How to Fix a Chipped Japanese Knife: The Japanese knives are known for their amazing edge and for keeping the edge sharp for a long time. This is because the steel that is used in these knives is responsible for achieving the hardness that they offer. However, there is just one disadvantage of the Japanese knives that is they are more brittle as compared to the other types. If your Japanese knife has chipped and you want to know how to fix a chipped Japanese knife, you are exactly at the right place.
But before moving to the step-by-step guide, let us remind you that it is extremely important that you get your hands on the best Japanese knives to avoid the problem of its edges getting chipped as much as possible.
What Causes Chipping in Knives?
Now that you have known how to get rid of that annoying chipping that your knife has gone through, you may be wondering what causes these chips to occur on such strong Japanese knives. Here are a few of the factors that are certainly responsible for causing chips on Japanese knives:
Thinner Blades:
The blades that Japanese knives come with are much thinner as compared to conventional knives. This means that the cutting edge of the knife is quite thinner even when the spine of the knife is of the same width.
However, you may wonder why the edge is thinner, and this is because the thinness of these knives allows better and sharp cutting, and the pushing through the ingredient is quite less as compared to other knives.
High-level Hardness:
The material used to make these knives is steel, and steel is quite well-known to get hardened on all sorts of levels. While the western knives are hardened to almost 55 to 58 on the hardness scale, the hardness of Japanese knives is much more, which is equal to around 62 to 65 on the scale.
The difference may not seem much to you, but it makes quite a variation since the edge of the western knives can easily get bent when they are damaged, while for the Japanese knives, it only gets chipped, which is a huge benefit and adds to the life of the knives.
Higher angle Sharpness:
The angle at which the knife is sharpened plays a vital role in how the knife performs. While the western knife is sharpened on each side for around 22 to 25 on the scale, the Japanese knife is sharpened to almost 15 to 16 degrees on each side. Although it doesn’t feel like much of a difference, it plays a huge role in how sharp the knife actually feels.
The Japanese knives have smaller wedges as well, which makes them pass through the ingredients quite easily. Although the cutting becomes better, however, the lower edge angle means the cutting edge will need to get refined sooner or later.
How to Fix a Chipped Japanese Knife?
Once you have got your hands on the best Japanese knife set and have used it for quite a long time, do know that there is a possibility of these knives getting chipped because of being brittle. This is why knowing how to fix chipped Japanese knives so that you don’t have to invest in getting the new ones is equally important. Here is a step to step guide that you can easily follow:
Step 1 – Use a stationary block:
The first and foremost thing to know while fixing a chipped knife is that you just have to grind up to the line. Therefore, making use of a stationary block having sandpaper adhered to it is the most feasible option to go for.
Step 2 – Start the sweeping motion:
Now the technique that you have to follow is to start the sweeping motion from the tip of the knife to its heel while you keep moving the knife along the length of the block. Make sure you slowly grind up the knife up to the line while holding it at almost 45 degrees.
Step 3 – Run through stones:
Once you are done with the sweeping motion and grinding your knife, it is now time to run the blade through the progression of stones finished by stropping on the leather in order to get the razor kind of edge on the knife blade.
Following these three simple steps, the profile of the knife blade may get changed slightly; however, these steps will help in removing as minimum material from the knife as possible and keep the profile of the knife almost as the original one. Now your repaired chipped knife is definitely ready to be used.
Final Words on How to Fix a Chipped Japanese Knife
Japanese knives are made of hard steel to provide you the best results. However, since the steel used is more brittle; therefore there are chances of these knives getting chipped after continuous usage. Instead of throwing the knife away and get your money invested in the new ones, you can easily follow the steps provided in this article to get it repaired.
