Spyderco Forums

So my very nice husband gave me a Shun classic chef's knife a few years ago and me being an idiot decided to break down a coconut using this very delicate knife. I managed to chip a cm size piece of the edge out on the middle of the blade. I was wondering if a sharpmaker with diamond rods could fix it? It's FFG vg10 layered with something else I believe. I still use the knife regularly just wanted to smooth the ragged edge out some.

Im not an edge expert but if its a cm long chip, depending on how deep it is, it may be better to take it to a grinder or a belt sander. If its normal chip depth, some semi extensive sharpmaker work could put an edge back on it. -Jake-

I would send it off to one of our custom grinder brethren for a re-grind myself.

It is a cm long or a cm tall? That is a big chip. Most chips will go away with a few sharpenings but that sounds big. Without seeing a pic and just hearing a cm sized chip I am inclined to think power equipment may be a better way to go.

bearfacedkiller wrote:It is a cm long or a cm tall? That is a big chip. Most chips will go away with a few sharpenings but that sounds big. Without seeing a pic and just hearing a cm sized chip I am inclined to think power equipment may be a better way to go.

I highly recommend burrbenders (search online).

He is a master at his trade and specializes in kitchen cutlery...also sharpened up my M390 PM2, D4 zdp189 and CF S90V Maniz 2 XL :D

Probably will charge a little extra to work the chip out, but it'd be worth it.

Yea thats going to take you forever to sharpen out with the SM, could probably do it with an EP or WE but still going to take some doing.

Jason B over Bladeforums comes to mind. Or HeavyHanded.

I did myself once on a D2 blade, but the chip location is a bit forward (at the start of belly), so I could work it from there towards the tip. The biggest challenge is blending in the whole edge, and from the location of your chip (approx in the middle), it is quite a major work & the whole edge will move back to match the deepest part of the chip.

I used a dremel to smooth it out a little. Then I used the Sharpmaker to smooth it a little more. I didn't want to go overboard so I think I will stop here for now. I feel more comfortable with the edge now but still kicking myself for chipping it in the first place.

Nice!

If you're not bothered so much, sharpen the inner part with SM rod and by time normal sharpening brought the rest of edge there, it acts like small serration.

It looks like you did a pretty decent job working the worst of it out with the Dremel. I agree with the others on the recommendation for a reprofile using a belt grinder. Here's what I have done to remove chips and dings: I made a basic 15 degree guide out of aluminum that fits onto the platen on my 2×42 grinder. I usually start with a Trizact Gator A65 grit belt to create the primary bevel and then switch off to a higher grit Gator belt to work out the "toothiness." After removing a few thousandths, you can guage how far you need to go to remove the ding. Following that, I use the Sharpmaker to add the microbevel. I know this probably isn't overly helpful unless you have a belt grinder, but it can be done. (Note: I made a similar jig for my 1x30 grinder prior to getting my 2x42. It worked quite well).
Another option would be to get something like this for minor chip/ding repair:http://www.worksharptools.com/sharpener ... pener.html
It was designed by knifemaker/designer Ken Onion, so it's gotta' be legit.

That's half an hour on a coarse bench stone and another twenty minutes for working up through the grits to a finish edge IMO... If you're good with freehand sharpening and have a full complement of stones that is

If you don't have the tools or experience with this sort of repair, then the suggestions to send it to a pro are the way to go.

If you did decide to try to fix it yourself with a belt grinder, I'd caution you to be *very* wary of heat buildup, a thin edge like that can go from OK temp to burned in a second! When I work an edge on the belt I hold the blade with my fingers as close as possible to the edge, so that I can feel the heat before it's a problem... fingers burn at several hundred degrees F before steel loses its temper.

Good thing it was a (comparative) beast like your Shun, rather than a scalpel like most hand forged Japanese gyutos, the carnage of paper thin edge vs coconut that would have occurred with my Yamawaku gyuto (far right on the mag-bar) would make that edge ding look microscopic!

This relates directly to some discussion on a Scandi grind thread I started... thin edges like that are *not* good for hard use cutting!

Spydergirl88 wrote:I used a dremel to smooth it out a little. Then I used the Sharpmaker to smooth it a little more. I didn't want to go overboard so I think I will stop here for now. I feel more comfortable with the edge now but still kicking myself for chipping it in the first place.

I would call customer support and send it in and have them fix it.

After you get it fixed, I would dedicate that to cutting veggies and slicing.

It might be a good idea to schedule a cleaver for Christmas. :)

Donut wrote:After you get it fixed, I would dedicate that to cutting veggies and slicing.

It might be a good idea to schedule a cleaver for Christmas. :)

I second that sentiment, but would add that hammers and hack saws both work pretty darned well for coconut disassembly

You're going to have to lose quite a bit of metal to even that out with the rest of the edge, and by then the edge will be significantly thicker than it originally was, meaning to get it back into fighting shape it's going to need the whole blade reground, unless you don't mind it being thicker (which isn't a bad thing if you're gonna go cutting up coconuts with your slicers lol).

The good news is those little chips can be sharpened out by a pro. Shun owners may return their Shun knives to their Tualatin, Oregon facility for free sharpening.

To return to a serviceable "kitchen knife" quality slicing edge, I'd grind down the primary bevel considerably...

You'll wind up with an overall thinner knife, which isn't necessarily a bad thing... and the knife won't be as tall, of course.

For a pro, that's no hill to climb...it'll just take time and hogging off a good deal of stock.

Your down & dirty salvage job looks good, btw. :)

Just a little update: I use this knife everyday and have since learned to sharpen with a shun bench stone. This knife gets screaming sharp with that stone! Anyway the chip has diminished but is still there... Doesn't impact performance and I hardly notice it anymore.

Always use a rock salt for coconuts. It's perfect.