Montavilla’s own Arnon Kartmazov of Bridgetown Forge is back at MFM, on Sunday, July 31st, 2016!
Here’s a few words from Arnon about his practices:
“Having lived and apprenticed in Japan for a long time, my attitude to knife-making and knife sharpening is somewhat different from that commonly found in the West nowadays, as what is considered “sharp” in Japan is an entirely different ballgame. Japanese knife blades tend to be quite a bit harder and thinner then their Western counterparts, and consequently their steel, construction and geometry also sets them apart. This makes it necessary to have a different approach to sharpening a knife: what a sushi chef finds acceptable is beyond running a steel rod on the edge, Arnon says.
To sharpen a knife properly, it’s first checked for straightness; any crookedness is corrected if possible. Next, wear on the blade is checked; if the knife has been sharpened a lot, it needs to be thinned out to restore its original geometry. This is done on a 3-foot diameter Japanese water stone, which allows for smooth, accurate grinding without heating the blade and damaging the temper. The knife is then polished on a sequence of polishing wheels and belts, and finally hand-honed on a Japanese water-stone to a true razor sharpness.”
Arnon will be at the market Sunday, July 31st, 2016 to sharpen just about anything with a blade! Arnon may be able to sharpen while you wait at the market, but if demand is high, he won’t have time to perform his artistry for everyone in the short 4 hours the market is open. Be prepared to leave your knives with Arnon, to be returned to the market the following week, where you can pick them up at the info tent.
To learn more about Arnon, see his website at bridgetownforge.com, or read his 2012 interview with MFM volunteer, Miranda Rake, where he shares his dos & don’ts for knife care as well as a recipe for nabemono, a one pot Japanese meal.