TimeOut

As I am well aware that there are many knife enthusiasts on this forum I wanted to share something new to me (surely not new to some members). I have discovered my definitive favorite knife maker - Nemoto Tomoyuki-san (Japan). I am in the process of learning as much as possible about his work so if there is someone with good knowledge please share! Attached below are many photos of his outstanding work. I've never seen such fantastic design and craftsmanship in my life. Here is a website for those keen on further researching themselves: nemotoknives.sakura.ne.jp /

I find Samurai swords and knives amazing!

Thanks for the pix.

Aloha,

Bob

Interesting designs.  I've seen others use the carbon laminated layered blades before, is there a certain type of steel he works with?  They look pretty but do they work well?

-MW

Rather striking designs, but when you see sheets of CFRP edge-on at the hilt of a knife....hmmm.

Though, I do like that machete....

questions MW, this is something I am also interested in hearing, sadly today was extremely busy so I wasn't able to do further research, if I find anything in more detail I will promptly post it.

It definitely seems like Tomoyuki-san is regarded as a person in the very top of Japanese blade craftsmanship so that in itself speaks volumes. He wouldn't be able to achieve such success with selling under-par goods in the Japanese market. I actually learned about Nemoto Knife by asking one of the producers for MGS about the katana that I posted a couple of pics of in the other thread. He said that they had it manufactured there and that the shop is very famous in Japan, so it would be great to hear from a Japanese forum member about his/her opinion.

Will be back to add more content later!

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From what I was able to read and understand using Google Translate, he (and his two other employees) manufactures most of the blades out of D2 steel and then applies various finishes. This steel is described as follows: 'D2 steel is a steel that is vacuum heat treated i.e raised to a high temp and rapidly cooled by a vacuum process it is an ideal steel to use for punch and dies or injection mould tools. It is a difficult material to machine and requires a special wheel for surface grinding after heat treatment. It also hardly moves during the treatment process so you can manufacture parts as thin as 2mm and leave only 0.004 for finish grinding. D-2 is a high-carbon high-chromium tool steel manufactured for high abrasive wear applications. D-2 can be heat treated to RC 64. This grade as a low tempering temperature. Many of the common coatings can not be applied because the process temperature used to apply the coating is higher than the tempering temperature of the D-2 tool steel. The high chromium content gives this grade some stainless properties, although, it is not classified as a stainless steel. D-2 is used for barrel liners in the plastic molding industry, die components in the metal stamping industry, and many other applications requiring high wear resistance in many other industries.' After that come the various composite applications and in some cases wood is used instead, depending on customer request. Here are some additional photos of the machete as it is one of the largest blades and is high in composite content so it makes for good viewing of his craft. I definitely have a bias towards this style of manufacture as personally, the blade I buy would for the better part remain as an ornament of cutting-edge craftsmanship and technical art. I do however believe that the properties the materials used hold are more than enough to support all kinds of extreme use regardless the conditions. My personal favorite from the knives posted on his website would be the one below (2 pics before the machete batch of photos). As I read even further I will return to post more information.

As you say, D2 is an old, classic steel for dies etc.  It's a very "old fashioned" steel by modern knife making standards, and for many people it's been superceded by the new crucible steels.  On the otherhand, some people swear by it.    It gives a grainy edge due to the presence of loads of carbides which means it doesn't take an uber-smooth edge, but has micro-micro serrations that make it great for many cutting jobs.  But the carbides also make it difficult to sharpen and machine. The standing joke is that it's impossible to sharpen well, but keeps an imperfect edge for ever.

It's difficult to polish, but is tough (it's a die steel).  It has 12% chromium, which isn't enough to make it stainless.  The problem is that it's brittle as hell if the heat treatment isn't perfect.  Normally, 64 Rockwell is very high for a D2 knife and he's either got some very serious heat treatment magic or you wouldn't want to do too much levering with the blades.  Some makers take D2 to 56 Rockwell and trade off reduced edge holding for a less brittle blade. 

Benchmade take some of their D2 blades to 57-60 Rockwell (I have one of these and it's a good compromise).  I ahve another D2 blade that's been taken above 60Rockwell and it chips easily

nick

great info, thanks a lot for sharing, I do wonder what kind of heat treatment he puts the blades through, haven't come across that yet so if I find this anywhere I will post.

Best Regards!

in terms of the heating process, this was listed on a Japanese website and was translated by Google so it's not perfect but still well understandable:
'Feature
* Steel is mainly used SKD11 (D2 steel)
- Used primarily to sheath Kaidekkusu
* Handle material Maikaruta, carbon, G10 resin used in plastics industry and engineers
How to finish - mostly Burasutofinisshu
　Black finish separately ※, hair line, can mirror finish
· RID series represented by the LED base is looking at us from electronic components, using all my own full custom circuit to base

Recipe
- Cut from the cutting of steel
After the cutting process - made a hardened, about 58 Rockwell hardness - 59 (D2 steel case)'

As you can see from above, he heats the steel to 58-59 Rockwell which falls directly in the sweet spot you mention, so I think there shouldn't be any unexpected surprises.

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let me know where someone can buy Mr. Nemoto knife? I am also interested in collecting knifes.

Thank you

(you can send me private email) 

******Please correspond purchase info via PM****** This message has been edited by DRMW on 2010-09-24 23:35:52

can you please send me private email?

Thank you

Carl

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MGS4 Knife & MGS Rising Katana:

a slightly better photo of the Nemoto Tomoyuki made katana: (it was designed by Mr. Yoji Shinkawa, art director for MGS)

I also wanted to share that Mr. Tomoyuki uses mostly G10 composite material for the knife handles/grips. Listed below are the properties of this material: 'G-10/FR-4 is a thermosetting industrial laminate consisting of a continuous filament glass cloth material with an epoxy resin binder. This product, first introduced in the 1950's, has characteristics of high strength, excellent electrical properties and chemical resistance. These properties are maintained not only at room temperature but also under humid or moist conditions. Today what is called G-10 is actually FR-4, the flame retardant version of G-10. The material FR-4 can usually be used where G-10 is specified, however G-10 should not be used where FR-4 is specified. Both G-10 and FR-4 are rated at 285 degree F continuous operating temperature. Because they are thermosets, no melting will occur with these grades, however charring will be observed after extended periods above the temperature rating. FR-4 has a flammability rating of 94 V-0. With these outstanding characteristics, it is easy to understand why G-10/FR-4 is such a versatile material and is used in a wide variety of applications. Properties: High dielectric strength, Radiation resistant, High tensile strength, Low cold flow or creep, Chemically resistant, High flexural strength, Dimensional stability, Low moisture absorption, Low dissipation factor, High impact strength, Cryogenic serviceability.'

of Tomoyuki-san himself and his workshop where these marvels become a reality: