What In The World Should I Charge?!

[Mark76]

I’m curious to see how your thinning works out. Jons videos are indeed a great source of information on freehand sharpening. Highly rcommended!

Molecule Polishing: my blog about sharpening with the Wicked Edge

[Steven N. Bolin]

Here are 2 videos of me wrapping up the the Miyabi 6000 MCT job if anyone’s interested to see them… Scrub to the end of Part 2 for the end result.

No other online community comes anywhere close to this one!

!!!!!THANK YOU!!!!!

Miyabi 6000 MCT Sharpening – Part 1: http://youtu.be/uL5-FAu9EYo

Miyabi 6000 MCT Sharpening – Part 2: https://youtu.be/u7TOLZLghiM

[Mark76]

Great work, congrats! And very nice videos, too! Many thanks for posting them!

Molecule Polishing: my blog about sharpening with the Wicked Edge

[Mr.Wizard]

On the first one I am getting the error “This video has been removed by the user.”

[Steven N. Bolin]

Nice job on the profiling. I never thought to black the entire thinning area but it seems like a nice idea. You’ll be an expert in no time at the rate things are going.

What stones are you using for this?

Thanks! I really appreciate it!

I learn something new and am made aware of my many flaws daily. That said, I hope to someday consider myself a decent knife sharpener… Still a long way off :side:

The stones were salvaged from the restaurant where I wait tables. They were dished and dirty, therefore, seen as “trash” to the sous chefs. 250, 1000, & 3000 (?) grit.

[Leo Barr]

I think you should be happy with that .

[Steven N. Bolin]

On the first one I am getting the error “This video has been removed by the user.”

I forgot to trim off the tail end of the first video. It should be working now.

[Steven N. Bolin]

I think you should be happy with that .

So very few words, Leo… I don’t whether I should be extremely concerned or totally elated.

Whatever the case may be, thank you.

[Steven N. Bolin]

Alright, I think the playback issue with the first video is now fixed.

Please ignore everything after the 00:16:30 mark… I forgot to pause the camera :blink:

[Leo Barr]

From what I can see you have done an a really professional job maybe I would have made the edge bevel much smaller when the edge of the knife is beautifully thinned it only needs a couple of passes each side to put a fine bevel on it .
There is I think one thing to do with any work output and really it is for you to do – that is to be critical since you I can see that you are aiming for nothing short of perfection.
I know of a master Katana sharpener who has not been totally happy with his work since he was an apprentice he says he builds a picture in his mind of how it should finish and he can never quite get there.
I think the point is that the better you get the more you see even with the WE it is possible for minor imperfections to appear to the experienced operators eye.
I find the better I get at sharpening particularly freehand the more I am aware of minor imperfections.
Once I finish something I often analyse it and plan how I could improve it next time.
The knife you have completed looks really good but I am sure having learned something from the experience you would possible make subtle alterations the next time you do it.Or you may well look at it next time and alter it slightly.
As said I think you have done an admirable job on it probable I would hazard a guess that it is your best work to date.
The beauty of free handing is that since you are not confined by jigs you can do all sorts of combinations whetner it is topping a convex profile with a Vedge or perhaps some of the most interesting knives to are Debas with the high shinogi line generally having a slight angle increase about half way down then perhaps a little convexing topped with a micro V bevel on the single bevel side then the uriashi not sure of the spelling on the concave back side and then a V bevel at a considerable higher angle and on both sides on the last quarter of the blade towards the heel this id the part of the knife that has the greatest force put on it to go between vertebrae so the 20+˚ per side on this last section adds durability to the heel area.
It goes on I have heard of people putting an angle to the scratch pattern on the edge to draw the blade into what it is cutting one can go on ad infinitum that is the whole point about something done well.

Any how seriously a proper job has been done so pat yourself on the back.

[Steven N. Bolin]

Awesome! I’ve been taking notes from your posts, this will definitely get added to them.

maybe I would have made the edge bevel much smaller when the edge of the knife is beautifully thinned it only needs a couple of passes each side to put a fine bevel on it.

I still have SO MANY questions about the whole theory of thinning behind the edge…

Off the top of my head:
What crucial thing(s) does one need to look for when viewing the cross-sectional/choil shot of a particular knife?

[Leo Barr]

I think this is almost complicating things first consideration is how tough is the steel and how careful is the operator too many chefs stick to one knife for most of the day(they would be best off with a boning type knife which will hack most hard foods an unsuitable chopping boards. I think the better quality knives have much more specific uses . A chef I know on a super yacht loves Shuns I have seen him cutting cake (I am not sure if they call them gyutus or chefs knives +on a ceramic plate normally when I sharpened them they had rolls & chips.
To get back to your question gently pinch the upper part of the knife with the blade aiming between finger & thumb and gentle slide them down to the edge . There should be a smooth transition all the way down from spine to edge that is for slicers gyutus etc this is the crux of the biscuit.( I would generally recommend thinning knives incrementally avoiding overdoing it or protracted stone work leading to mistakes) The knife will be better even if you have only thinned it fractionally that way you can see how the edge is holding up on future sharpenings , An over thinned knife could be the end of the knife which is why it is best to really see how it is faring when you sharpen it the next time. Generally a knife will need thinning a little each time it is sharpened if the spine is fairly thick some knives like lazers or some knives like German ones or Victorinox are flat ground so rarely need thinning .
I think the whole subject should be handled with instinct ,experience & feel not with verniers or a formula its more about eye.
It is a bit like looking at a sailing yacht your eye should tell you if it is slippery not figures.
I would also try cutting something thick to see how the knife performs & how much it needs tweaking.
The edge bevel particularly on thicker knives should not be much more than 1-1.5mm .the next thing to bear in mind is that an appropriately thinned knife should cut deep very easily profile spine to edge for slicers gyutus etc is almost more important than razor sharp.
Knives with lots of belly in the drop from spine to edge are really only good for cutting processed food like ready sliced cheese or synthetic pink gloop ham.
A decently thinned knife is a must for someone that enjoys real food since often the knife has to cut deep be it hunks of cheese or big lumps of fish or steak.

[Steven N. Bolin]

I think the whole subject should be handled with instinct ,experience & feel not with verniers or a formula its more about eye.

There’s the rub!… Or at least part of it. 🙂

So much great information, Leo. Plenty here for me to chew on for quite some time. I truly appreciate you taking the time to explain in such detail.

[Leo Barr]

I will have a go at putting something together in a mail.

[tcmeyer]

Leo:

“the crux of the biscuit” was new for me.

Thanks much. Keep ’em coming.

[Author]

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