoples knives in? Curious what you could do on my shiraki honyaki....


----------



## tostadas

Playing around with a cheap TF


----------



## JDC

tostadas said:


> Playing around with a cheap TF


So smooth! This is a nashiji right? What I find on my mab is contrast is difficult to show on the cladding.


----------



## tostadas

JDC said:


> So smooth! This is a nashiji right? What I find on my mab is contrast is difficult to show on the cladding.


Yea its a TF nashiji. I've found that for TF knives in general, it is really hard to bring out anything in the cladding. Both the cladding and the core are really resistant to any sort of abrasive. Many of my stones have absolutely no effect on the steel. This may be a good thing for use, but for thinning and polishing, it's time consuming to get it to how I want.


----------



## tcmx3

tostadas said:


> Yea its a TF nashiji. I've found that for TF knives in general, it is really hard to bring out anything in the cladding. Both the cladding and the core are really resistant to any sort of abrasive. This may be a good thing for use, but for thinning and polishing, it's time consuming to get it to how I want.



yeah if you want a good result on tf cladding go get every stone off your shelf, try them all, swear a lot, then somehow on the second try the worst one the first time makes a great result 

or actually just use a mauroyama shiro suita. both of the ones Ive had have been the only ones where every time I used them on a TF I got a good result.


----------



## tostadas

tcmx3 said:


> yeah if you want a good result on tf cladding go get every stone off your shelf, try them all, swear a lot, then somehow on the second try the worst one the first time makes a great result


Yea that's pretty accurate. This one in particular was pretty resistant even vs synthetics. I couldn't thin it using a coarse norton crystolon. All it did was burnish.


----------



## tcmx3

tostadas said:


> Yea that's pretty accurate. This one in particular was pretty resistant even vs synthetics. I couldn't thin it using a coarse norton crystolon. All it did was burnish.



expensive sandpaper and a kasfly is how I deal with such stones. which is unfortunate; I prefer to work on stones but such is life


----------



## wombat

Beginner attempt. I didn't like how the patina on my Kaeru WH was developing, especially some yellow blotches from unwisely using it to smash garlic, so I decided to clean it up. Koyo Sunlite paste following by micromesh pads and binsui powder. Forgot to take a 'before' shot unfortunately.











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----------



## DanielC

Been busy in life lately but had to stop and rub something on stone to regain sanity.


----------



## tostadas

Some more playing around with a bunch of various things to etch the TF from previously.


----------



## DanielC

After reading Nutmeg's absolutely beautiful post on the polishing of his honyaki, I really feel that anguish inside considering the difficulty. It is absolutely true. I have only "stone polish only" a single modern steel honyaki without using sandpaper or acids and all that for finishing, and it was a pain. So much so that I haven't forgotten about it since. Mine thankfully didn't involve a shinogi however, but it is a hamaguriesque/conve geometry.

It wasn't a perfect polish, I don't think I've ever achieved a perfect, scratch free polish, but it did take me a lot of time to do, with an injured shoulder even. I would polish and have to ice my shoulder for a few days, and polish another afternoon and keep icing again. It was pretty ridiculous  The ashi can use more time with fingerstones I'm sure, but it can be mind numbing.

The hamon is yahazu (notched type).
























And this was a WIP pic from earlier in the polishing showing the hamon a little more.


----------



## DanielC

Details in mild steel cladding.


----------



## ethompson

My polishing skills are improving faster than my photography… one of the most even finishes I’ve managed so far. Off a soft nakayama suita.


----------



## cotedupy

Well this is an excellent thread that I hadn't really noticed before, some top work here!

For a while I've had a chunk of Shoubu Karasu Suita, that had a couple of quite nastily toxic suji through it






And I wasn't really having much success with lapping or digging, so I broke it up and got rid of the toxicity on a belt sander:






I'd never used fingerstones before, so had no idea whether they'd work or not. Here's my stone testing knife beforehand:






And after a few mins:






Some potential here I think...


----------



## Kiru

A friend gave me this knife for chip removal, I say f it, let’s do a full kasumi 
Aftermath is..... The left point finger pad is gone




Your browser is not able to display this video.


----------



## cotedupy

I'd be interested to hear people's thoughts on why Japanese stones are so good for polishing in comparison to most others...

In a strictly geological sense there's nothing particularly special about jnats - they're the same basic thing as loads of other naturals. I have, and have tried, quite a lot of the world's other stones, and many are markedly better than jnats for actually sharpening things, yet finding ones that will bevel polish well is vanishingly rare. Why do we think that is?

---

One type that does polish well is Belgian Blue Whetstone - it's a really good kasumi stone. Here's a quick BBW finish - if I'd gone a little longer it'd would've started to break down and round out the garnets to get rid of some of the scratch patterns too, but you get the idea:






But really apart from jnats there's not much out there tbh - very few other fine stones are soft or friable enough perhaps, and it fecks up the cladding. You can mirror polish with Thuringians if you find one big enough, and Tam O'Shanters can work when soaked, but large format versions of those stones would be more expensive than a Japanese stone that would do it better anyway.


----------



## wombat

cotedupy said:


> Some potential here I think...


Rather a lot, I would say! 

This excellent thread has made me decide to thin and polish (and probably wreck) my nakiri next weekend.


----------



## ethompson

Having every bit as much fun with wrought iron as I thought I would. Just got this in the mail today, but couldn’t help putting it straight to the stones. Not a huge fan of etched finishes, though this Shihan was pretty well done on that front, and wanted to see what it’d look like with a full stone finish. Pretty tight progression from an aoto up to an Okudo suita.


----------



## tylerleach

First attempt ever… this is a LOT harder than I thought it would be! This is one of my employees knives, Okeya Ginsan 270, tons of low spots that became very apparent as soon as I put in on the stones.
This was a blatant reminder that this is an art, and as of right now I am terrible at it lol. Gonna keep working at it! Also very curious about J-nats and how they might change things… obviously they are not miracle stones, technique is everything I’m sure.


----------



## wombat

Had to attempt to thin my Denka because the cladding line had reached the edge.

Before thinning:




After thinning and tidying up:










Messed up the kurouchi a bit, but that was hard to avoid. Some more finishing work to be done.

There was a hollow spot one one side at the heel which has unfortunately resulted in a significant up-sweep. I'm hoping it will be reduced a bit when I sharpen it.


----------



## krx927

wombat said:


> Had to attempt to thin my Denka because the cladding line had reached the edge.
> 
> Before thinning:
> 
> View attachment 165647
> 
> 
> After thinning and tidying up:
> 
> View attachment 165648
> 
> 
> View attachment 165650
> 
> 
> View attachment 165651
> 
> 
> Messed up the kurouchi a bit, but that was hard to avoid. Some more finishing work to be done.
> 
> There was a hollow spot one one side at the heel which has unfortunately resulted in a significant up-sweep. I'm hoping it will be reduced a bit when I sharpen it.



Tip for next time: You should put some tape on the kurouchi part to protect it.


----------



## wombat

I tried, but didn’t have any tape that was able to withstand the 220 stone. The unevenness of the finish made it very hard to keep some spots off the stone and bits of tape were clogging it up. Maybe a double layer of duct tape next time.


----------



## tylerleach

Thinned and polished this bad boy again… this is one of my work horses. Takamura Chromax 210. Reeeeeally wish they would make a 240! Then, you know, had to check my work


----------



## Pie

Got a couple killer stones from @Hassanbensober - an iyoto and an ohira suita. Maybe it’s a product of my limited jnat collection, but these things are *fast*.
Threw the polish mule on them for a couple minutes - 




Another few passes




Impressed, to say the least.

Can’t wait to hide from my responsibilities for some more time with these.


----------



## ethompson

Pie said:


> Can’t wait to hide from my responsibilities for some more time with these.


I too, use polishing as a my preferred revenge bedtime procrastination technique. Also, I too was surprised on how fast (relatively speaking) suitas seem to be in comparison to similarly hard finishing stones. Guess that is part of why they get so expensive.


----------



## tylerleach

What is a good first j-nat for polishing/finishing? Looking to pick what up I just have no idea what to get…definitely willing to spend money on something I can keep.


----------



## tcmx3

tylerleach said:


> What is a good first j-nat for polishing/finishing? Looking to pick what up I just have no idea what to get…definitely willing to spend money on something I can keep.



they're all individual etc etc etc but...

Maruoyama Shiro Suita. get the purest/biggest one you can afford.

reasonably priced (comparatively), easy to use, beautiful finishes, also tend to leave good edges a bit angrier than some of the harder suitas.


----------



## Pie

tylerleach said:


> What is a good first j-nat for polishing/finishing? Looking to pick what up I just have no idea what to get…definitely willing to spend money on something I can keep.


