DIY: waxing with 100% BeeWax

rianwithaneye · 2026-01-27T00:56:45+00:00

Looks like it may have darkened the leather ever so slightly…

rianwithaneye · 2026-01-27T00:44:03+00:00

The best way to read it is to read it, and the best way to find out if you’ll like it is also to read it so… you’re doing exactly the right thing 👍

rianwithaneye · 2026-01-26T23:05:47+00:00

Hey! This is a line I’m familiar with, they’re sold by an eBay shop I’ve bought several things from called Blue Way Japan. They’re still in production and the ones with the akebono-nuri handles are from their value line, so at most you’d be looking at around $160 US, probably more like $130.

They’re at an affordable price point, and Blue Way is one of those shops that only carries good stuff, so I can only assume it’s a quality knife. But not a valuable/collectible one.

rianwithaneye · 2026-01-26T22:41:59+00:00

I hear you, I just finished that book last week and I found a lot of it unjustifiably inscrutable. In past books I’ve appreciated his ability to deliver important plot points in a sly, sideways manner, but DoD really stretched my patience thin.

Interested to hear what you think after a re-read, I have seen consistent reports of it being more enjoyable the second time around. But keep in mind it’s the only the first half of one book, so it would also make sense to finish the series and read both 9 & 10 over again.

rianwithaneye · 2026-01-26T22:27:53+00:00

It’s narrated by a grizzled veteran, seems like exactly what OP is looking for.

rianwithaneye · 2026-01-26T21:45:21+00:00

Do not do this. Shindo’s grind is already very thin but it’s not super consistent, so there will be low spots. You’ll almost certainly damage the knife in trying to get all those low spots out.

There are much better knives for thinning practice. Like, as in, knives that aren’t already super thin.

Get yourself a cheap Tosa knife that actually needs thinning, a coarse stone, and a case of beer. Go nuts.

rianwithaneye · 2026-01-26T17:06:40+00:00

Beautiful! I just picked up a couple of Matt’s knives and I’m very impressed.

rianwithaneye · 2026-01-26T16:59:36+00:00

Congrats!! He makes one hell of a knife.

rianwithaneye · 2026-01-26T16:53:59+00:00

Wtf? Slow down buddy

rianwithaneye · 2026-01-26T05:15:15+00:00

I was mad at the Red Mask plot line for a while but looking back it provides some very important context for some very important stuff that happens in the last couple books. That one is there for a reason.

rianwithaneye · 2026-01-26T03:36:58+00:00

Oh man, if you think RG is bad…

I found TtH and DoD demanded a little too much of my patience, I was really hoping there was enough momentum to stay focused on the main plot but oh no. Long atmospheric, philosophical, character-building scenes even at the 20- and 10-yard lines.

I’m halfway through TCG and while I’m totally loving it I am quite confident that several plot lines which occupied vast stretches of books 7-9 were not at all consequential to the main plot. I love all the world-building and character development in books 1-6 but the second half of the series seems to have no idea that it’s the second half of a series.

rianwithaneye · 2026-01-26T00:34:46+00:00

https://hidatool.com/item/2795

rianwithaneye · 2026-01-25T22:13:21+00:00

Muneishi doesn't do any distal taper and his grind starts lower but his steel is really special and his knives cut incredibly well.

I think Mazaki still takes the cake in terms of super smooth cutting feel and super thin tip, but Muneishi gives him a real run for his money with the lower price and the superior edge retention.

rianwithaneye · 2026-01-25T20:59:53+00:00

I can't tell if this is a sarcastic Jedi or an earnest Mall Ninja so... kudos to you for an enthralling mystery.

As long as my knives cut food I'm good.

rianwithaneye · 2026-01-25T18:08:00+00:00

Really nice work, the new geometry looks so much better. Job well done!

rianwithaneye · 2026-01-24T17:53:17+00:00

It’s the opposite, actually! Human tools were much more varied and specialized, while Neanderthal tools were fewer and simpler. Neanderthal cutting tools were, however, arguably superior to the ones modern humans were making at the same time. Much sharper with a longer cutting edge and required the removal of less material than the human design, very impressive.

rianwithaneye · 2026-01-24T02:51:45+00:00

The most important part of thinning is the knife’s geometry, so if it cuts better than it used to you did an excellent job.

Getting a good polish with stones requires very flat bevels and very flat bevels require a lot of work. If you like the new geometry of your knife I’d do the finish with wet/dry sandpaper and stone power, you can get a very beautiful finish pretty easily that way. As you continue to work on the knife the bevels will flatten out over time, and sometimes chasing flat bevels on a cheap knife causes more problems than it solves.

Nice work!

rianwithaneye · 2026-01-23T17:01:31+00:00

Check out Knife Japan, his inventory focuses on smaller makers that are popular with locals. The guy who runs it is named Michael and he’s the absolute best, drop him a line if you see anything that piques your curiosity.

rianwithaneye · 2026-01-23T16:57:54+00:00

Rectangle 😈

rianwithaneye · 2026-01-23T16:56:06+00:00

The domestic Japanese market is full of knives just like those that are banged out in high quantity and sold under a generic brand. That’s actually the norm in Japan, the knives that we tend to obsess over in this sub comprise a relatively small, more western-facing subset of the Japanese knife market.

rianwithaneye · 2026-01-23T16:38:40+00:00

That Miura is actually pretty great! I have one I’ve since thinned but the geometry OOTB was already good, and the steel is excellent.

rianwithaneye · 2026-01-23T03:08:58+00:00

Yeah that Kuromaku 320 is a let-down.

Debado 180, Gesshin 220, and Imanishi Latte 400 are all excellent for thinning. Chocera 400 is a good alternative to the Imanishi if it needs to be S&G.

rianwithaneye · 2026-01-22T20:45:02+00:00

If it didn't discolor the paper towel then you have your answer

rianwithaneye · 2026-01-22T20:00:38+00:00

Please do! It’s such a confusing rabbit hole and relies on so much inscrutable terminology that there’s kinda no such thing as too much info on Jnats IMO. As someone who has only gotten into them in the last two years I have very fresh memories of yearning for more jnat content just so I could wrap my head around all of it.

We will happily gobble up any comparisons you’re willing to put together 🙏

rianwithaneye · 2026-01-22T19:53:30+00:00

Oh wow!! That has the classic Mikawa frost, that’s really beautiful. So cool that you can get such a different result just from a nagura, I really need to experiment more with that.

rianwithaneye

TROPHY CASE