Sounds like it is ready to sharpen and use then.

A deep patina gets black anyhow so you may have some accelerated areas.

No reason to take a carbon steel to high polish because the first onion or meat you cut will darken it.

Jim

Nice find for $.25 That is post cleaning right? If not that is minor to moderate rusting.

No problem removing the WD-40 when you scrub it down with a greenie and cleanser then soap and water.

Ensure the dark areas are smooth. The more texture to it the worse rust is. When removed deep dark spots can remain which is not a problem. Ensure there are no pits in it

Oil wise the best is Tsubaki (Camellia) oil.

http://www.japaneseknifeimports.com/t...

Mineral oil will do in a pinch.

Jim

Really depends how rusted. Minor rust a wet paper towel with Bon Ami, more rust, Brillo pad followed by a 3M greenie with cleanser, more rust a chemical bath and other abrasives.

BTW for safety all aggressive scrubbing should be done with the blade laid flat. It is the only damn thing a glass board is good for.

If you are going to use it for food no WD-40 or any other non food safe oil.

Pictures?

Jim

I love grabbing the Costco chickens but Albertson's on Balboa has several differently seasoned ones. Anyone try those?

Jim

Is that channel really deep and the scratches very coarse?

Using knife finishing supplies such as flap wheels, the proper belts, buffing wheels with various compounds, wet dry paper, lapping grit etc. you can minimize the look but it will still be scarred.

Basically this kind of repair is getting more into knife making than sharpening but it is likely fixable based on that pic but in hand it might be a different story.

May want to look at The American Bladesmith society and see if there is a knifemaker nearby that is willing to refinish that mess.

http://www.americanbladesmith.com/

Jim

The bozo was trying to do a hollow grind on it. Any reputable sharpener would never do a hollow grind on a blade that didn't already have it unless the person asked for it to be done.

Those "sharpeners" hurt every sharpening business in the country by F'ing stufff up like this. That makes folks never take it to another one.

I'm not sure what to call them because "competition" would be someone who sharpens well at a similar price but morons that ensure the customer will never seek a competent sharpener aren't "competition", they are a disease on the craft.

Not even my knife but when I see those things it ticks me off

Jim

You still owe me a new phone book Chem. ;)

Jim

Sorry sometimes my SoCal grammar pops out. Watch the comedian Rob Schnieder's routine on the usage of "Dude"

Jim

How sharp are your knives dude?

Many of us keep ours, literally, hair popping sharp. Now if you give that blade to someone that is used to using very dull blades they are going to be sloppy and are a safety hazard to themselves. Nothing spoils an event faster than a trip to the ER.

I'd let someone use a stainless knife but they get a lecture and a few guided demo cuts to see what they are dealing with first unless I know they have sufficient skills.

It is about personal safety not arrogance.

Jim

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Don't let the secret out about those old rosewood carbon steel Dexters. ;)

I have a 10" chef that keeps me from needing some $$$$$$ Japanese "laser".

Had a 10" cimeter with an ungodly edge that I sold to a meat cutter.

Jim

" For very short green you can get a 100x electronic loupe/microscope that plugs right into your 4G phone."

For Android? Don't tease, got a link? ;)

Jim

"- So far, I've been sharpening his knives for him, but he has a stone and I've given him lessons, so he'll be sharpening for himself once I've moved. "

Best thing would be to equip him with a full on stone setup stones, holder, pond, flattener etc. Whatever he gets he can sharpen.

Jim

Was that the one where the new Zion supermarket is opening?

I drove by there and saw a sign for an all you can eat Korean BBQ.

Jim

The grind and steel look similar to the aforementioned makes but the handle is different.

Any of those can be respectable, take a nice edge, and are probably a step up from the old USA Chicago Cutlery.

Jim

Does it have "chef" on the butt of the handle?

Lots of blades were made in Japan under various names such as Carvel Hall, Old Homestead, Old Glory, Rogers and other ones that all have a very similar look to the blade with the wide hollow grind.

I'd need to see the handle to see if it is of that class,

Jim

Condition trumps make.

I troll for repairable blades all the time and I may find, for example, an old Chicago Cutlery that has salvageable handles but has such horrific bad sharpening damage it is no good. The next place may have good steel but the handle is shot.

Check for excessive rust, loose handle sides, cracked handles, missing rivets, cracked blades, rotted wood handles, and probably a thousand other things.

Wood handles are often so dried out from dishwashers they are like driftwood but 90% of the time they recover. Takes about 3 days to address dry wood handles.

There is no magic make or brand but Old American made Chicago Cutlery are decent and there are amazing other old USA knives by Dexter, Lamson, Robinson, Ecko Forge, Old Hickory and loads of foreign makers but again condition trumps make.

Then of course you need to get them fixed.

Jim

Yes but stop counting strokes and go watch these...