Pick a price range, hound BST, and have a discussion with the seller as to what’s appropriate. Unfortunately there’s not much consistency afforded by pedigree, mine, or appearance. IME a softer Hideriyama tomae may be a good place to start, but I keep seeing others obtain good results off reasonably priced marouyama.

I say pick up a cheaper koppa and see what happens. Getting what you’re looking for is infinitely easier when you have one data point on what you do and don’t like.


----------



## adrianopedro

Kasumi polishing on my Naoki Mazaki Sujihiki


----------



## esoo

As most of this is done by stone going to post this here. 





Rust eraser, flitz, Belgium blue nagura and natural stone powder. Should've spent more time earlier in the process to clean up some spots, but I'm happy with it for the time spent


----------



## ethompson

Gentle thinning (1k to start) and full progression for the ShiHan. Working on knives with grinds this immaculate is so easy. About an hour to take it back up to a finish that is as good as I can manage without stone powder, finger-stones, etc. King 1k > Shapton Glass 2k > Aoto > soft Ohira karasu uchigumori > Nakayama suita > Ohira uchigumori (very hard / fine) > Okudo suita. Used paper towel and the remaining slurry off the last suita to smooth it out a little bit too.




Your browser is not able to display this video.


----------



## Pie

Revisited a stone I hadn’t really gotten to know very well, a softer shobu suita. Turns out it’s capable of some nice contrast while mirror polishing the cladding, all while giving up a comfortable mud cushion. Some scratches are there, I’m hoping from grit contamination and not an inclusion. 





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----------



## tostadas

Round 1 of many vs the giant rectangle. Not sure why I thought this would be a good idea.


----------



## Pie

tostadas said:


> Round 1 of many vs the giant rectangle. Not sure why I thought this would be a good idea.
> View attachment 172935


Might be because it looks awesome!


----------



## refcast

Double cladding line or super carbon migration. . . Uchigumori fingerstones because I don't want to thin the knife just yet, since it's a concave grind .


----------



## Pie

All natural progression - amakusa, white amakusa, Hideriyama, shobou suita. Core steel isn’t nearly as clean as synth prepped, I suspect due to the variable cutting power of my stones, combined with impatience. Reminds me a bit of mazaki’s stock finishes about a year ago.


----------



## ethompson

Found some very interesting texture in this 1.2562 mini-cleaver core steel during polishing.


----------



## MSicardCutlery

I'm a big fan of Walter Sorrels' hybrid polishing method for hamons, of course they're just about impossible to photograph nicely if they're active.


----------



## Runner_up

Yanagiba polish

Playing around with some new stones.


----------



## DanielC

I've been away for a bit but I have managed to squeek out a feel polishes to stay same.











And a different one.


----------



## tostadas

Cleaning up the Matsubara after 2 thinning sessions. Played around with some etching to try to calm down the reactivity. Some interesting details started showing up in parts of the cladding.


----------



## refcast

A Kanna


----------



## Feiii

tostadas said:


> Cleaning up the Matsubara after 2 thinning sessions. Played around with some etching to try to calm down the reactivity. Some interesting details started showing up in parts of the cladding.


that's Matsubara White 1 right? How did you go about thinning it if I may ask? How does it perform now after 2 thinning sessions?


----------



## tostadas

Feiii said:


> that's Matsubara White 1 right? How did you go about thinning it if I may ask? How does it perform now after 2 thinning sessions?


It arrived thick at the edge with a bit of a wonky grind. I focused my effort on the first 10-15mm behind the edge. The geometry higher up the blade is nice, so I just wanted to mainly thin bte and preserve the original convexity. I did the thinning work with sandpaper on top of an atoma block. 220-400-800, going slowly and checking frequently. Here's a photo of original grind compared to result after the first thinning. Second thinning was less significant. The knife performs way nicer now. I'll just have to see now how the reactivity is after the polish and etch.


----------



## ethompson

Another kanna.


----------



## Runner_up

Full blade and KU refinish

Most of the polishing work done on Morihei Hishiboshi stones.


----------



## Heckel7302

Runner_up said:


> Full blade and KU refinish
> 
> Most of the polishing work done on Morihei Hishiboshi stones.


What did you use to refinish the KU?


----------



## Runner_up

Heckel7302 said:


> What did you use to refinish the KU?



Sorry, this is a proprietary process that I came up with through a lot of trial and error - I will keep this to myself. 

However a lot of folks use gun blu and get pretty good results. The stuff is pretty toxic, but I think in the small amounts used and if the blade is prepped correctly before and after it is no problem.


----------



## Heckel7302

Was just curious more than anything. But ok, fair enough, had to ask. Looks great.


----------



## Forty Ounce

Yanick gyuto sporting a natural stone finish. This was sent to me for repair, it had a chip that was a little more than 1mm deep. I removed the chip, thinned, and then polished. The last stone I used was a dark grey, with spots of renge, from Maruoyama.

More pics and vids on my IG :

Link below has pics of the chip.


----------



## tcmx3

Forty Ounce said:


> View attachment 177747
> View attachment 177749
> 
> Yanick gyuto sporting a natural stone finish. This was sent to me for repair, it had a chip that was a little more than 1mm deep. I removed the chip, thinned, and then polished. The last stone I used was a dark grey, with spots of renge, from Maruoyama.
> 
> More pics and vids on my IG :
> 
> Link below has pics of the chip.









this, but for the stone in question


----------



## jedy617

I'm very much a novice (first attempt at a project like this), but took my spare spicy white honyaki to my uchigumori fingerstones, then used some diamond paste I had, followed by some buffing with automotive compound and etched 3 times in between buffing. Wondering if I should leave it as is or go back over the hamon with fingerstones. It is much more apparent of a hamon in person but still not super duper contrasty, but that's ok.

How I got it





polishing






etch






final:


----------



## Forty Ounce

tcmx3 said:


> View attachment 177752
> 
> 
> this, but for the stone in question


----------



## uniliang

Ashi Blue Steel Fugubiki Honyaki after hazuya.


----------



## ethompson

uniliang said:


> View attachment 178083
> View attachment 178084
> 
> Ashi Blue Steel Fugubiki Honyaki after hazuya.


For this ura polishing, are you just using finger stones or something else too? Seems like getting an ura properly polished is a real pain…


----------



## uniliang

ethompson said:


> For this ura polishing, are you just using finger stones or something else too? Seems like getting an ura properly polished is a real pain…



Got it to almost mirror polished then finger stones.


----------



## ethompson

uniliang said:


> Got it to almost mirror polished then finger stones.


Good to know - seems like the right way. What did you use to erase the original grind marks and get it up to mirror? Or did it come pre-polished


----------



## uniliang

ethompson said:


> Good to know - seems like the right way. What did you use to erase the original grind marks and get it up to mirror? Or did it come pre-polished


Groove stones for sword.


----------



## EricEricEric

I talked to Tobias a bit in order to understand how he put the original finish on the knife. I proceeded to perfect the bevel. He does a very good job with his knives, only low at the end of the heel and top of the nose.

I etched after perfecting the bevel and he liked the black look so much he suggest leaving it like that, so I felt I couldn’t disagree


----------



## tag98

Not sure if this is the correct spot for this as im new to sharpening and polishing but i ran my knifewear kiridashi through my progression today and am mostly pleased with the results minus the one low corner that didnt polish up super nice


----------



## KO88

Didn't use my uchi for a while and almost forgot how nice it is… watetsu clad kiridashi was scratched by hard nakayama so I tried the uchi directly if it can erase the scratches.
Happy 




Your browser is not able to display this video.




…


----------



## KO88

KO88 said:


> ...
> scratched by hard nakayama so I tried the uchi directly if it can erase the scratches.
> …


Btw before it looked like this. And to erase those it was under 5min on fresh...




Your browser is not able to display this video.


----------



## Pie

KO88 said:


> Didn't use my uchi for a while and almost forgot how nice it is… watetsu clad kiridashi was scratched by hard nakayama so I tried the uchi directly if it can erase the scratches.
> Happy
> View attachment 178582
> 
> …


May I inquire as to the origin or possibly see this magic uchi?


----------



## KO88

Pie said:


> May I inquire as to the origin or possibly see this magic uchi?


I got it from Nutmeg... (harder one / finer for the uchi)


----------



## Pie

KO88 said:


> I got it from Nutmeg... (harder one / finer for the uchi)
> 
> View attachment 178609
> View attachment 178610
> View attachment 178611
> View attachment 178612


This is every bit as magical as I had imagined. Super cool stone, and nice finish!


