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Setting an initial edge? (Moritaka Deluxe #2)

post #1 of 5
2/15/12 at 12:34am
Thread Starter 

So my Moritaka Deluxe (#2) 270mm gyuto arrived on Monday. It's not sharp. I will have to make it so. Are there any tips on what I should be doing to set the initial edge?

 

I'm thinking a light treatment with the 400k (chosera) at 15* then carry on through the 1000k and 5000k. That should be about it, right? Nothing special to do?

 

Thanks!

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post #2 of 5
2/15/12 at 9:11am
Possibly a not so light "treatment" with your coarse stone.

You might want to go a little more acute than 15*. From an efficiency standpoint it's easier to start more rather than less acute, and add durability with a mutl-bevel if your initial angles prove too weak. 10* sounds about right, but you might want to give Mark a call and ask if he knows what's the hot angle and asymmetry for the knife.

If you're going to thin behind the edge, now is the time. I'm not sufficiently familiar with Moritakas to tell you whether that's necessary, but from what I gather it isn't. Again, you might want to talk to Mark or get on a forum which has a lot of Moritaka owner members.

Only once you've established the desired angle, and have the bevels meeting at your desired degree asymmetry, can you go on to the real sharpening (i.e., drawing a burr and deburring) with your 1K and up stones. One of the most important lessons to learn (and thanks for reminding me to write it) is that you can't fix coarse-stone problems with a medium or fine. It's important to get everything as right as possible before moving up the progression.

Setting angles precisely without some sort of jig isn't easy; prepare to be approximate. Instead of 10*, you might consider going for the most acute angle you can hold without scratching up the knife face. Or, if you're comfortable with 15* and find the idea of going tighter daunting, just work with 15*.

Keeping a rational and comfortable perspective is another important lesson.

BDL
Edited by boar_d_laze - 2/15/12 at 9:47am
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post #3 of 5
2/15/12 at 12:34pm
Thread Starter 

Thanks for your thoughts B. I don't feel comfortable calling Mark as I bought it from Paul, so I'll check with him first and will probably drop a post on Fred's as well. 

 

I'm pretty comfortable with the angles so don't mind trying lower. I think the 'guide' I have does about 10* anyhow, so if I get a bit unsure I can fall back on that. 

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post #4 of 5
2/15/12 at 4:36pm
Dep,

As soon as I hit the send button, I remembered you bought your knives from Paul and should have cleaned up the post... but, hey! I'm retired. If working attorneys procrastinate, you can imagine what we're like when after telling our self-employers to bugger off. I've never dealt with Paul, but hear he's both knowledgeable and very good about post-sales service, so obviously that's where your call should go. Otherwise, the rest of the advice stands.

BDL
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post #5 of 5
2/15/12 at 11:38pm
Thread Starter 

Paul's excellent - both knowledgeable and pragmatically helpful. By that, I mean that he focuses on a very realistic approach for "normal" users like me. I really appreciate that. I've already sent him an email and will see what he comes back with before I attack it tomorrow. 

 

 

If I do double bevel it (e.g. at 10/15), I think I understand it, but as a quick refresher:

 

 

1. Go thin on the angle (e.g. 10) to the point where you're not quite sharpening down to the very edge

 

2. A very small portion right at the edge is done at 15*

 

That's what I took from Chad's book. I might have misunderstood, so wanted to double check. 

 

Thanks!

 

 

And yes, working lawyers (odd how we basically never use the word attorney up here...) do procrastinate...which is why I'm typing about knives instead of sending clients their bills. Priorities!

 

I'm so ready to retire...at the ripe old age of 33.

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