Petty knife, Aogami 2 with soft iron cladding, ENN Damascus and Kurouchi finish - Manaka Kisuke

SHAPE: Petty. One of the smallest knives in a chef’s arsenal and good for well small things. 

STEEL: Aogami (blue paper) 2 steel. This is very similar to white paper steel but with tungsten and chromium added to it which helps with edge retention and slows down rusting. This steel differs from Blue 1 in its carbon content, Blue 2 being slightly less. Due to the non stainless nature of this steel care must be taken to dry the knives properly after use. It is worth noting that this knife has been clad in stainless steel meaning only the exposed core edge will discolour making maintenance a lot easier.

FINISH: Damascus or suminagashi. This type of finish is made by creating a Kitaeji; which is produced by repeatedly folding/stacking then compressing two different steels - soft iron and Aogami 2 - until they create a laminated pattern. This can then be manipulated in various ways to produce the maker’s desired pattern effect. This material is then clad around the core metal of the blade as an elaborate protective layer for the core steel - thus giving the knife a beautiful and striking appearance.

Kurouchi. This is a traditional, rustic finish achieved by leaving the furnace scale from the forging process on the blade rather than polishing it off. It has the advantage of reducing the reactivity of the surface of the knife and gives the blade a stylish, matt black finish.

HANDLE: Octagonal Wenge handle with ebony wood ferule.

LENGTH: 170mm blade length.

MAKER: Manaka Kisuke

SAUNDERS SAYS: "Grab it before i nick it, there's only one."