SS AEB Small Kiridashi

Took some time out of my line of small practice kiridashis to make something special. 

I started this project back in July and it required a lot more time than I expected. Adulting is such a strange thing. Time passes in ways I never imagined as a child. I swear I blinked and it was December. 

Anyway, this knife is special in several ways. First, it is the first of my recent kiridashi design to use AEB-L stainless steel. Up to this point, I had used carbon steels exclusively.  Also, the handle features a dark blue pearlescent resin, something I have struggled with in the past. This time around my strategy was simple: use no power tools to sand or contour the handles. As is the theme of late, this knife was shaped by hand. The steel was filed, the handles were filed, and the handles were also hand-sanded and polished. No buffing wheels. No belt sanders. The rough cut saw, drill, and of course, the oven were the only power tools and appliances of necessity.

This knife was shipped to a dear friend of many years as a personal gift.