Petty Knife, Aogami 1 with iron cladding, Damascus finish, Kikuzuki Uzu range - Sakai Kikumori

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

STEEL: Aogami (blue paper) 1 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. The difference between blue 1 and 2 is the amount of carbon present with 1 being the highest. Due to the non stainless nature of this steel care must be taken to dry the knives properly after use.

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 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.  Please note that the colourful pattern on the blade, visible in the photos, is the result of the temporary oil layer on the steel.

HANDLE: Octagonal Magnolia wood handle with black buffalo horn ferule

LENGTH: 150mm in length.

MAKER: Sakai Kikumori

RANGE: Kikuzuki Uzu