- Thread starter
- #21
Another thrift store kitchen knife save. A fast, fairly course Washita, followed by a fine Turkey = excellent edge.
What did you hone today? -Knife and tool edition
- Thread starter Legion
- Start date
Oh ho! Just discovered this thread!
Today I decided to restore the edge on a Watanabe Blue #2 petty. Seemed like a good opportunity to try out a newly acquired Dalmore Blue/TOS dual hone. First I had to figure out how to use it. From reading various B&B posts it seemed like water, with or without slurry was the way to go. First I tried with plain water. I could feel progress but not completely done. So I raised a quick slurry with my worn out CKTG diamond plate. That sped things up. Once I was slicing tomato skin properly I diluted the slurry back down to water and did a few more strokes. I thought really hard about using the TOS side, but then decided that I probably had sufficient refinement for the task at hand. Will try it out on some mushrooms later. I find that is a really good test of a knife, especially if the mushrooms have dehydrated a bit.
Today I decided to restore the edge on a Watanabe Blue #2 petty. Seemed like a good opportunity to try out a newly acquired Dalmore Blue/TOS dual hone. First I had to figure out how to use it. From reading various B&B posts it seemed like water, with or without slurry was the way to go. First I tried with plain water. I could feel progress but not completely done. So I raised a quick slurry with my worn out CKTG diamond plate. That sped things up. Once I was slicing tomato skin properly I diluted the slurry back down to water and did a few more strokes. I thought really hard about using the TOS side, but then decided that I probably had sufficient refinement for the task at hand. Will try it out on some mushrooms later. I find that is a really good test of a knife, especially if the mushrooms have dehydrated a bit.
So what does one do with a Kiradashi? I actually got my father a folding kiradashi from CKTG a few years ago. They still offer that particular line, both a folder and one with a handle and sheath that one can store in a pocket like an oversized pen.
- Thread starter
- #24
I think they are used as a general utility knife, but traditionally for wood carving, marking, whittling etc.
Let's see, my favorite hone for knives?? ,,,,I think I like this one......LOL
Nice starter kit, Ronnie. 
Yesterday I put a new edge on one of my hunting knives. SG500 followed by a soft and fast coticule. Edge was good but when cutting paper I felt a few clicks so took it to the loupe and there's tiny little chips in several places on the very edge. This has left me scratching my head because I'm pretty easy on this blade. Only thing I can figure is I did a forced patina with ACV and maybe that ate away at the edge? Dunno. I'll take it back to the 500 when I get a chance and see if I can get past them.
Err... use it for polishing practice?
Really though - what @Legion said above is basically what I use them for. I work with wood a lot, so fine carving or whittling, cutting, scoring and marking, and just as a general knife or scalpel.
With a sheath would be very useful, folding ones too. Though the latter might have less of a shelf life and become a bit tricky to sharpen after a while... (?)
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Sounds like a strange one. I've done lots of forced patinas before and never noticed something like that, though in theory it could happen I imagine. Do you know what the steel is?
And what's the grind like? Scandi grinds / 100% zero bevels have more potential for tiny chipping at very the edge.
Whatever the problem was - a microbevel at the end of sharpening will help.
It’s an old Randall so it’s 01 carbon. I’ve had it a long time and It’s never been chippy before so not sure what is going on. We were camping and hiking all last week so maybe I got some grit down inside the sheath that chewed up the edge. Dunno. Hopefully it’s an easy fix on the 500.
I did a silly thing yesterday and took one of my fanciest knives loose in a bag to go stay with my sister for a couple of days, using just an edge guard. Which slipped off slightly and this happened, because it's Aogami Super and has a hyper thin grind:
Bollix.
But ho! What's this I've left in her garden at some point? Is it perhaps a Norton India Stone...?!!!
God the Medium India is utterly world class, it's just absolutely excellent in every way. And, whisper it quietly - actually marginally better than the SG500.
Full repair inc. profile, thinning and sharpening in under five mins. This is particularly soft, flimsy kitchen roll and we're still dropping clean through off the Norton.
Bollix.
But ho! What's this I've left in her garden at some point? Is it perhaps a Norton India Stone...?!!!
God the Medium India is utterly world class, it's just absolutely excellent in every way. And, whisper it quietly - actually marginally better than the SG500.
Full repair inc. profile, thinning and sharpening in under five mins. This is particularly soft, flimsy kitchen roll and we're still dropping clean through off the Norton.
- Thread starter
- #32
Only you stash random hones in the yards of friends and family. You probably hide them in strangers yards as well, in case you are “caught behind enemy lines”.
Norton medium better than a sg500? Controversial…
- Thread starter
- #33
For me at the moment, (and take this with a grain of salt, because I keep changing my mind), the holy trinity of knife stones is the Pike/Norton coarse India, SG500, fine Turkey.
Right now, those are the three I’d take to the desert island.
Right now, those are the three I’d take to the desert island.
Only you stash random hones in the yards of friends and family. You probably hide them in strangers yards as well, in case you are “caught behind enemy lines”.
Norton medium better than a sg500? Controversial…
Haha... I do often leave/give things to people, no point in me having 30 odd assorted SiC and India stones sitting in a pile.
And yep; I did an extensive look at them side by side a few weeks back (I'll post about it sometime), and was slightly surprised that in all honesty - I think the Medium India is a slightly better stone. Also something that I hadn't really clocked before is that it finishes quite noticeably higher than the SG500, which'll be a product of being harder.
- Thread starter
- #35
Interesting. Have you done a head to head comparison between a new Norton medium and a vintage? If a new measures up that would be the ultimate value for money hone, I would think.
I haven't actually no.
A while back I'd have said that I doubt there'd be much of a difference, and I didn't think they'd the formula much. Though I've noticed very definite differences in some Coarse Indias I've had, with some being insanely hard and glazing very quickly, and others having just enough friability that they'll keep cutting. So could well be the case with Mediums too.
The stone I was comparing against the SG500 is a 9" one, date stamped 1909, and was completely wonderful. The one in my sister's garden is similar.
- Thread starter
- #37
All of mine are vintage, but have had most of the stamps worn away, so I'm not sure if they are fine or medium. There does not seem to be much to tell from the feel or look.
Yeah I find the Med/Fine quite difficult to tell apart from the appearance or touch, though can usually have a pretty decent guess after using them. I have a couple of stamped Meds too so can compare to those, which helps.
That’s it. I’ve been putting up with your BBW shenanigans, but now this blasphemy about a crusty old India being better than my favorite stone? Who’s got the ban button?
I got this Okudo suita back out today as I needed to delete the grind marks on this folding Kiridashi I have. They were bugging me. So I ended up going to 100 grit WD for sometime like a finger stone then 220, 400 and on to the Shapton G7 500. Then the Turkey stone and finally a polish on the suita after making a nice slurry. This thing does not like to give up slurry even with an Atoma plate surprisingly.