----------



## KO88

Pie said:


> This is every bit as magical as I had imagined. Super cool stone, and nice finish!


And it’s Ohira Uchi…


----------



## KDSDeluxe

My Kaeru 210 mm had got a tuning by Suntravel. But i didn't liked the finish. So I polished it with micromesh and mud from stones. Now it really have a rustic look that i really like. I put a new handle on it for the first time and am really satisfied with the work. I didn't even need silicone to close the gaps. I love it...

After tuning





Now


----------



## ethompson

KDSDeluxe said:


> My Kaeru 210 mm had got a tuning by Suntravel. But i didn't liked the finish. So I polished it with micromesh and mud from stones. Now it really have a rustic look that i really like. I put a new handle on it for the first time and am really satisfied with the work. I didn't even need silicone to close the gaps. I love it...
> 
> After tuning
> View attachment 179417
> 
> 
> Now
> 
> View attachment 179418
> View attachment 179419
> View attachment 179420
> View attachment 179421
> View attachment 179422
> View attachment 179423


What all was involved in the tuning? Looks great!


----------



## tostadas

KDSDeluxe said:


> My Kaeru 210 mm had got a tuning by Suntravel. But i didn't liked the finish. So I polished it with micromesh and mud from stones. Now it really have a rustic look that i really like. I put a new handle on it for the first time and am really satisfied with the work. I didn't even need silicone to close the gaps. I love it...
> 
> After tuning
> View attachment 179417
> 
> 
> Now
> 
> View attachment 179418
> View attachment 179419
> View attachment 179420
> View attachment 179421
> View attachment 179422
> View attachment 179423


Thats a clean install


----------



## KDSDeluxe

ethompson said:


> What all was involved in the tuning? Looks great!


It was like an ax before, so suntravel had thinned it out. It has lost 14 grams but is still a workhorse. 1 cm in front of the tip it is now 0.8 mm and behind it is still stable.


----------



## tostadas

KDSDeluxe said:


> It was like an ax before, so suntravel had thinned it out. It has lost 14 grams but is still a workhorse. 1 cm in front of the tip it is now 0.8 mm and behind it is still stable.


Is that the "workhorse" version? 14g of steel removed is a LOT!


----------



## KDSDeluxe

tostadas said:


> Is that the "workhorse" version? 14g of steel removed is a LOT!


Yep the workhorse version. Thats true. But it had 290 grams before and is still heavy. The balance point was 6 cm from the handle, now it's 4,5 cm and feels a way better.


----------



## Heckel7302

KDSDeluxe said:


> It has lost 14 grams


That’s one hell of a tuning. I’d call that a full on overhaul! Looks great though.


----------



## KDSDeluxe

Heckel7302 said:


> That’s one hell of a tuning. I’d call that a full on overhaul! Looks great though.


yes it is, but suntravel left enough reserves, it is not too sensitive and not to nail flexing. The foodrelease is also better than before


----------



## Heckel7302

Decided to take the plunge and refinish the bevels on my Wakui. Ran it on a 6k to see what I’m dealing with. Looks like I’ve got some low spots to work out…wish me luck!


----------



## ethompson

Heckel7302 said:


> Decided to take the plunge and refinish the bevels on my Wakui. Ran it on a 6k to see what I’m dealing with. Looks like I’ve got some low spots to work out…wish me luck!View attachment 179435


Honestly looks like you’re going to make it out easy, not seeing anything to concerning from that picture! When you start seeing big holes of a fully hallow in the wide bevel is when you know you’re in for a long time on the coarse stones.

And the good news is the hardest part - the initial plunge of putting a treasured knife flat on the stones - is now over!


----------



## Heckel7302

ethompson said:


> Honestly looks like you’re going to make it out easy, not seeing anything to concerning from that picture! When you start seeing big holes of a fully hallow in the wide bevel is when you know you’re in for a long time on the coarse stones


Yeah, could be worse. I spent about 30 minutes on my permasoaked King 300 and they are mostly out. Probably another 20-30 minutes will do it. Will see what the other side looks like when I get to it.


----------



## Pie

Heckel7302 said:


> Yeah, could be worse. I spent about 30 minutes on my permasoaked King 300 and they are mostly out. Probably another 20-30 minutes will do it. Will see what the other side looks like when I get to it.


Looks great! Agree with @ethompson - looks very even to me! A fork in the road at this point, prior to full low spot removal.. do you 

1. Full flat bevel for easy polishing? 
2. Hamaguri the edge, round and raise the shinogi - convexed for food release and performance, but a real challenge to create even polish? 

I fight myself about this on the daily


----------



## Heckel7302

Pie said:


> Looks great! Agree with @ethompson - looks very even to me! A fork in the road at this point, prior to full low spot removal.. do you
> 
> 1. Full flat bevel for easy polishing?
> 2. Hamaguri the edge, round and raise the shinogi - convexed for food release and performance, but a real challenge to create even polish?
> 
> I fight myself about this on the daily


It’s my first go at polishing anything but Kiridashi, my Moritaka Honesuki, and some higos, so I’ll see where the road takes me. There is some convexivity, so I’ll try to preserve that, but reserve the possibility of flattening things out if I can’t get it looking decent.


----------



## DanielC




----------



## Heckel7302

Update on the Wakui

After spending some more time with the King 300, I cleared those scratches with a NP400 then hit it with permasoaked King 800. Here it is after the 800







Then a little time on my Aoto (forgot to take pics) then on to my Natsuya. Here it is after Natsuya








Went to my Uchi after that. Still needs work though. Will update again when I’m happy with it.

One fun thing, I love the way my finger slurry marks match this knife’s Tsuchime pattern when working on it.


----------



## Kiru

Rusty ahem I mean rustic little knife I sharpened the other day


----------



## tostadas

Kiru said:


> Rusty ahem I mean rustic little knife I sharpened the other day
> 
> View attachment 180018
> 
> View attachment 180015
> 
> View attachment 180016
> View attachment 180017


What do you like to use for rust removal?


----------



## Kiru

tostadas said:


> What do you like to use for rust removal?


Good ol sandpaper for this one… thankfully the rust isn’t very deep(you can see little black dots on the left side of the blade but that’s about the deepest)


----------



## Heckel7302

Got the Wakui looking pretty good. Not perfect. A perfect scratch free finish is a goal that will take some more practice it seems. But I learned a lot and the result is so much nicer than the stock media blasted finish. Now on to the front side…

Polished:









Stock:


----------



## ethompson

Honyaki polishing is still relatively unknown to me. This is after far too much time playing with pastes, acids, and nugui - all of which are new to my polishing repertoire.


----------



## ahhactive

ethompson said:


> View attachment 181659
> 
> 
> Honyaki polishing is still relatively new to me. This is after far to much time playing with pastes, acids, and nugui - all of which are new to me.


niceeee, what knife is this?


----------



## ethompson

ahhactive said:


> niceeee, what knife is this?


Many thanks, it’s a house branded honyaki from JNS


----------



## Se1ryu

EricEricEric said:


> This one was 100% synthetic stones Sapton pro up to 12K
> 
> It’s the first time I’ve done it with synthetic stones, I had to try some new things to get the geometry right (6hrs total starting at 150grit)
> 
> Really wish I had the 30K stone, as this would be a good chance to fully appreciate a 30k stones results. If anyone has one they want to sell let me know I’ll give it a try
> 
> Shihan makes some really amazing knives and that mesquite wood is just killer, Ultra strong hard and impervious to water
> 
> I might come back and finish this off with my Nakayama or just etch it, either one will bring out the metal alloy banding
> 
> 
> View attachment 147481
> View attachment 147482
> View attachment 147483
> View attachment 147484


Do you use Buffer and some polishing compound for final polishing??


----------



## Heckel7302

Man, a perfect scratch free finish seems very elusive to me. I’m pretty sure these are still from lower grits I didn’t totally work out. It’s a labor of love I guess.


----------



## EricEricEric

All of my finishing is done after 5k shapton pro, I use diamond dust with water and hard felt pad 5k-50k, or I use shiro nagura then Maruoyama then jibiki finger stones 

Two different methods 



Se1ryu said:


> Do you use Buffer and some polishing compound for final polishing??


----------



## ethompson

Heckel7302 said:


> Man, a perfect scratch free finish seems very elusive to me. I’m pretty sure these are still from lower grits I didn’t totally work out. It’s a labor of love I guess.



This is a very, very good finish from what I can see. Chasing perfection is a bit of a trap. It is possible, but extremely, extremely time consuming and fairly difficult. Doubling the amount of time to get that last few % is probably a reasonable expectation in my experience. I still haven't gotten there, but I'm working on one now that I hope to get to that point.


