Higo No Kami Restoration
So I was admiring someone's new Japanese knife they were excited about and it made me think of my Higo No Kami which is a type of Japanese folding knife. Well he asked for a picture which made me have to think of what the heck I did with it, well I found it and it was a mess, too embarrassing to post. Here is the before:
![P_20180118_124412_HDR[1].jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmQD7ApcsYKdbcU3wYAkp7p9kQnyEewFks8o5FLhFky4Kb/P_20180118_124412_HDR%5B1%5D.jpg)
![P_20180118_124420_HDR[1].jpg](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://steemitimages.com/DQmQZjVunU2xqRT6rya752WzQbUB2SQJyRsUAKBDskUHxW4/P_20180118_124420_HDR%5B1%5D.jpg)
So then I hit it with some Flitz polish and then a little Flitz wax:
![P_20180118_130224_HDR[1].jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmQuY8L9hfK3WABjBMMdSnNiVqY6PAMrwGV93Po9pGnJDY/P_20180118_130224_HDR%5B1%5D.jpg)
The higo no kami is like no other knives I own because it is hand made and high carbon steel, I have some other carbon steel knives but they are mass produced. It is not stainless steel so that is why it got all rusty and of course the brass handle also tarnishes over time. A cool feature of this knife is the sanmai construction with a core layer of harder steel surrounded by softer steel to give it both a hard sharp edge but also flexibility. It's like a little samurai sword!
See the layers?
It used to be carried by Japanese school children as a pencil sharpener but they are now forbidden to be carried there because of the strict knife laws in Japan. If you get one you may have to bend the soft brass handle to tighten or loosen it and to center the blade within the handle, I think it adds to the handmade and unique character of the blade. While it is very sharp and an excellent blade the usability of it is a little reduced because it does not lock, I also would not imagine that the joint is not all that strong, so don't imagine you will be hammering this into the hood of a car like a Benchmade.
this is all original content and photos by @Funbobby51, please follow, up vote and resteem
!! that's a cool knife man! I'd love a more embellished handle but it's fine as it is!
That's a cool little knife - glad to see it restored.
To keep it from oxidising, you can apply some oil on the blade when you are not using it for a long time. Olive oil will do just fine if you don't have any professional knife-care oil.
Actually, if you feel adventurous, you could etch the blade with some vinegar - that will do two things: it will from the patina which will prevent further oxidation, and it will make the sanmai construction more visible. The process is reversible and it will not damage your blade.
Let me know if you need any help or tips.
I like the vinegar idea, I was noticing that the hamon was not very visable. I applied some flitz wax as an anticorrosive.
Yep, the patina from the etching goes away with usage and fades with age - well, the difference fades. So, a spa treatment could be good for the looks.
Hamon: technically, it's not hamon. Hamon is the visual effect when mono-steel is differentially hardened - so when you dip it in some kind of acid it etches differently.
What you have is a sanmai construction - the principle is the same - harder steel resist the etch more so there's a difference in colour - but it's actually two different steels.
This is hamon:
Edit: wax - that's OK -anything that keeps the blade from direct exposure to the environment.
nice
That's pretty. I remember learning about the multiple folds in the steel (katana) when I was doing ninjutsu, back in the day.
Nice post, I wish the photos were a little better focused but the knife itself is super interesting - of course I am familiar with that harder steel core / softer laminate layer from learning a little about Japanese sword making techniques, but I had not heard about this kind of knife that also incorporates the same techniques.
Cheers - Carl
my cell phone sucks for the macro shots, actually the camera is pretty shitty on there in general.
yeah I was assuming it was cell phone photography, and not a particularly good cell phone camera at that. All we can do is work with what we have, of course. I am following you now and looking forward to more of your posting! Cheers - Carl
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