Problem Knives

I've met my match...

A chef I sharpen for has a couple of knives that I can't get from wedging. He used to sharpen his knives and now they don't cut for poo...

He gave them to me for a try. One is a global gyuto the other a Kikuichi with asymmetrical grind. Both wedge like crazy. I've never had a problem with any other knives. Just his. I gave them back to him at no charge since I wasn't able to fix the wedging issue so I can't take pictures but I'm hoping to get some feedback on how to make them right and get another try on them.

Any thoughts from the people with more knowledge?

 

Did you thinn them? Every knife will wedge, with time, if you don't thinn them.

 

Was going to say the same thing, my old Global wedged a bit until I thinned it(the best I could) now much better but seems to have added a little more stiction?

 

Globals are a nightmare. I refuse to sharpen them

 

I thinned the piss out of them. I can thin them some more... First thought was thin them. So I thinned them.

Go at it more?

 

If you thin them, and they still wedge, then you didn't thin them enough.

 

Go at it more. I do plenty of Globals . Unless he removed a lot of metal before you got to them, it should be a problem thinning more. I know you don't have them , but would be curious of the model and heel height of both knives.

 

Neither of these two is monstrously thick to begin with. That should give youa clue as to following the original curvature of the grind
As to Globals they are hopeless from the start to the actual finish, but if it wedges horribly, worse than new, that might be due to the wrong placement of the edge. Keep an eye on to thin equally on both sides and sharpen too.

As to Kikuichi it might be simpler actually, as the knife might not wedge but will steer.

How wide the bevels were, when you finished with them??

 

I can't remember how wide they were. I'm getting them back tomorrow to work on Monday.

The Kikuichi is fairly thin and I don't remember the primary bevel being that wide.

There is actually a Kikuichi petty to consign the gyuto. It wedges too...

Hopefully I can get them figured out. I don't like being stumped.

 

maybe some pictures of the knives in their current condition might help here

 

This is a very interesting thread, I am looking forward to the follow up.

 

I'll get them back next weekend. So this will be on hold a bit.

 

So it only took another month to get them in my hand... I'm not complaining I didn't want to take the time to do them while working lots and lots and lots many weeks in a row.

To the knives: I changed the angle to be bigger on both and thinned the global a few more passes on the shoulder. Like butter! Problem solved. Hopefully they hold up. I was going gangbuster on some carrots before I gave them back to make sure they were in fact not wedging on them. Then I handed his knives back with a cutting board and some more carrots to make sure the edges worked for him.

I tried taking pictures of the superthin choils but I don't think they show much but problem solved for the moment.

 

Glad you got them worked out to your satisfaction! Somewhat of a learning experience and confidence builder?

 

I'm befuddled actually. But I worked it out and after using the Kikuichi I wouldn't mind one as a workhorse- I just don't want to pay for that one! Its the pretty hammered damascus one... And I took a cork and some slurry from my green brick and shined it up a bit too.

The Global glided through the test carrots but was too light for me and I like laser-like knives... So befuddling!

 

both of those makers are mass produced. use a super high quality japanese knife and you will never look back. i.e. shigefusa, mizuno, watanabe, kato, itinomon, takeda... the knives i mentioned are one offs, nobody will have another one like it. find a profile match and length you like and get one. see what happens. the heat treatments are so far off from the mass produced knives.

when you sharpen a knife that is high quality and use it. that is when this forum will be your home.

brad