----------



## Heckel7302

ethompson said:


> This is a very, very good finish from what I can see. Chasing perfection is a bit of a trap. It is possible, but extremely, extremely time consuming and fairly difficult. Doubling the amount of time to get that last few % is probably a reasonable expectation in my experience. I still haven't gotten there, but I'm working on one now that I hope to get to that point.


Thanks, I appreciate the vote of confidence. As a reformed classical professional musician, perfection is sort of ingrained in me. The scratches are very fine and really only visible in the harshest of light (like direct sunlight in the video), but I know they’re there, lol.


----------



## Se1ryu

EricEricEric said:


> All of my finishing is done after 5k shapton pro, I use diamond dust with water and hard felt pad 5k-50k, or I use shiro nagura then Maruoyama then jibiki finger stones
> 
> Two different methods


"This one was 100% synthetic stones Sapton pro up to 12K"
I mean the mirror polished knife in the photo, which polishing method did you use after SP 12 K?


----------



## EricEricEric

12k is the final stone in that sequence, you don’t want to go beyond 5k. 8k 12k and beyond are all hard stones and will leave scratches, you just can’t see them in that light 



Se1ryu said:


> "This one was 100% synthetic stones Sapton pro up to 12K"
> I mean the mirror polished knife in the photo, which polishing method did you use after SP 12 K?


----------



## Se1ryu

EricEricEric said:


> 12k is the final stone in that sequence, you don’t want to go beyond 5k. 8k 12k and beyond are all hard stones and will leave scratches, you just can’t see them in that light


Yup, That's why I never use ceramic stone above 5000 for polishing. I just wonder how you can achieve that mirror finish with SP 12K. Maybe because of the light (sunlight) and camera angel?

Thank you for the information @EricEricEric


----------



## cotedupy

Anybody tried the SG30K for polishing?

Blindingly bright mirror finishes off that. It's quite fun tbh!


----------



## cotedupy

This is an interesting stone I got from Otto a little while back, it's a very old (NOS) Iyo stone that he described as 'Hon' Iyo:












It's mid grit - early to mid 1000s, though quite slow for sharpening. I have zero interest in using jnats for sharpening tbh, and had asked about a polishing stone around this level, maybe to slot into a progression or something.

It took me a little while to figure out exactly how best to use it, but it actually leaves a quite beautiful, nuanced finish when worked properly (to which my shonky phone camera fails to do justice). And much higher than you would guess from the feel of it.













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----------



## tostadas

Hatsukokoro Komorebi has some swirly stuff


----------



## Pie

tostadas said:


> Hatsukokoro Komorebi has some swirly stuff


Quite swirly


----------



## cotedupy

Maruoyama Shiro Suita polish on the unagisaki. What this stone does, particularly to cladding, is quite special.


----------



## Se1ryu

Runner_up said:


> Full blade and KU refinish
> 
> Most of the polishing work done on Morihei Hishiboshi stones.


What grit Morihei Hishiboshi did you use for final polish on the secondary bevel??
Look nice


----------



## tostadas

Gave my trusty beater some love today. Thinned and refinished kaeru stainless 210.


----------



## ethompson

Been working on too many different things recently. Hopefully will have something more substantial to share soon. Here are some misc things I’ve played with recently though.

Quick cleanup on a Yanick




Deba




Quick cleanup on a Isasmedjan




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Nakiri




Your browser is not able to display this video.




Really, really hard to capture the detail on the nakiri. But the carbon migration is so substantial that it visually almost has two cladding lines. Very hard steel and clad so ended up with a glossy finish overall.


----------



## Se1ryu

ethompson said:


> Been working on too many different things recently. Hopefully will have something more substantial to share soon. Here are some misc things I’ve played with recently though.
> 
> Quick cleanup on a Yanick
> View attachment 187153
> 
> Deba
> View attachment 187154
> 
> Quick cleanup on a Isasmedjan
> View attachment 187155
> 
> Nakiri
> View attachment 187156


What stones?


----------



## ethompson

Se1ryu said:


> What stones?


Uh…. Too many to think of to name a progression for each. Yanick and nakiri both finished on a Nakayma Asagi Maruichi. Deba was a middle soft Ohira Uchi, I think. Can’t recall on the Isasmedjan honestly.


----------



## Se1ryu

ethompson said:


> Uh…. Too many to think of to name a progression for each. Yanick and nakiri both finished on a Nakayma Asagi Maruichi. Deba was a middle soft Ohira Uchi, I think. Can’t recall on the Isasmedjan honestly.


Lol...sorry for not being so detailed. 
I mean the yanick one. Great finished


----------



## ethompson

Se1ryu said:


> Lol...sorry for not being so detailed.
> I mean the yanick one. Great finished


Big chunk of that credit goes to Yanick for setting up nice stone worked bevels to start


----------



## cotedupy

ethompson said:


> Nakayma Asagi




Go on then - how on earth do you use a Nakayama Asagi for polishing? What tips and secrets do you have for me...

I have a very old Asagi, that may well be Nakayama going by the look and feel of it. It's probably not the hardest one out there (I'd say a high 4.5 or low 5), but it's still way too hard for me to polish on. Lovely razor stone though .


----------



## ethompson

cotedupy said:


> Go on then - how on earth do you use a Nakayama Asagi for polishing? What tips and secrets do you have for me...
> 
> I have a very old Asagi, that may well be Nakayama going by the look and feel of it. It's probably not the hardest one out there (I'd say a high 4.5 or low 5), but it's still way too hard for me to polish on. Lovely razor stone though .


It’s a special stone, not sone magic technique on my part. I asked @nutmeg for recommendation on something that could bring a bit more mirror to my polishing repertoire while still leaving some contrast and he suggested this one. It’s hard, but just on the right side of the line where it is useful for kitchen knives. Once you get it going it actually gets to be fairly slick and comfortable, though not forgiving if you stop paying attention. It wasn’t cheap, but I’m confident he quite dramatically under-valued it.


----------



## cotedupy

ethompson said:


> It’s a special stone, not sone magic technique on my part. I asked @nutmeg for recommendation on something that could bring a bit more mirror to my polishing repertoire while still leaving some contrast and he suggested this one. It’s hard, but just on the right side of the line where it is useful for kitchen knives. Once you get it going it actually gets to be fairly slick and comfortable, though not forgiving if you stop paying attention. It wasn’t cheap, but I’m confident he quite dramatically under-valued it.
> View attachment 187211




BOOO!!!

I wanted some kind of secret handshake / wisdom passed down through the generations. And all I got was an arty picture of your utterly amazing looking stone . You could've just make something up, then when it didn't work I'd have put it down to my inferior technique, simple-mindedness and lack of craft.

Ah well, you've inspired me to give it another go anyway. I shall report back...


----------



## cotedupy

ethompson said:


> It’s a special stone, not sone magic technique on my part. I asked @nutmeg for recommendation on something that could bring a bit more mirror to my polishing repertoire while still leaving some contrast and he suggested this one. It’s hard, but just on the right side of the line where it is useful for kitchen knives. Once you get it going it actually gets to be fairly slick and comfortable, though not forgiving if you stop paying attention. It wasn’t cheap, but I’m confident he quite dramatically under-valued it.
> View attachment 187211




Nothing like as smart, but the story of mine is an interesting one...

I couldn't tell anything about what it might be when I picked up as an ebay punt for $25AUD about a year ago, just that it looked a kinda light colour so probably wasn't a synth. I asked the seller about it; and he'd picked up about 10 years ago at a market, from an old guy who'd had it since he was an apprentice carpenter in Sydney in the '50s.

Even after I got it and started lapping I was none the wiser as to what it was. I probably hadn't heard of an Asagi at that time, and frankly you don't expect and old Aussie carpenter's stone to be a jnat, so it just wasn't on my mind. Until I put a knife on it... and then it was blindingly obvious.

No way now of knowing what mine it came from, but it has a lovely, distinctive silken feel to it, despite being quite hard. Apparently (according to someone who knows far more about this kind of thing than I do) the cut marks on the sides are likely to have been pre about 1920 ish. And happily those little hairline cracks can't be felt even under a razor, and haven't developed at all, touch wood.


----------



## ethompson

Yeah, that’s a good looking stone! Definitely looks hand sawn by the sides


----------



## cotedupy

ethompson said:


> Yeah, that’s a good looking stone! Definitely looks hand sawn by the sides




Was certainly quite cool to find one on the cheap from a bloke on ebay, and I rather like that little bit of history. It was stones like that, and various others, that got me into using straights tbh. I found I had an increasing number of quite good quality stones that were functionally useless for knives, and I wanted to something with them. 

