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Post by Sir Thorfinn on Sept 28, 2023 20:59:30 GMT
This is pretty cool, and straightforward, though traditionalists will call it heresy.
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Post by larason2 on Sept 29, 2023 2:13:55 GMT
Haha, it is definitely a bit too straight forward! The 220 stone leaves deep scratches that can take a long time to polish out with the 1000 grit stone if you don't know what you're doing. The 220 has to be used at just the right pressure. Then, after the 1000 you really want another grit between it and a really fine polishing stone like the 8000. I use a 2000, 5000 and then the 8000. If you do the 1000 one way, then the other way, you'll end up with the same finish, but just in another direction! So that's a bit of false advertising. The production of the Japanese "mist" like finish comes from spending a long time with a very fine finishing stone like an uchigomori. A mirror finish (which is what you get if you stop at 8000) is actually the polar opposite of a Japanese finish, which is perfectly smooth and also perfectly opaque. You'd need an uchigomori or a kuro nagura and a lot of patience after getting the mirror finish to achieve what he supposedly is looking for. The technique is also very important. Too hard with any stone, and you'll create deep scratches that will take forever to get out, and you'll also tend to burnish the metal, which will hide the grain structure and make the finish less interesting. Too soft though, and it will also take forever but because you're not doing much.
Now the surface of his knives are all already perfect, and they have already been sharpened and polished. If most of us tried this on belt sharpened knives, we'll see that the stone will sharpen/polish the edge and the furthest part of the bevel, and leave a gap in the middle perfectly unscathed. To get such a knife to the point he's showing, it would take a very long time on a grind stone for most knives (especially if you're using a 220 like his!) I do most of my grinding on a 120 shapton stone. So there's a lot more to it if you actually try it on your own!
A question may be why go to all this trouble polishing it if you're just going to scratch it up in your kitchen? Sharpening at 1000 is all that is needed for most knives to make them sharp again. You can also easily ruin a differentialy hardened carbon steel knife if you're too aggressive with the 220, and grind off all the heat treated part of the blade. I do find that if I sharpen at 1000, hone at 2000, and polish the edge at 5000 and 8000 though, it starts sharper, and the sharpness is more durable. This is more noticeable on carbon steel than on stainless, for instance. Another point is that to buy all the stones he is suggesting, that can get pretty pricey! Then you'd still not be able to get an authentic Japanese finish, you need at least a stone or two more.
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Post by Sir Thorfinn on Sept 29, 2023 14:06:06 GMT
I'm glad someone else saw the glaring issues. I have done a lot of polishing over the years, and you just don't jump grits like that. Going from 220 to 1000 is ensuring you spend triple time at 1000. I just don't understand the finishes he's describing, as going past mirror is just...mirror.
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