Polishing, Kasumi Finish & Etching

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pd7077
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Re: Polishing, Kasumi Finish & Etching

Post by pd7077 »

This project has been months in the making...a Genkai Masakune 400mm honyaki yanigiba. This is, by far, the longest knife that I have ever worked on, and the fact that it’s a honyaki didn’t make things any easier. The owner accidentally chipped the edge while breaking down some salmon so he sent it over for some work. After I completed the initial polish, Matt created one of the coolest handles I have ever seen...African Blackwood with a raw edge meteorite ferrule & end cap, mother of pear & electro-anodized titanium spacers. Hopefully my photos can do it justice because in person it looks bonkers....literally! I finished up the final touch-ups this weekend. Fingers crossed that the owner will be happy with our work 🤞🏻

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--- Steve
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Re: Polishing, Kasumi Finish & Etching

Post by arthurfowler »

Just stunning!! The polishing combined with the handle is just perfect!!
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Re: Polishing, Kasumi Finish & Etching

Post by Altadan »

Bonkers sounds just right. Wow! Beautifully done!
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Re: Polishing, Kasumi Finish & Etching

Post by Organic »

Wow, that is a beautiful knife!
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Re: Polishing, Kasumi Finish & Etching

Post by Bluenoser87 »

That’s a monster! I don’t think I could possibly maneuver something like that in my kitchen. Stunning though
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Re: Polishing, Kasumi Finish & Etching

Post by pd7077 »

I got a bit burnt out with polishing so I took a break for a few months to get refreshed. I’m slowly getting back into the groove and remembering how much I enjoy the process.

First up is Sean’s (nakneker) Konosuke #6 cleaver. He bought it used and wanted to get it back into tip-tip shape so I cleaned up the hairline finish and added a nice kasumi to it.

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After:
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Next is my Toyama Noborikoi 270mm honyaki that I started working on almost a year ago. I had so many other project knives to do for friends that this one always took a back seat. After all the neglect, she’s finally done. Toyama has always been one of my favorite makers, and this one is sporting one of my favorite handles (by Andreu)....fiddleback mango with a brass carbon fiber spacer.

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--- Steve
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Re: Polishing, Kasumi Finish & Etching

Post by nakneker »

Nice to see this thread with a fresh post. Thank you 🙏 for the cleaver work, they are hard to get, I pounced when given the chance and now She looks the part too. Won’t last long but at least we know what she can look like.

That Toyama is stunning, nice work and nice job on the handle Andrew. 5 star combo.

Hope to see more, I’ve always enjoyed this thread!
Last edited by nakneker on Tue Dec 17, 2019 8:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Polishing, Kasumi Finish & Etching

Post by salemj »

Goodness me. I missed the yanigiba above until now. Holy crap, Steve! And the subsequent work is also drool-worthy. That cork reflection is really something else. Really. Wowza.
~Joe

Comments: I'm short, a home cook, prefer lighter, thinner blades, and own mostly Konosukes but have used over a dozen brands.
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Re: Polishing, Kasumi Finish & Etching

Post by Drewski »

nakneker wrote: Tue Dec 17, 2019 7:58 pm
Hope to see more, I’ve always enjoyed this thread!
+1!
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Re: Polishing, Kasumi Finish & Etching

Post by arthurfowler »

Amazing Steve. As with everyone else, I just love this thread and your contribution. I think it was the Takeda bunka that you first posted and you have the raised the bar each time.
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Best stone to use for mirror polish?

Post by RJCoates »

What is the “best” stone to really polish a mirror finish?
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Re: Polishing, Kasumi Finish & Etching

Post by Ut_ron »

Nicely done Steve. I hope you enjoyed the wine as much as I have. One of my favorite 😀
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Re: Polishing, Kasumi Finish & Etching

Post by pd7077 »

Ut_ron wrote: Thu Dec 19, 2019 5:28 pm Nicely done Steve. I hope you enjoyed the wine as much as I have. One of my favorite 😀
Thanks for the compliments, and I definitely enjoyed the wine. My wife and I celebrated our 10yr anniversary in France a couple months ago, and we spent a day in Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Bought a few cases, and I think I need to place another order for more cuz we are going through the bottles like water!
--- Steve
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Re: Polishing, Kasumi Finish & Etching

Post by Ut_ron »

Wow, wondering how you got the cases back to the us?
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Re: Polishing, Kasumi Finish & Etching

Post by pd7077 »

Ut_ron wrote: Sat Dec 21, 2019 10:31 pm Wow, wondering how you got the cases back to the us?
Some of the vineyards in CdP will ship internationally. All the ones we went to did, but there were others in Cornas and Crozes Hermitage that didn’t have any international shipping contracts would we had to stuff them in our luggage.
--- Steve
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Re: Polishing, Kasumi Finish & Etching

Post by Ut_ron »

Steve,

Good to know. Have been buying locally and they are now running about $55 a bottle.
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Re: Polishing, Kasumi Finish & Etching

Post by pd7077 »

This pair has been a great combo in the kitchen: Raquin 270 KT and 80mm kogatana. They get a lot of use, especially this past week so I decided to give them a post-Christmas spa treatment.

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--- Steve
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Re: Polishing, Kasumi Finish & Etching

Post by nakneker »

I’m a huge fan of Raquin and what he does, I’ve had a few of his blades and have never been disappointed. I’ve always liked his rustic look, he’s one of the best at doing it but what you did there is elegant, is there such a thing as elegant rustic? I really like this! How was the 145sc to work with? A 270 KT my be my dream gyuto from him, how much height does the heel have? I love seeing this thread back on the updated often category!
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Re: Polishing, Kasumi Finish & Etching

Post by dAviD »

Didnt know if it was appropriate to post here but since I've learned so much and been inspired by this thread I thought it would be okay.

Spent some time polishing up this Mizuno cleaver before it ship of to it new home later this week....
Holy cow cleavers are allot of work!

It's not perfect, with a blade face this large the more you polish the more you tend to find artifacts from the maker and general use....but it's pretty damn close. The right side needed the least amount of time.
The left side has a few tiny tiny scratches that definitely are deeper than what I used for polishing but they aren't really noticable unless you really look.

Thanks for the inspiration guys!
I know the new owner is gonna love this.
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Re: Polishing, Kasumi Finish & Etching

Post by pd7077 »

My first project for 2020 was this Kato 240 standard. I’ve been working on it off and on since the start of the year, and I finally got to a good stopping point. The knife will be headed off for a new handle and saya before coming back to me for final touch-ups and a proper edge.

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--- Steve
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