I don't think I'd ever spend a decent whack of money on a jnat 'just for razors', so it's nice to have one. Though I fear it's not going to be anything like as good as your stone's results for polishing when I try later on.


----------



## refcast

Finish from the dawn dusk suita, with low grit scratches left over. The suita is absolutely full of inclusions, but it doesn't stop the grit from polishing well


----------



## ethompson

Love seeing the detail in that iron


----------



## kidsos

Haven't polished my knives in ages due to working with them but got the bug after visiting a knife store. Togashi suji still has a small low spot and also pitting after "somebody" put in a slightly damp knife guard but couldn't be bothered getting it all if I'am going to use em again at work tomorrow. Munetoshi petty turned out quite okay for me.





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----------



## tostadas

Shibata R2 135mm. Cleaned up the cladding just for kicks


----------



## jedy617

tostadas said:


> Shibata R2 135mm. Cleaned up the cladding just for kicks


Wow what did you use? I need to do that on my denka...


----------



## jedy617

And speaking of denka, here is a basic kasumi I just did to mine. First time trying on stainless cladding...really was a pain in the ass. My jnats did not want to play nice. Basically took a few hours of finger stones and still didn't turn out amazing


----------



## tostadas

jedy617 said:


> Wow what did you use? I need to do that on my denka...


I used sandpaper for cleaning up the grind pattern, synthetics up to 6k for the core (though this was a lazy job and most of the core grind marks still remain), and king 800 and various jnats and mud (aoto, suita, and I think an aiiwatani) for the finish.


----------



## jedy617

tostadas said:


> I used sandpaper for cleaning up the grind pattern, synthetics up to 6k for the core (though this was a lazy job and most of the core grind marks still remain), and king 800 and various jnats and mud (aoto, suita, and I think an aiiwatani) for the finish.


Ah makes sense. Yup maybe one day I'll take the denka down with sandpaper to get rid of the grind lines. I'm surprised you were able to get so much contrast on stainless with jnats maybe I just have the wrong ones


----------



## tostadas

jedy617 said:


> Ah makes sense. Yup maybe one day I'll take the denka down with sandpaper to get rid of the grind lines. I'm surprised you were able to get so much contrast on stainless with jnats maybe I just have the wrong ones


Yea you gotta play around with different ones for each steel. BTW, TF steel is by far the toughest I've encountered for polishing. Half my stones had zero effect on it.


----------



## D J

Watanabe 160mm iron clad. From new to quick wet-dry polish, after cutting some protein. 





then did some thinning on a 250 working down to ikarashi and finished with uchi from maruoyama 





will have to go at it again. Another day


----------



## Runner_up

Se1ryu said:


> What grit Morihei Hishiboshi did you use for final polish on the secondary bevel??
> Look nice



Pretty sure I finished this one on the 4k (really an awesome stone). 

I can't remember 100%, but that finish doesn't look like I went any higher. They are niche stones, but wonderful.


----------



## kidsos

Got a new handle for my workhorse stainless clad vg10 deba so decided to polish it a bit. Not the nicest steels to polish but came out quite well


----------



## Corradobrit1

jedy617 said:


> And speaking of denka, here is a basic kasumi I just did to mine. First time trying on stainless cladding...really was a pain in the ass. My jnats did not want to play nice. Basically took a few hours of finger stones and still didn't turn out amazing


My first attempt at a Kasumi finish and on my 195 Denka. I've been putting this off for some time due to reviews like this. But to be honest I was pleasantly surprised. This was just a quick session using the stone pictured from an unknown mine as the finisher. Started with a 400 grit Sebado S, then 1200 Sebado S and finally this stone. I was careful not to make the angle too acute as I don't have masking tape and was worried about scratching the Ku excessively. I still have a couple of minor low spots to take care of but the blade road looks great even at this stage and performs better than before. Nice, even finish, good reflectivity and silky smooth to the touch. Hard to expect more from SS.


----------



## jedy617

Corradobrit1 said:


> My first attempt at a Kasumi finish and on my 195 Denka. I've been putting this off for some time due to reviews like this. But to be honest I was pleasantly surprised. This was just a quick session using the stone pictured from an unknown mine as the finisher. Started with a 400 grit Sebado S, then 1200 Sebado S and finally this stone. I was careful not to make the angle too acute as I don't have masking tape and was worried about scratching the Ku excessively. I still have a couple of minor low spots to take care of but the blade road looks great even at this stage and performs better than before. Nice, even finish, good reflectivity and silky smooth to the touch. Hard to expect more from SS.
> 
> View attachment 190307
> 
> View attachment 190315
> 
> View attachment 190305
> 
> View attachment 190304


Looks great


----------



## EricEricEric




----------



## EricEricEric

Final stone was Maruoyama shiro suita


----------



## tostadas

Finally done with this TF project. Hand flattened the low spots out of the bevels, thinned and polished.


----------



## ethompson

Needed to do some stone testing so used it as a chance to take the Raquin KT from satin to stone finish.


----------



## Hz_zzzzzz

Quick dirty kasumi on a TF Denka. Flattened and thinned on SG 220, 320 and 500. Spent 3-4 hours on stones and had 5 gram steel removed. Followed by 5 minutes on 400 grit and 800 grit sandpapers. Then quick kasumi by a 15-minute uchi fingerstone session.

This is my third TF and it’s a recent thick version (5 mm spine). It has a few low spots but nothing as deep as on my previous 3 mm thick ones. Feels like a handsome workhorse now.


----------



## tostadas

Hz_zzzzzz said:


> Quick dirty kasumi on a TF Denka. Flattened and thinned on SG 220, 320 and 500. Spent 3-4 hours on stones and had 5 gram steel removed. Followed by 5 minutes on 400 grit and 800 grit sandpapers. Then quick kasumi by a 15-minute uchi fingerstone session.
> 
> This is my third TF and it’s a recent thick version (5 mm spine). It has a few low spots but nothing as deep as on my previous 3 mm thick ones. Feels like a handsome workhorse now.
> 
> View attachment 193479
> View attachment 193480


Cleaned up TFs always make me happy


----------



## Cliff

Beautiful work


----------



## ethompson

Your browser is not able to display this video.




Test polish for this kengata yanagi restoration I’m working on. Some great subtle banding comes through on very hard and very fine stones. Since I’m going to try and highlight that I need to drop back down to soft uchi and work more cleanly on the way up.


----------



## tostadas

A short vid of the TF


----------



## HumbleHomeCook

tostadas said:


> A short vid of the TF




In general I'm not a high polish fan (beyond just knives) but man I admire and appreciate the work here.


----------



## ethompson

tostadas said:


> A short vid of the TF



Nice to see the convexity too, excellent stuff.


----------



## deltaplex

tostadas said:


> A short vid of the TF



This one iron clad?


----------



## tostadas

deltaplex said:


> This one iron clad?


Yep. Morihei hisamoto


----------



## Ruso

Not really polishing, but thinning. JCK CarboNext - still a chunky beast
1. Initial shape
2. After thinning
3. After sharpening


----------



## HumbleHomeCook

Ruso said:


> Not really polishing, but thinning. JCK CarboNext - still a chunky beast
> 1. Initial shape
> 2. After thinning
> 3. After sharpening



Very cool. Thanks for sharing!


----------



## tostadas

Full polish and etch of my kaeru honyaki.


----------



## ethompson

Scrumptious


----------



## deltaplex

tostadas said:


> Full polish and etch of my kaeru honyaki.
> View attachment 194499


What did you use for the etchant?


----------



## tostadas

deltaplex said:


> What did you use for the etchant?


Lemon juice. Did like 5 cycles of lemon juice and buffing with natural stone mud.


----------



## Wabisabi-Ken

Hey team! First try at cleaning up factory vertical grind marks, I only went up to 800 grit on sandpaper then hit it with some uchigomori powder, pretty happy with it for now but am keen on a more matte looking finish on the cladding, how is that achieved? I'm guessing fingerstones would be the way to go? I'm guessing I will need to go higher grit on sandpaper to give myself a chance on removing scratchiness with the fingerstones? 

I like the way the core steel looks in the dark reflection.. maybe I'll try etching it, ferric chloride or lemon? Any thoughts?


----------



## deltaplex

Fingerstones will do it, as will a bunch of mud from a stone, or loose stone powder. If you want really dark core steel ferric is the way to go, if you want less dark than other acids (citric, acetic, etc) would be the route. I tend to default to things I have on hand/have access to already but if you're going for a specific look, then go get the things that will achieve it.


