Knives 10 and 11

[Don Nguyen]

Two new ones, a 210mm laser chef's with black micarta handle and 210mm k-tip gyuto with desert ironwood and buckeye burl inlay.

 

[andybill]

Damn, dude... those are crisp. What grit finish is that?

 

[Don Nguyen]

Thanks andy. Blades are finished to 500, but the spine and choil are burnished with 1200 and then slightly hand buffed a little with white rouge. Handles are finished to 1200 and hand buffed; there is some gloss to them, but I couldn't get the lighting to show many of the characteristics.

 

[Bigfattyt]

Those look clean.

 

[Hesparus]

Out of curiosity, why do you use 1084? Not that there's anything wrong with it, but why not 1095 or 52100?

- Chris

 

[Don Nguyen]

I chose 1084 for most of my beginning knives since I'm pretty new to all this. I could then worry a little less about the heat treating and focus more on the overall cutting performance.

I'm getting a better idea of what makes a kitchen knife cut and perform well, so I'm starting to get some ideas for new steels to try out. I'm eyeing the Hitachi Blue right now.

 

[franzb69]

love the bottom one don. =D

aogami should be easier to work with than shirogami from what i've read

 

[Don Nguyen]

Thanks franzb!

That's interesting. Aogami should have greater wear resistance (and supposedly toughness?) from what I remembered. Either way, it'll be tricky, because the only sources I have have them in 35mm widths, which is a bit narrow for tall gyutos. I don't do that much forging so it'll be a challenge. Plus, it's expensive...

W2 is another option I'm looking at, which is less costly. 1095 is about as inexpensive as it gets.

 

[quint]

Hey Don have you considered aldos 52100 at all. He has it thin and wide if I remember correctly. Done a couple of thin blades with it and they came out very nice. Sliced my thigh a good one with a little 52100 kitchen utility, darn thing was sharp lol.

 

[Don Nguyen]

I have indeed considered 52100. It would be a great steel for a workhorse, but at the same time, I'm kind of irked to try out hamon stuff.

Maybe I'll get both?

 

[BloodrootBlades]

Definitely both! Great looking knives Don, very nicely executed.

~Luke

 

[Hesparus]

I think you and hitachi blue will make a great team!

- Chris

 

[franzb69]

hey don, i watched on murray's youtube vids (i think) and read on somewhere (some forum, forgot which) that it takes much more skill to be able to forge knives from hitachi white than hitachi blue.