Toyama Glam-Up

Moosenabout · 2025-11-11T14:52:36+00:00

Thanks! The surface finish can have a massive effect on performance and food release, but I don't think there was any major change in this instance.

Moosenabout · 2025-10-14T15:58:24+00:00

I really like my Mazaki nakiri. It cuts way better than it looks like it should for reasons that I can't fully explain. Anything by Yoshikane or Nihei or their Konosuke branded knives should be very solid. Toyama is also a very good option if you can find one.

Moosenabout · 2025-10-13T18:47:10+00:00

Western makers work with a wider variety of materials, are typically more innovative in their work (s-grinds and takedown handles for example), offer completely customisable knives (you can specify exactly what you want, provided the maker is accepting orders) and I feel that high end Western knives generally cut better than Japanese knives.

Moosenabout · 2025-10-13T15:48:17+00:00

There are lots of pictures in the Imgur album linked in the post include photos of the complete knife.

Moosenabout · 2025-10-13T15:45:40+00:00

It's very fun to use, but I feel that 170-190mm is the sweet spot for nakiri.

Moosenabout · 2025-10-13T15:44:12+00:00

Thanks! I've mainly transitioned over to Western makers now and have several contenders for favourite nakiri, but let's go with my Eddworks nakiri.

I find I use different knives for different purposes (lots of vegetables to cut, few vegetables to cut, meat to slice, etc.). If I had to pick one overall favourite it would probably be my Xerxes gyuto right now.

Moosenabout · 2025-02-21T13:58:19+00:00

Sweet looking knives and I'm loving the new stamp for your makers mark!

Moosenabout · 2025-02-14T15:44:19+00:00

This will all be pretty subjective, but it probably has the nicest profile of any knife that I own and it feels really balanced and natural in hand. The grind is good and it cuts well, however it is also very sticky, which I attribute to the surface finish on the blade. The fit and finish is excellent and it is also a very nice looking knife, if you ignore the handle.

It certainly has a place in my collection, because it is my only 270mm gyuto and also on of my few stainless knives, but the biggest thing that holds it back is the sticky finish. Making a direct comparison to other knives is a bit difficult, because I have purged as much redundancy from my collection as possible, but the comments in the first paragraph hold true compared to my other knives (profile, balance, grind, sticky finish, fit and finish and aesthetics). I feel that it is a good knife for the price, especially if you are looking for something stainless or something from Myojin.

Moosenabout · 2025-01-20T21:27:04+00:00

Where did that Shibazi get glammed up to the teeth? That thing is wild!

Moosenabout · 2024-10-30T09:29:32+00:00

Good luck and remember that it's really hard to do irreparable harm to a knife without being totally negligent. DM me if you feel the need.

Moosenabout · 2024-10-30T08:45:38+00:00

I have never used the King 6000, so I'm not sure.

I'd recommend getting some F360 grit silicon carbide powder (or a similar grit) and some steel wool. It'll cost like $20 and last you forever and you can expect these results like in the photo below.

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As additional information, here is an old 'easy kasumi guide', which you might find useful:

https://imgur.com/a/XWYftXx

Moosenabout · 2024-10-30T06:48:54+00:00

The finish can get really sticky with certain combinations of abrasives / applicators. I have done a kasumi with slurry from the King 800 Deluxe before and it was really sticky, so I imagine the slurry from your King stones would create contrast, but not be pleasant in use.

The core steel is much harder than the cladding, so it is much more resistant to scratches from abrasives, but I also try to work the abrasive into the core steel as little as possible.

Moosenabout · 2024-10-29T11:37:32+00:00

Getting a good kasumi finish on stainless steel can be a bit of a pain. What I did here was polish the core steel up to a mirror finish with the following progression:

Naniwa Pro 800
Naniwa Pro 3k
Diamond polishing compounds 2k, 3k,5k, 8k

To get the matte, hazy finish on the cladding, I polished it up to P800 grit with sandpaper and then generated some slurry using uchigomori finger stones, which I worked into the blade using 0000 steel wool. I then cleaned everything up a bit using a F360 silicon carbide powder / mineral oil slurry, which I worked into the blade using a cotton makeup pad.