----------



## ethompson

Finished with the restoration on this Keijiro Doi


----------



## Wabisabi-Ken

deltaplex said:


> Fingerstones will do it, as will a bunch of mud from a stone, or loose stone powder. If you want really dark core steel ferric is the way to go, if you want less dark than other acids (citric, acetic, etc) would be the route. I tend to default to things I have on hand/have access to already but if you're going for a specific look, then go get the things that will achieve it.


I do have a bottle of ferric that I haven't dabbled with yet, maybe now is the time. If I'm not a fan is it easy enough to remove? I guess I'll experiment with it on another knife


----------



## ethompson

Ferric is easy-ish to remove so long as your gentle with the application. Make sure you have something neutralize it with after the etch.


----------



## ethompson

Finally bought a nice kiri for stone testing. Iron isn’t wrought, but folded in a mokume pattern. So there is enough texture to be interesting and show me how a stone might reveal detail. 

Flattened out the bevel and took this from 220 - fine naturals. Final stone was a nakayama asagi 










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----------



## tostadas

One of my favorite lines of knives, the stainless clad Wakui. Full treatment of removing all low spots along the bevel, polished core, and natural stone kasumi.


----------



## ethompson

Very nice! A full natural stone kasumi like that is hardcore


----------



## deltaplex

tostadas said:


> One of my favorite lines of knives, the stainless clad Wakui. Full treatment of removing all low spots along the bevel, polished core, and natural stone kasumi.


Did you use stone mud for a portion of this?


----------



## HumbleHomeCook

tostadas said:


> One of my favorite lines of knives, the stainless clad Wakui. Full treatment of removing all low spots along the bevel, polished core, and natural stone kasumi.



Wow, that's incredible.


----------



## tostadas

deltaplex said:


> Did you use stone mud for a portion of this?


Yea I finished up afterwards with a few different stone muds. Primarily it's for the "texture," for lack of better term. Many kasumi finishes can look nice, but often it leaves a surface that creates a lot of drag when cutting. So I really want something that looks decent, but more importantly performs well. This combination leaves a low-drag and low-stiction surface.


----------



## HumbleHomeCook

tostadas said:


> Gave my trusty beater some love today. Thinned and refinished kaeru stainless 210.
> View attachment 187152



I've really been debating one of these. I mean the price is super good...


----------



## MowgFace

HumbleHomeCook said:


> I've really been debating one of these. I mean the price is super good...


It was my go to knife to lend to friends new to Japanese knives. Until someone liked it enough, i gifted to them.

Solid knife for sure.


----------



## tostadas

HumbleHomeCook said:


> I've really been debating one of these. I mean the price is super good...


It's a solid knife for the price. I consider it a beater due to the thicker grind. Though I go easy on mine, I feel like it can handle significant abuse without breaking a sweat. The fit and finish though needs some work out of the box to be comfortable. All the edges are extremely square. And the edge grind looks like crap, but works.


----------



## Pie

@nutmeg ’s uchi does not disappoint. 

Iyoto and uchi on core steel to get just under mirror. 

Please excuse the rushed thinning job.


----------



## deltaplex

Pie said:


> View attachment 198392
> 
> View attachment 198393
> 
> View attachment 198394
> View attachment 198395
> 
> @nutmeg ’s uchi does not disappoint.
> 
> Iyoto and uchi on core steel to get just under mirror.
> 
> Please excuse the rushed thinning job.


What's the base polish on this?


----------



## HumbleHomeCook

Pie said:


> @nutmeg ’s uchi does not disappoint.
> 
> ...



Bwahahahahahahahaha!



Uh hum... Sorry... I mean, that's great. Yup. Great.


----------



## Pie

deltaplex said:


> What's the base polish on this?


NP3k then a light mud scrub with the iyoto. This one was all sorts of random.


----------



## tostadas

Manaka blue #1


----------



## HumbleHomeCook

@tostadas that's looking great. My Manaka (shirogami) isn't going to be nearly as pretty. Well, unless I send it to you.  

My 210 has some _crack_ when cutting carrots and the kasumi was a bit uneven on one side so really just trying to address the performance a bit and even things out.

Do you find the kurouchi comes off rather easily? I noticed it when cutting some tall dense items, little black flecks and have seen it on my towel after washing. Enough that I gave it a good scrubbing with a dry towel.

I'm not disparaging the knife at all. At the price point of mine, it is a heck of a knife! I actually like the way KU is turning out on mine anyway.


----------



## tostadas

HumbleHomeCook said:


> @tostadas that's looking great. My Manaka (shirogami) isn't going to be nearly as pretty. Well, unless I send it to you.
> 
> My 210 has some _crack_ when cutting carrots and the kasumi was a bit uneven on one side so really just trying to address the performance a bit and even things out.
> 
> Do you find the kurouchi comes off rather easily? I noticed it when cutting some tall dense items, little black flecks and have seen it on my towel after washing. Enough that I gave it a good scrubbing with a dry towel.
> 
> I'm not disparaging the knife at all. At the price point of mine, it is a heck of a knife! I actually like the way KU is turning out on mine anyway.


I don't think I've used it enough to experience any KU coming off. It's not like Munetoshi where the whole thing ends up gone after a single use. But the knife did come with a healthy layer of lacquer on the KU which I removed with acetone. But I often do see more heavily used Manakas with much of the black gone, so it wouldn't surprise me if they layer is not that durable as you say.

The one thing about Manaka is that the stock kasumi finish, though looks nice, produces a lot of drag. It's like a king800 level of finish with high contrast, but extreme drag. So this particular Manaka I measured to be actually much thinner than my last. It's [email protected], [email protected], so on paper, it should not have wedged during my typical use. However, through thick carrots and radishes, it gets stuck halfway through. Cleaning up the kasumi finish to a less draggy one makes a huge difference with this knife. The nice thing is that the bevels on these are really good for polishing since you don't need to spend a lot of time removing low spots. Good luck with yours!


----------



## DanielC




----------



## HumbleHomeCook

DanielC said:


>




If the universe is kind and my circumstances remain unchanged, I am absolutely hunting you down after the holidays. Something in the 200ishx50ish range... Mmmmmm!


----------



## jedy617

My first uchi! This is just 5 minutes on my tetsujin metal flow, and wanted to play a bit. Loving the contrast on the cladding. Had a question though. This is a Maruoyama shiki-uchi. Now, I know traditionally that uchigomori are on a strata closer to the surface, and the shiki means bottom. I hear they are similar to shiro suita. Now, does being a shiki-uchi mean that this is the same type of stone normally found in the uchi layer, but it's just found a lot deeper? Or is it an entirely different type of composition compared to a normal uchi, but finishes similar to one? Hard to find info online, people just say it's uchi "on the floor"


----------



## tcmx3

different stone.

still nice though (I have one and like it fwiw)


----------



## jedy617

Ah gotcha. So does it behave closer to how a shiro suita behaves or something else? Still limited experience on what I've tried. Wonder why it's called an uchi then.

Some finished pics of my full kasumi on my tetsujin I did. Lots of scratches underneath the kasumi but I only took it down to 1k grit. Very happy with it. Tried etching with some lemon juice and bar keepers friend, and coffee and nothing made the banding pop really, just got a patina. Maybe need some Ferric


----------



## jedy617

Hi friends follow along as I take this rare white 1 kato workhorse and ruin (ahem did I say ruin I mean improve) it and put a basic kasumi on it. Starting with sandpaper I'm on 220 currently. Hardly spent much time on it at all yet, so lots of work to be done. Trying to be careful around the kanji which is tricky, want to get the finish even but don't want to lose muh sharpness. I am also really bad about aligning the scratch pattern and I get the fish hooks or tails whatever they are. I know I should pull in one direction to finish off a grit.

Planned progression is 220-300-500 sandpaper, and then 800 chosera, (maybe 3000 chosera) my hakka tomae, and finishing off with maruoyama shiki-uchi or my new hakka suita. Any modifications/suggestions are appreciated in method, but I can only work with the tools I have at my disposal. 

Did I tank the resale? Will I ruin it? Am I nuts? Will I make it awesome and be happy with it? Who knows! All I know is I don't do safequeens. 

Stay tuned. If I don't have anything past this post it means I was too embarrassed to share how it went lol


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## ethompson

I think you have better control over where abrasion occurs with stones, so I did it all with stones to maintain the unique Kato grind as faithfully as possible. But excited to see someone else going for it.


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## jedy617

ethompson said:


> I think you have better control over where abrasion occurs with stones, so I did it all with stones to maintain the unique Kato grind as faithfully as possible. But excited to see someone else going for it.


Yeah was just planning on using the paper for the grind lines mainly. I have flashbacks of polishing knives on stones that have big low spots and never getting them good, hopefully this will be better


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## jedy617

Stopping at 220 for the night. Excited to pick it back up tomorrow.


