Sharpening My Masakage Yuki Gyuto- DMT ex ex fine

M

MattPatches

Joined
Apr 29, 2014
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Hey Guys,

Finally stepped up to my first really nice Japanese knife. It's a Masakage yuki Gyuto 210mm, white #2 carbon steel core sandwiched around stainless. I am trying to find out if i will have to purchase a new sharpening stone in order to sharpen it. I have a full set of 8* DMT diamond stones and it is my understanding that these stones are sub optimal for such a fine and thin edge, as it is prone to chip at it's HRC of 62-63. However, i have the DMT extra extra fine continuous diamond stone as well which is rated at an approximate 8000 grit, would i be able to get away with using this? If not would i be able to get away with using my Worksharp ken onion with grinder attachment? I am fully aware that these methods of sharpening are non traditional, but i have spent quite a bit of money on sharpening supplies already and would like to use my combination of strops compounds, belt sharpeners, and diamond stones in order to sharpen this new knife if i can. Any and all input is welcome, especially from somebody with experience or knowledge regarding thin edged japanese knives such as the masakage.
 
I don't know the knife. I also have a good investment in all sorts of sharpening kit.
I find with ultra fine edges then flat stropping with compounds and honing papers of fine grits best. Not much material needs removing. Take your time and don't use much pressure. There just isn't a fast way of doing it. The larger and flatter the honing surface the better. Also do it often rather than let the edge need a lot of work in one go.
Stop surfaces can be leather, or MDF flat wood. Fine grits like chrome polish, or even tooth paste. The finest sheets of wet and dry specialist sand papers, or even micromesh a high tech abrasive paper. The finer you go and more time the better the result. Its not rocket science but does take some application.

Someone will come up with their way. There are lots of ways to do it. The finer the edge the finer the grit and the more time.

Thankfully most working knives have plenty of metal behind the edge and faster kit can be used.

Lastly, knives are for using, and do require maintenance. No point in having them otherwise, unless just to look at. Have confidence in yourself as its not that difficult.
 
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I know the knife, have sharpened thousands. Do not use diamond plates.

For the love of gawd please don't use the KO, it's a quick way to ruin a knife.

Get a King combo 800/4000 if you want to keep it cheap but do not use the DMT plates. XC or C at most for setting bevels but be cautious because the diamond plates WILL chip out the edge.
 
Jason,

Is it due to the high hardness that the blade will chip even on the extra extra fine DMT plate? Also as far as the stones go, what water stones would you suggest that are more mid level? I don't want to be missing out on the high performance of this knife and wish to maintain it properly and keep it extremely sharp. As far as the ken onion goes, i have a lot of experience using it and when it runs on slow it's not really that dangerous. I understand if you think it will chip the knife but i have found it to be very gentle on blades when done carefully.
 
I have a bunch of Masakage Yuki kitchen knives, and yes, I got waterstones specifically for them, even though I use DMT plates for other knives. Even if you were to use your DMT stone, a single EF won't be sufficient to sharpen it from dull in any reasonable amount of time. You'd need a range of grits. I'd take Jason's advice on this.
 
I was intrigued enough to google Masakage Yuki.

Under knife care, they say:

* Use a ceramic honing rod or leather strop for the edge maintenance. Never use a coarse steel sharpening rod or diamond rod.

* Do not use a wheel sharpener or sharpening tools. Always sharpen by hand on waterstones.
 
Rat Finkenstein said:
so sharpening the knife will damage it? sounds like a uselessly embrittled product.
Click to expand...

Sharpening is not one size fits all and when you are dealing with high performance cutting tools there are typically strict maintenance routines. You don't sharpen highly wear resistant alloys on natural stones just the same as you don't sharpen high hardness carbon steels on diamond plates.
 
Jason,

I went with a Naniwa Chosera 1,000 grit and a Suehiro Rika 5K. Is that all i need? and do i need a Nagura to slurry the Ruka or a leveling stone to maintain the stones? if so any reccomendations?
 
MattPatches said:
Jason,

I went with a Naniwa Chosera 1,000 grit and a Suehiro Rika 5K. Is that all i need? and do i need a Nagura to slurry the Ruka or a leveling stone to maintain the stones? if so any reccomendations?
Click to expand...

Nice stones,

Yes, you will need a leveling stone or diamond plate. Leveling stone is the cheaper route, just search for Naniwa leveling stone, there about $25. The only downside to these can be their smaller size, they are 6x2 and with most stones being 8x3 that can make it very difficult to make a truly level stone. Not really a concern for most knives but for some sharpening you need a really flat stone. I like the Atoma 140 diamond plate for most of my regular lapping and it plays a dual role as a coarse grinding plate too. Nagura stones are kinda pointless on synthetic stones.
 
Jason- amateur knife sharpener here. When you say don't use diamond plates for high hardness carbon steel, does that include wicked edge pro too? Was thinking about getting a Yoshimune white#1 210gyuto from cktg and maintaining with the WEPro. Bad idea? I suuuuck wth freehand and that's why got a WEPro, for my custom folders and standard wusthof, Shun, and Mac & Global with great results. Any thoughts?

OP: sorry for the threadjack but same line of question for the pros.
 
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