My new kitchen knife - forged Japanese

ddean

ddean

Joined
Mar 26, 2002
Messages
3,397
A previous thread got me interested
& I ordered one last week from
http://japanwoodworker.com/product.asp?s=JapanWoodworker&pf_id=05.100.16&dept_id=12113
"Blade 6" Grip 4" ....... a layer of blue steel between two pieces of soft wrought iron......tempered to Rockwell c63. .....forging marks are left intact ...... handles are made from Ho (a relative of the Magnolia), known for its longevity when exposed to water."

What they don't tell you online is that there is a distal taper
from >5/32" at the grip, to <2/32 at the last point of the spine.
The tang is thicker yet,
and a magnet indicates it extends 3/4 the length of the grip.
Weight 4.7-oz, feels like nothing in the hand,
balance point just under an inch from the grip.
The black at the top is enhanced by what seems to be a black lacquer;
but this came off very easily with baking soda & olive oil on a paper towel.
A dark grey oxidation remains in this area.
It looks good.
The forge/hammer marks are only evident near the tang.
When they say delivered sharp they mean it;
hair popping sharp.
Convex edge is well done at the edge,
but a little uneven about 1/8" above that.
This uneveness would disappear at the first home sharpening.

Wood is untreated, I am oiling it.

They caution that hard edge chips if used on bone or hard surfaces.

This blade will be a permanent fixture in my kitchen.
BTW, this site has the best price for this blade I could find.
Shipping was $5.50.......Received it on time.
 
Looks real nice, Dean. The santoku is my current favorite kitchen knife shape. Ordered one of Dan's a while back.

That site has some really nice stuff.
 
Nice knife. Dean, you are of few words but they're always informative. I believe I may be exponentially your cosmic opposite.

munk
 
If Special Requests ever get going again, I'd like some HI kitchen knives.




munk
 
probably won't ever start up again....but we can dream...


Love the blades, but not the handles.
 
Handles like that attract bacteria colonies. You have to clean them promptly.


munk
 
I've never heard the seam between steel and wood can be sealed- can it? For how long?


munk
 
Yes you can seal it - but I think Aardvark means sealing the handle itself, right?

I have made a few kitchen knives with plain wood handles - that all have cracked or come loose, etc. Won't do it any more. Fortunately, the client for those knives was "me". ;)

All kitchen knives (yours too, Joe :D) now have stabilized materials on them. Nothing worse than getting one back broken....boy does that sting!
 
Yes you can seal it - but I think Aardvark means sealing the handle itself, right?
Click to expand...
Correct.

I've put plain wood handles on a couple of blanks, myself. The first was mansonia, which is holding up pretty well. The one I just finished was ironwood (what a pain!). That one's destined for Germany.
 
Pen, for how long? I know bacteria fairly well, having fought it for years with clean procedure in the hospitals I worked. It is difficult to believe a seal can exist between metal and wood that will stay.



munk
 
not sure what you mean by seal, munk. Do you mean a physical barrier between the blade and the handle? Or do you mean a sealant between the blade steel and the handle?
 
Aardvark said:
The santoku is my current favorite kitchen knife shape.
Click to expand...
I hadn't realized until today that we already have
a cheap Oneida version of the style.
Virtually identical profile.
Less than an inch more oal & half an ounce heavier
with a balance point only 1/2" from grip.
Shaped rubber grip.

It -feels- --twice-- the weight.
Doesn't feel right at all.
Unwieldy.
Uck......I never use it.

Do like a bilton in the kitchen.
 
munk said:
Dean, you are of few words but they're always informative.
Click to expand...
I have my days.

When I feel lazy I tend to ramble.
On,
and on,
and.........:rolleyes:
 
Pen, I can't think of any seal that would prevent bacteria from crawling underneath. The hot cold cycles of knife use would only expand the opening.

A perfect kitchen blade would have a tight but easily removable handle- perhaps screwed on slabs, that could be cleaned seperately and the blade tang cleaned also. Wooden handled kitchen knives are notorious for growing things underneath the handle slabs and where the steel enters the handle. Even Micarta cannot correct this. Perhaps a poly urethane would seal wood enough to prevent colonization on the slabs.

People throw micarta handled knives into the dishwasher. I really doubt that kills the stuff underneath the handle. Kitchen knives, cutting boards, and green scrubbies are not your friends when it comes to bacteria.


munk
 
If you throw your custom-made kitchen knives in the dishwasher, you deserve to have it come apart. ;)


But we're mincing intended purposes here....only the paranoid need worry about bacteria on kitchen knives at home. There's so much more in the bathroom and on door handles and in wash rags, etc.!
 
Hey ddean...cool knife any chance to get a pic of the one you recieved? A friend got one of those awhile back off ebay and he then removed the handle and used epoxy to seat it in a 3' long shaft...wicked weapon he made....yep cool knives and cheap!
 
Not true, Pen. Kitchen knives, cutting boards, dish rags are among the top offenders in the home. My point is not that I put my carving knives into the dishwasher, only that people who do cannot eliminate the bacteria.

That's why I suggested a removable handle.

take care,

munk
 
I have the exact same knife, from the same company in my restaurant. The black will come off with useage...leaving a nice patina if you wish. I clean mine with a 3m scotch-brite pad.
Don't treat the wood with anything. It will last for years. I've had one for 15+- years and it is doing fine. They heat the tang and drive it into the handle to seat it.
These knives can really fly! The balance is great, it seems like you just wave the knife at the veggies and they fall apart.
They will rust as you watch tho. If you chop up an onion and toss it into a skillet and reach to chop up another it will be rusted and leave a red streak on the next cut.
Knives get a 5 minute soak in hot soapy water before a good scrubbing/polish and are dried with a new clean towel.
Cutting boards go through the dishwasher, with a weekly soak in bleach solution. Wipe down rags are never slung over shoulders, nor are they allowed to cross contanimate. We go through a lot of towels because of these rules.
The only knives I know of that are free of the blade/handle problem is globals knives since they are all steel with no seams. But they just feel like crap in my hands...they aren't alive/ balanced and the handle feels unsecure...especially when wet. But people must like them, they sell a lot of 'em.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top