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## Choppin

Kato looks solid!

I rounded the spine and neck/choil on my old Toyama iron clad. Also did a quick refinishing on the blade face (220, 400, 600). Did the right side first and then tried different things on the left side (I think it came out better). 






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## jedy617

Pretty proud of this one. Knife is a Tanaka aogami super.

Didn't hate the stock finish, but as you can see had a faux kasumi bead blast and lots of scratches under the finish so I wanted to improve it.

Progression was sandpaper up to 1k, chosera 800, 3k, Hakka Tomae, Hakka suita, then I used dried mud, some finger stones and uchi powder. Really happy how it turned out overall, but I know underneath there are still a decent amount of scratches and low spots I didn't deal with. Using the dried mud was a game changer. Next time I am going to completely get rid of low spots with some lower grit stones.


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## jedy617

Well I have a kasumi Kato now. Still needs a bit of work, mainly on the core. Kanji preserved and crispy.


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## BaqoXIV

No great pictures but nice results with cheap japan natural stone.


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## ethompson

Was playing around with really hard and fine stones and pulling grain out of iron and steel and snagged some interesting-ish pics I don’t think I’ve shared here yet. Fun study, but would need more effort to really go the full distance and bring out this kind of texture on a full blade.


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## Cliff

Wow, no etching? What stones were they?


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## ethompson

Cliff said:


> Wow, no etching? What stones were they?


Yep, no etching. Range of hard fine finishers - ohira suita, nakayama suita, nakayama asagi, and crazy hard uchigumori


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## ethompson

Little clean up on this interesting old yanagiba. 













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## M1k3

ethompson said:


> Little clean up on this interesting old yanagiba.
> View attachment 204580
> View attachment 204582
> View attachment 204583
> View attachment 204581


Is that brass on the tang?


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## ethompson

M1k3 said:


> Is that brass on the tang?


Nice observation, the tang is indeed brazed


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## M1k3

ethompson said:


> Nice observation, the tang is indeed brazed
> View attachment 204586


Is the tang brazed on?


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## refcast

@M1k3

The tang is just like a regular yanagi, the brazing is only surface level to help seal into the handle. Ive used that exact yanagi before haha


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## Vadoche

XooMG said:


> Just finished touching up a project knife but no camera at the moment.
> 
> An older project...working finish on a Carter, before I received some fingerstones:


Sweeet !


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## ethompson

@refcast has all the cool stuff y’all


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## superworrier

tostadas said:


> Lemon juice. Did like 5 cycles of lemon juice and buffing with natural stone mud.


I’m curious. How long do you etch for each cycle and what did it look like after the first etch?


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## ethompson

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## tostadas

superworrier said:


> I’m curious. How long do you etch for each cycle and what did it look like after the first etch?


Probably a few minutes at a time. Depends on how reactive the steel is. Some will turn brown super fast


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## deltaplex

ethompson said:


> View attachment 205977
> View attachment 205978
> View attachment 205979


So sexy.


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## ethompson

deltaplex said:


> So sexy.


Thank you kindly! It is a very cool little blade, not often I get to play with honyaki and even less often tamahagane


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## ethompson

Cleaned up before sending off as part of a trade. shi.han sure does make a great knife!


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## mrmoves92

My first full polish on my Sakai Kikumori Gokujyo 270mm gyuto. I thinned the knife a bit, polished it with a synthetic progression, made the core steel extra shiny on balsa with diamond spray on it, and evened out the cladding with uchigumori powder. It isn’t perfect, like many posts on this thread, but I am happy with how it looks. I couldn’t polish out the line between where I thinned and didn’t, and the scratches aren’t the most consistent.

















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## HumbleHomeCook

mrmoves92 said:


> My first full polish on my Sakai Kikumori Gokujyo 270mm gyuto. I thinned the knife a bit, polished it with a synthetic progression, made the core steel extra shiny on balsa with diamond spray on it, and evened out the cladding with uchigumori powder. It isn’t perfect, like many posts on this thread, but I am happy with how it looks. I couldn’t polish out the line between where I thinned and didn’t, and the scratches aren’t the most consistent.
> 
> View attachment 208418
> 
> View attachment 208419
> 
> View attachment 208420
> 
> View attachment 208421



Looks great. Well done!


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## mrmoves92

HumbleHomeCook said:


> Looks great. Well done!


Thank you!


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## adrianopedro

Refreshing the polish on this gyoto by Fellipi Porto in Shirogami 2 and Wrought Iron


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## DanielC

Shobudani Suita polish on ApexUltra Gomai cladding. Pure nickel and 200 year old wrought.


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## DanielC

Different lighting.


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## Froztitanz




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## Bico Doce

This was a fun one to polish. Lazy twist from theNine.


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## DarwellianEmpire

I picked up a used White 1 FM from @enrico l a few weeks back and after using it for a while decided to clean it up a bit. 

I removed the patina with some flitz but lo and behold the kasumi was gone with it. Took a little bit of trial and error but I was able to bring back the finish with a little uchi powder and some sand paper. Now my FM looks brand new!

Pic from @enrico prior to my possession 






After the Flitz






Voila


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## WellLikedTurtle

Tried out Tosho's kasumi powder on my thinned Hitohira Ren.


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## jurdon

First time doing a complete makeover. It's a Kamo petty and had a typical sandblasted dama finish which was pretty good at hiding grind marks. At first I dipped it in a FeCl3 but I didn't like the outcome at all so I decided to go full polish. Done with sandpapers and some uchi fingerstones rubbing. I'm pretty happy with the outcome. Still have to figure out what to do with this huge chip.


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## enrico l

Catcheside’s always have these bulky shoulders I think inhibit a lot of cutting potential. I’m not really all that skilled in thinning/polishing but took a good stab at it. 

Eased the shoulder’s back reworked most of bevel. They were very abrupt. Reset the finish with sandpaper then polished accordingly (only went to 800 grit). Used uchi stones to contrast the bevel. Cuts so much better with 0 wedging. Still have to put the final edge on it but very happy with how this one turned out.


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## blokey

enrico l said:


> Catcheside’s always have these bulky shoulders I think inhibit a lot of cutting potential. I’m not really all that skilled in thinning/polishing but took a good stab at it.
> 
> Eased the shoulder’s back reworked most of bevel. They were very abrupt. Reset the finish with sandpaper then polished accordingly (only went to 800 grit). Used uchi stones to contrast the bevel. Cuts so much better with 0 wedging. Still have to put the final edge on it but very happy with how this one turned out.View attachment 213424
> View attachment 213425
> View attachment 213426
> View attachment 213427


Great work, do you have a before pic? I know his forged geometry but don’t know what his regular work look like.


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## enrico l

@blokey it came from here

Thread 'Catchside Gyuto'
Traded - Catchside Gyuto


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## ethompson

Quick cleanup




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## deltaplex

Hate to see that patina go, but I like to watch it leave...


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## ethompson

Full bench stone finish touched up with finger stones for this Kato. Core was finished on a very fine Maruka asagi and is showing subtle grain. Clad finish on uchigumori.




Your browser is not able to display this video.














The stone that did most of the work.


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## gentiscid

DarwellianEmpire said:


> I picked up a used White 1 FM from @enrico l a few weeks back and after using it for a while decided to clean it up a bit.
> 
> I removed the patina with some flitz but lo and behold the kasumi was gone with it. Took a little bit of trial and error but I was able to bring back the finish with a little uchi powder and some sand paper. Now my FM looks brand new!
> 
> Pic from @enrico prior to my possession
> View attachment 211780
> 
> 
> 
> After the Flitz
> View attachment 211789
> 
> 
> 
> Voila
> View attachment 211790
> 
> View attachment 211791



Great job restoring the finish on the FM!

Did u use just the powder and sandpaper? Can u elaborate please? 

Thanks in advance!

Might give it a try on mine in the future!


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## DarwellianEmpire

gentiscid said:


> Great job restoring the finish on the FM!
> 
> Did u use just the powder and sandpaper? Can u elaborate please?
> 
> Thanks in advance!
> 
> Might give it a try on mine in the future!


Thank you!

That is all I used. Originally I was using just uchi powder and a felt pad but I wasn’t getting the abrasion necessary. I was going to use a mix of uchi and aoto powder to see if I could get a better finish but then I came across a post from Tosho on instagram where they refinished an FM with uchi powder and a worn 2k grit micro mesh pad. I didn’t have micro mesh (at the time) so I used some worn 2K grit sandpaper and it worked like a charm.


