# Usuba Flattening



## slowtyper (Jun 21, 2011)

Not flattening the blade road, but the actual profile. The blade has a little bit of a belly (very slight) which is very annoying when push cutting with the ususba. 

It may have been my fault the first time I sharpened it or maybe that way, I didn't really examine it or use it that much. Anyways, any tips on how to flatten this out?


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## UglyJoe (Jun 21, 2011)

It would probably be much easier and less likely to destroy your knife to just adjust your technique a little. Otherwise I'd sell it and find one more to your liking. Fixing it would be... less than fun...


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## Eamon Burke (Jun 21, 2011)

Buy a Nakiri. 

Unless the flat border around the Ura on your Usuba is damaged(I.E. unevenly ground off at the tip and heel), your knife was not given any more belly than it was made with. If you were somehow sharpening a Kata-Ha bevel and managed to give the thing noticable extra belly, you likely wouldn't be caring for the Ura well either. So I doubt you did this. If you did, it would be best to send it off to a talented person to fix(like the guy who made it), and if it's not very expensive, wouldn't be worth the money or the trouble.

A Nakiri is dead flat and inexpensive, and even if it isn't, it's a double bevel, so you can flatten it if you like, without the management problems of flattening a traditional single bevel.

The tools you have and the technique you use are out of synch, that's all. Either change the tool, or how you use it.


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## Mattias504 (Jun 21, 2011)

You usuba has belly? From what I understand, most of them are dead flat. 

Belly on an usuba is like t1ts on a bull...


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## Ichi (Jun 21, 2011)

I have a Masamoto it`s dead flat, you can send it to korin and have that fixed, cheap too. :thumbsup2:


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## Eamon Burke (Jun 22, 2011)

Ichi said:


> I have a Masamoto it`s dead flat, you can send it to korin and have that fixed, cheap too. :thumbsup2:


 
Did not know that.


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## JBroida (Jun 22, 2011)

actually, i think you will find that many usuba have very slight belly towards the tip, but not a curve to the whole edge. This can be fixed on stones if you really want to try for yourself, but it can be a difficult process and takes some skill and technique.

The reason you will see a little curve towards the tip of usuba relates to how that part of the knife is used (its actually the most used part of the knife when using it on a cutting board). The bottom part of the blade needs to be flat for techniques like katsuramuki.


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## Ichi (Jun 22, 2011)

johndoughy said:


> Did not know that.


Learn something fishy everyday :wink:

Ya really can not call the space at the tip a belly, maybe I got a goofy one. I use mine to cut avacado, daikon, rolls, fish, cucumber. I have no problemcutting anything, it has become a chefs knife for me. :thumbsup2:
Maybe I am the goffy one:lol2:


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