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...

Jon is one of the best around.

One grit isn't going to work magic. I did a jacked yanagiba yesterday and went though 6 grits.

Jim

http://www.amazon.com/Old-Hickory-76-...

Carbon steel, nothing fancy, not the heaviest duty either.

You want heavy duty carbon steel you need to find an old one and be prepared for lots of repair work.

I have fixed a few massive old cleavers and they are not simple. I have a 2 3/4 lb beastly old Lamson that has very uneven bevels that will take about an hour to fix that alone not counting other metalwork.

Jim

"For the cleaver, my gf plans to use them to chop up the meat that I often buy in bulk. I will buy it in big quantities and then she will chop it up, put it in plastic bags, and then freeze it.

Look into boning and breaking knives. A 8-12" cimeter or butcher would work.
I use a 10" cimeter for whole pork loins making pork chops.

Look at all the blades Dexter makes for meat processing. There are many more shapes than cleavers.

http://www.dexter1818.com/Processing_...

FWIW Forschner is the most common meat processing brand.

When cutting large hunks of meat the upturned tips of cimeter, butchers and various boning knives can outshine a chef knife.

Jim

"Should I just be going down to Chinatown and buying a $10 cleaver there? eBay? "

Go to Chinatown and see what you can find.

Some old American cleavers were "tweeners" not vegetable thin but not bone cleaver thick nor chef knife thin either.

Usually this shape is a tweener but often old cleavers have a host of issues to fix.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-MERID...

Steve Bottorff has a list of people who do it about halfway down

http://sharpeningmadeeasy.com/links.htm

Are you looking to just reduce it, or a reshape or even removal. Elron posted some pics of a Mercer he removed the bolster from but that is going a bit extreme.

Lets see some pics of how far off the bolster is.

Jim

Don't knock it till you try it.

Funky looking as it is it works for compromised grips be it arthritis or any injury that impairs use of a regular chef.

I keep one in the drawer.

Jim

http://www.knifemerchant.com/products...

Dave at The Knife Merchant carries the whole Messermeister line along with other Germans and Japanese.

Jim

Mercer is all about bang for buck not uber super blade.

That set looks pretty and has adequate blades at an average $23 each and other than lacking a steel has most of the bases covered.

Looking at The Knife Merchants site, since he sells Mercer and the other top makes, the 8" chef is $37 where all the top German 8" are $90-120.

Yes they are better and the price reflects that but Mercer are in between the top Germans and the Forschner and Dexters but look like the top Germans to impress your friends.

You can spend much more and get better or you can spend about the same and get a bit worse.

FWIW they sharpen about as easy as a Wusthof to me.

So we have adequate steel, easily resharpened or steeled, good looks, cool looking block, is what he wants, and a cheap price.

Can't beat that to me.

I know a fishmonger who is quite happy with a Millenia 10" and a happy line cook with a Genesis 8".

Jim

Oh yeah those types are loads of fun. I don't see many but a bad one is a pain.

Kinda like some cheap stainless blades from China.

On a different note, beware some Farberware knives with hollow bolsters. Hate them!

Jim

Not sure if I would do a whole removal but I imagine it would eat lots of abrasives so $20-30 sounds about a decent estimate.

Jim

Note how the bolster of the Sabatier is angled and the Germans are nearly level withe the edge.

If I have to drastically reduce a bolster I emulate the Sabatier which F Dick uses a similar angled reduction.

Rock the Sab back on the edge of the board and see where it sits flat on the bolster grind. Then take that to your abrasive and reduce away. Get the bolster even and then thin the sides.

Afterwards sharpen the edge.

I always buzz the bolsters down a bit when sharpening a German knife. If metal comes off the edge an equal amount needs to come of the bolster to keep it on the board.

I have seen 1/2 the blade not make board contact with a neglected bolster from pull through sharpeners.

Gottta get medieval on them sculpting the metal with a super coarse abrasive sometimes to get them down then polish them up.

Any professional sharpener worth their salt knows how to do this. Just ask about a "bolster reduction". If they appear confused find someone else.

Jim

If her heart is set on the old Sabs the only option is the ones from The Best Things or an old Sab.

Handle preference is so subjective stick with what she likes.

Jim

Bon Ami is about the only cleanser I use and have Comet and BKF if BA can't do it, which is seldom.

Jim

Went to the legendary Super Segio's tonight and the ambiance of dining under an awning between 2 drive thrus is quite special.

The CAB is excellent and gets high marks for the taste of the beef but the salsa was not as good as my favorite Aldabertos in Point Loma. There was more beef than guac and pico at SS, but the tortilla was not as good as A.

So while SS is on the list of great CAB spots the edge for me still goes to Aldabertos.

However with better hot sauce SS could take over. I'll bring some Tapatio packets next time.

Jim