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## gentiscid

DarwellianEmpire said:


> Thank you!
> 
> That is all I used. Originally I was using just uchi powder and a felt pad but I wasn’t getting the abrasion necessary. I was going to use a mix of uchi and aoto powder to see if I could get a better finish but then I came across a post from Tosho on instagram where they refinished an FM with uchi powder and a worn 2k grit micro mesh pad. I didn’t have micro mesh (at the time) so I used some worn 2K grit sandpaper and it worked like a charm.




So just powder and 2k grit sandpaper. Nice!! Thanks


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## jedy617

ethompson said:


> Full bench stone finish touched up with finger stones for this Kato. Core was finished on a very fine Maruka asagi and is showing subtle grain. Clad finish on uchigumori.
> View attachment 214644
> 
> View attachment 214635
> View attachment 214636
> View attachment 214637
> 
> The stone that did most of the work.
> View attachment 214643


I hate that you posed this because now I feel so inferior with mine lol. Oh well, just a reminder that I should take another stab at it.


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## ethompson

jedy617 said:


> I hate that you posed this because now I feel so inferior with mine lol. Oh well, just a reminder that I should take another stab at it.


Meanwhile I’m just scrolling through Nutmegs posts of his weighing my own inadequacy haha. It’s just patience, a LOT of patience.


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## jedy617

ethompson said:


> Meanwhile I’m just scrolling through Nutmegs posts of his weighing my own inadequacy haha. It’s just patience, a LOT of patience.


I guess there is levels huh...yeah Nutmegs work brings me to tears lol


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## Bico Doce

Still trying to work out how I can get the wrought iron detail to pop on this Milan but making progress





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## jedy617

Nice, me too. This is the finish from my hakka suita









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## kantdooku

I did a thing to this Joel black gyuto  The whole reason WHY i started this project was. First of all. It had a delamination i wanted to get rid of. And my second reason was. The handle was waaay to small.


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## ethompson

Well, no one can accuse you of not going for it!


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## Bico Doce

kantdooku said:


> I did a thing to this Joel black gyuto  The whole reason WHY i started this project was. First of all. It had a delamination i wanted to get rid of. And my second reason was. The handle was waaay to small.


This took some real balls confidence and imho the end result is looking better than what you started with (no offense to JB who is maybe the coolest guy in the industry) because that handle was comically small and the ku finish had a purple hue to it (maybe this should go under the unpopular opinion thread). Well done


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## kantdooku

Bico Doce said:


> This took some real balls confidence and imho the end result is looking better than what you started with (no offense to JB who is maybe the coolest guy in the industry) because that handle was comically small and the ku finish had a purple hue to it (maybe this should go under the unpopular opinion thread). Well done


Im new here. I will post it there once the handle is done. Thank you


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## Bico Doce

kantdooku said:


> Im new here. I will post it there once the handle is done. Thank you


I didnt mean your post should go there but rather my opinion about preferring the migaki finish to the purple ku finish that was there. Your post is right where it should be. Thanks for sharing your work


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## kantdooku

Bico Doce said:


> I didnt mean your post should go there but rather my opinion about preferring the migaki finish to the purple ku finish that was there. Your post is right where it should be. Thanks for sharing your work


This is a Photoshop of how the handle will look like. It is one of Tobias Heldqvist western handles. I have sent the knife to him for a new handle


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## Sushiman703

Mazaki mirror


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## EricEricEric




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## Case_D

Been trying out stone polishing recently. Still learning. This is stainless clad AS finished with uchigumori paste on felt after a Belgian Blue. 

View attachment 20221220_180106.jpg


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## DanielC




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## Case_D

I don't know what the blade is. It's a restoration I've been working on. I'm lost on engraved kanji. This was done the same as my last one - Uchigumori paste on felt.






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## DarwellianEmpire

Made my first semi-proper finger stone today. For the last year I was attempting to rub a 1.5mm thick piece of uchi on knives and I was confused as to why the finish looked like trash. Not perfect but I’m happy for the first time. Also the work it does is definitely a step up.









I hope this Imgur video link works but this is after maybe 5 minutes total:


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## ethompson

DarwellianEmpire said:


> Made my first semi-proper finger stone today. For the last year I was attempting to rub a 1.5mm thick piece of uchi on knives and I was confused as to why the finish looked like trash. Not perfect but I’m happy for the first time. Also the work it does is definitely a step up.
> 
> View attachment 217670
> 
> 
> I hope this Imgur video link works but this is after maybe 5 minutes total:



Nice! As you’ve now figured, they’re only magic when they’re literally paper thin.


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## DarwellianEmpire

ethompson said:


> Nice! As you’ve now figured, they’re only magic when they’re literally paper thin.


Exactly. That concept seemed to escape me for a very long time.


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## adrianopedro

Kato Kurouchi Gyoto 240mm after sharpening and polishing


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## ared715

jedy617 said:


> My first uchi! This is just 5 minutes on my tetsujin metal flow, and wanted to play a bit. Loving the contrast on the cladding. Had a question though. This is a Maruoyama shiki-uchi. Now, I know traditionally that uchigomori are on a strata closer to the surface, and the shiki means bottom. I hear they are similar to shiro suita. Now, does being a shiki-uchi mean that this is the same type of stone normally found in the uchi layer, but it's just found a lot deeper? Or is it an entirely different type of composition compared to a normal uchi, but finishes similar to one? Hard to find info online, people just say it's uchi "on the floor"
> 
> View attachment 200789




Regarding the Maruo Shiki Uchigumori, they're not actually uchigumori but rather perform similarly. As you stated. Traditional Uchigumori are Tenjou suita. 

The closest thing from Maruoyama to a traditional uchigumori, besides the rare tenjou Uchigumori, are Ao Suita. They're tenjou suita from Maruoyama and perform/polish a lot like uchigumori as well. 

The Shiki Uchigumori I believe are found in near sunashi shiro suita and tamagoiro suita. 

Either way, all great stones and I miss my Shiki Uchigumori! May have to try and get another soon..... thanks for putting the idea in my head!!!!! Lol


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## jedy617

ared715 said:


> Regarding the Maruo Shiki Uchigumori, they're not actually uchigumori but rather perform similarly. As you stated. Traditional Uchigumori are Tenjou suita.
> 
> The closest thing from Maruoyama to a traditional uchigumori, besides the rare tenjou Uchigumori, are Ao Suita. They're tenjou suita from Maruoyama and perform/polish a lot like uchigumori as well.
> 
> The Shiki Uchigumori I believe are found in near sunashi shiro suita and tamagoiro suita.
> 
> Either way, all great stones and I miss my Shiki Uchigumori! May have to try and get another soon..... thanks for putting the idea in my head!!!!! Lol


Yeah already found that out...but so far the shiki uchi is giving me my favorite finish out of any stone regardless, super contrasty dark kasumi with ease


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## EricEricEric

I don’t get where that’s coming from to be honest, I use uchi or any other finger stone 2mm+ on a lot of my work.

I think the size and prep are relevant, but not the thickness from my experience.

The only thing I can think of is the knife surface is too poor is the real issue with high and low spots


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## DarwellianEmpire

EricEricEric said:


> I don’t get where that’s coming from to be honest, I use uchi or any other finger stone 2mm+ on a lot of my work.
> 
> I think the size and prep are relevant, but not the thickness from my experience.
> 
> The only thing I can think of is the knife surface is too poor is the real issue with high and low spots


This is a recent development for me and I plan on going home this evening and experimenting. I’ve achieved decent results with thick finger stones but nowhere near as clean and as consistent as I was able to achieve with a thin on that has been glued to paper. Additionally I’ve had larger finger stones get a “skipping” feeling which feels not so great.

Regardless of all of that I am but a lowly peon in comparison to the work you are able to produce and share so take my words with a grain of salt.


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## EricEricEric

If the finger stone is to be thick, keep it small, round the stone and round the edges and soak 

The pressure is very relevant as well


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## DarwellianEmpire

Two posts in two days because I polish when I’m stressed. Full kasumi on a huge Gyuto I bought from @refcast


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## jedy617

Looks good. I'll be honest, I am getting my best finishes now using micromesh combined with powder from my best stones. Probably a similar effect I would get with a very thin fingerstone. I haven't had that much luck with my hazuya stones but I really haven't bothered getting them much thinner than 1mm


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## DarwellianEmpire

jedy617 said:


> Looks good. I'll be honest, I am getting my best finishes now using micromesh combined with powder from my best stones. Probably a similar effect I would get with a very thin fingerstone. I haven't had that much luck with my hazuya stones but I really haven't bothered getting them much thinner than 1mm


 I was also using micro mesh/sandpaper combined with powder and found it to be more polishing rather than burnishing. The contrast really pops when using hazuya.


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## DanielC




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