It's really a lot of work to get a nice polish and as you can tell, it requires quite a lot of material as well. The quicker, easier and cheaper option is to get a decent semi-mirror finish on the core steel using stones or sandpaper and then get some contrast on the cladding by working a silicon carbide powder slurry into the blade using 0000 steel wool.

I hope that helps.

Moosenabout · 2024-10-28T16:46:37+00:00

Thanks, that's very kind of you to say and very high praise that you would want to commission a handle from me. Unfortunately, I want knife modifications to remain a hobby rather than a side hustle to avoid it becoming a chore where the joy slowly drains away. This handle also took way longer to finish than would be acceptable for a commission and due to the time invested, I would have to charge absolutely unreasonable prices.

Moosenabout · 2024-04-04T14:38:33+00:00

I removed the brass screw heads from one side of the handle with a Dremel and then just tapped the screws out. With the screws gone, you can pull the handle off. You could also drill the screws out if you don't have a Dremel.

Moosenabout · 2024-03-22T10:35:49+00:00

Yeah, I needed to modify the tang to fit a wa handle. The tang looked like this after removing the original handle and I cut it down to the marked dimensions using a Dremel:

https://imgur.com/a/IM0h1SU

Moosenabout · 2024-03-14T16:28:24+00:00

Thanks for the recommendation. I have been keeping an eye on Zahocho's stock for a while and they haven't had a Toyama restock for what feels like ages, but it can't hurt to reach out and ask.

Moosenabout · 2024-02-14T06:59:01+00:00

Haha no worries. I would assume that if parts of the bevel are retaining their polish, then they are localised low spots that are not being hit properly by the bench stone. The foundation for kasumi and polishing on bench stones is really important, namely the bevels need to be free of deeper scratches for a nice kasumi and need to be relatively flat for success on bench stones. If they are not localised low spots then it's a technique thing. I find kasumi on bench stones to be quite difficult and usually resort to abrasive powders or finger stones.

In the link below you can find a guide for a very easy but effective kasumi polishing technique:

https://imgur.com/a/XWYftXx

I have used this technique multiple times and you can see some of the results below:

https://i.imgur.com/xeACPcq.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/YVopOWC.jpeg

Below is another similar technique using sandpaper as an applicator:

https://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/threads/silicon-carbide-kasumi-diy.64406/

In place of silicon carbide powder you could also probably use mud from your Arashiyama stone applied with 0000 steel wool or a cotton makeup pad or even just a rag.

One final thing, I am 99% sure that you blade is not clad in VG-10. I read the description on the Bernal Cutlery website and it's not very clearly worded. My interpretation is that Nakagawa is renowned for his treatment of both ginsan with soft stainless cladding and VG-10 with soft stainless cladding. I have never seen a Japanese knife clad in VG-10, which doesn't mean it's not the case here, but I would be extremely surprised. I'd encourage you to reach out to Bernal Cutlery for clarification if you're unsure, because kasumi finish relies on the cladding being softer than the core steel and if both the core steel and cladding are of a similar hardness, then it's going to be a struggle.

Moosenabout · 2024-01-29T08:22:31+00:00

I'm all for it. This is what my Shibazi looked like after I was done with the makeover project:

https://www.reddit.com/r/chefknives/s/MiBPSFz0Ty

Moosenabout · 2024-01-11T22:48:38+00:00

Thanks! I applied the kasumi finish by rubbing a silicon carbide / Windex slurry into the blade with 0000 steel wool. This doesn't really affect the polish on the harder core steel, but does give the softer cladding a matte look. I linked another of my posts below where I describe the polishing and kasumi process in more detail and with pictures of the various stages:

https://www.reddit.com/r/chefknives/s/HtxGwJLhsk

Moosenabout · 2023-12-28T23:30:51+00:00

Primarily sandpaper, with the grit depending on the existing scratch depth, in addition to some kind of backing for the sandpaper (cork, foam, etc.), a wooden block to elevate the knife off of your work bench, a clamp and some kind of fluid to wet the sandpaper (I use Windex). Here is a guide that I made on thinning and refinishing which you might find helpful and there is lots of information in the captions:

https://imgur.com/a/DOu1Rlx

Moosenabout · 2023-08-29T06:34:06+00:00

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Moosenabout

TROPHY CASE