Sages of B&B, help me pick my progression.

[Empire straights]

“Haha, currently thinking about getting my first coticule. Haven’t made the leap yet.”

Don’t do it, there is no net. That’s how it starts

“my first coticule”

That’s how it starts, the next thing you know, they find you passed out in the bathroom covered in yellow and purple dust…

I don't know about passed out but I've constantly got purple smears across my undershirts. I'm sure I look like a slob. I just work hard man.

 

[captaincaed]

This is such a charming thread. Warms my heart.

I'll second most of what cotedupy said. I'm mostly a knife guy, and I like what he does.

Id say whichever stone you choose, make sure your bevels meet, and make sure you clean the burr completely after. I think a washita is great for building a burr, and recently finding Idwals are great for cleaning them off.

Comes down a lot to use too. Ask her what she mostly uses it for. If it's protein, coarser is generally nicer, delicate veg likes finer. Tough skins like mid grit with teeth. Probably flogging the horse saying it but hey.

 

[captaincaed]

Other thought.

Older German steel tends to not hold a highly refined edge very well. Honestly bbw might be a bit too much unless you're using it pretty light.

My kitchen knife test for "am I done" is get to where I think I'm done, draw it lightly through a wood board. Black mark means I probably left burr behind. Try cutting paper towel. Snags are no good. Go back for a couple very light edge leading strokes to refine any ragged edge. Wash rinse repeat until paper towel cuts cleanly after board contact. That's a crisp knife apex.

I think some teeth are always good in the kitchen, even lil uns.

 

[H Brad Boonshaft]

Funny, Knife guys start with too low of grit with razors and do not go high enough to finish.

Razor guys start with too high of grit and want to take a kitchen knife edge to 20k.

Yea, my EDC is 20k and needs refresh often, but kitchen knives are 1 or 4k.

 

[2bit_collie]

Chicago.

 

[captaincaed]

Funny, Knife guys start with too low of grit with razors and do not go high enough to finish.

Razor guys start with too high of grit and want to take a kitchen knife edge to 20k.

Yea, my EDC is 20k and needs refresh often, but kitchen knives are 1 or 4k.

Think "how much product can I slam thru on this poly board before this thing needs a touch up because I don't want to resharpen between lunch and dinner service"

 

[Legion]

Think "how much product can I slam thru on this poly board before this thing needs a touch up because I don't want to resharpen between lunch and dinner service"

Except the super high finished knife failed way before the medium one with a few teeth.

 

[Empire straights]

Except the super high finished knife failed way before the medium one with a few teeth.

I've found of I hone a knife to a really high grit then run it through Botan slurry for about 10 laps with a light touch it'll throw more teeth on the blade but the feel like tiny micro serrations that some llyn Idwals and bbws leave. I was really surprised at how aggressive slurry is from Mikawa naguras. It doesn't seem to have any trouble with really hard steels either.

 

[Steve56]

I've found of I hone a knife to a really high grit then run it through Botan slurry for about 10 laps with a light touch it'll throw more teeth on the blade but the feel like tiny micro serrations that some llyn Idwals and bbws leave. I was really surprised at how aggressive slurry is from Mikawa naguras. It doesn't seem to have any trouble with really hard steels either.

You obviously need a botan bench stone … The speed of the Mikawas vary a good bit from stone to stone, but indeed, fast ones are a joy.

My kitchen knives usually end up with a suita or coticule edge, those seem to work well with everything. Of course if I’ve been using cutlery to burnish whatever stone that I’ve just flattened, that’s what edge that they have. My old Utica cleaver has an edge like a razor because that’s what gets used to burnish a lot. I have to be careful with it!

 

[H Brad Boonshaft]

A small cleaver can be an edge saver, if you can get your bride to use it.

Got her a small carbon steel cleaver and the edges on “her knives” last much longer…

 

[Empire straights]

Ended up doing 2 knives one Japanese one American. The American one was older and was stamped with a picture of a scimitar. I honed the Japanese on a jnat after doing chip removal on a blue Pyrenees. The American knife I cut a bevel and sharpened on an old coticule and finished on a bbw. Both knives turned out quite well though I wish I had more time for restoration for the handles and patina on the blades. Thanks for the help friends!

 

[Bowmaker]

Does this lady cut almost everything in hand? I have seen many that do, they need paring knifes that are kind of sharp, because the blade is stopping against their off thumb or palm. They don't think twice about it. My mom will cut herself every time with a sharp paring knife.
Both of my grandmothers cut that way too. I have seen it with other older cooks on youtube as well.

Just saying because I have been there and done that.

 

[Empire straights]

Does this lady cut almost everything in hand? I have seen many that do, they need paring knifes that are kind of sharp, because the blade is stopping against their off thumb or palm. They don't think twice about it. My mom will cut herself every time with a sharp paring knife.
Both of my grandmothers cut that way too. I have seen it with other older cooks on youtube as well.

Just saying because I have been there and done that.

She cuts on butcher block. I warned her when I gave them to her and told her to never put the Japanese knife to skin. That's why I finished the other on a coticule, to make it skin friendly and less aggressive. I hone my 9 year old boy's knives the same way so he doesn't cut himself. She will pretty much only be cutting apples, cantaloupe, honeydew melons, and strawberries on wood block. This was my major initial concern, and the reason I made this thread. Skin friendly is more important, in the case, than extremely effective kitchen knife. I greatly appreciate the replies I got from every one. This woman cried when I showed her the knife her grandmother- in-law left to her. It was a memory I'll never forget.