Haffner

A blade thickness of 0.140″ shouldn’t have any problem clamping in the Gen 1 vise.  With the proper screws supplied, it should clamp blades of 0.25″ and better.

Just to be clear, let’s talk about the vise set-up.  For blades with parallel face grinds, you should adjust the upper screw so that the right-side jaw (the moveable side) is vertical – t…[Read more]

Years ago, I did some knife sharpening as a service for a friend gunsmith shop.  There are (were) a few individuals who simply can’t seem to sharpen a particular knife and they resort to letting someone else try.  I remember one fellow handing me his hunting knife, which he said had been made from a file by a friend during WWII.  He cautioned th…[Read more]

Hi Amelia:

What sort of info do you need?  Chances are at least one of us can provide the right info, assuming it’s something less than R rated.

I suggest not using vertical scrubbing strokes unless you are doing some serious reprofiling and have a ways to go before reaching the apex.  Circular strokes will also contribute to what you see as blemishes.  If you are concerned about the appearance of the bevels, try to use unidirectional strokes, alternating the direction between g…[Read more]

Wishtai:

With regard to knives which are best for cutting meat, I’ll offer the following comments:

Meat falls into the category of soft and slippery.  Depending on the temperature of the meat, the thickness of the blade can be a factor, as well as the degree of polish.  Very cold meat will prefer a very thin knife.  Thick blades with polished be…[Read more]

I have an aritsugu that came directly from the shops in Kyoto.  Initial  impressions were that the knife was extremely sharp, at about 6 dps.  The edge was full of what we would defects, appearing to be more like a foil edge.  You can see a video of my first inspection with a handheld microscope here.  Another video shows the edge after one year…[Read more]

D2… my favorite steel, simply because it’s air-hardened and so easier to make knives at home.  Last fall I made 4 knives with D2 and heated them to 1850F in my propane mini forge.  I quenched them between 2 thick aluminum plates and compressed air.  I tempered them in a 450F oven for 2 hrs. They sharpen very nicely, but I wondered about their ac…[Read more]

I bought 5/16″ stainless square bar stock from Mcmaster.com (8986K13).  Cut to the desired length and use the original bar as a template – clamp it centered to the new bar and drill the two holes through the original holes.  A 7/32″ drill ought to work.

Andrei,

See the posts in the thread below.  Still visible on the “Recent” posts 03/25/21.

MarcH has a lot of experience with expensive Japanese knives.

Cooking

Ed K.

And wicked edgy when referring to the prices as well!  Wife and I were there in ’94 for proton beam treatments at Harvard.  I think I paid $18 to park for a 20-minute breakfast near Harvard Square.  Otherwise, a great time.

That looks expensive. You must be quite a perfectionist to not just use his 4″ stones.  https://www.cgsw.us/1×4%20Resin%20Bond%20Diamond%20Stones.html

Diamond lapping film lasts longer than you would think.  If you can find a supplier that will sell you 8X11 sheets of PSA film, the costs per strip are actually quite reasonable.  That having been said, I’d recommend buying the 1500/2200 diamond stones rather than the 1500/glass platen set.  Diamond stones aren’t subject to contamination like st…[Read more]

Thank you Marc, replied just now!

Your Japanese is better than mine! Thank you for posting your findings, much like you I collect knives I like and the precise Rc rating is not the determining factor. From the little reading I’ve done, Buck has a proprietary (I believe) hardening procedure that they use on their blades.

I believe WE offered a riser block some time ago but I don’t see it available anymore. I wish they’d make it available again, I surely be ordering it. Short of that, maybe one of the gents with 3d printers will take pity on us, the printer challenged ones.

Thanks for the post, Robert.  I ordered a set of the files today.  I hope to use them on blades I harden in my propane mini-forge.

I’ve always noticed that the stainless knives I’ve sharpened in 420C and 440C “felt” different.  Not hard, but resistant to normal abrasion by my diamond stones.  I think I’ve sensed something similar on other man…[Read more]

Chefy, send me a message with your email and I’ll send you all the information.

Ed K.

I wouldn’t say it is “idiot roof”, keep in mind there are some very “talented” idiots out there!

Well… pretty much, but we have had a couple of individuals who gave up on it either because they didn’t want to invest the time to learn the basics or were so mechanically-challenged they didn’t begin to understand the basic principles.  Never underestimate the limitations of those at the bottom end of the bell curve.

Emily was played by the late, great Gilda Radner.  I remember her wondering what all the fuss was, about “sax and violins” on television.  That was another of her “Oh!  Never mind!” moments.  I thought she was even better in her other character role, as Rosanne Rosannadana.  Gilda, a gifted comedienne, was married to Gene Wilder and died in 1988…[Read more]