watanabe knife.......

[sudsy909]

my watanabe gyoto came today i was very impressed with the blade and it's sharpness however the handle is a little lacking the wood is not flush at all where it meets the black ring there is a very noticable difference i guess i can't complain too much such a nice blade at such a reasonable price it does bug me a little though does anyone know can i sand it down myself or would i ruin the finish of the handle at all thanks ryan

[Peter]

Just avoid to scratch the cow horn. You might use an adhesive strip for the hilt an a scraper for the wood. A scraper (if the dictionary doesn't lie, German: Ziehklinge) is the common method to smooth hard wood and I've tried it on Ho wood. Just wait a few days, my Japanese handles have dried and got narrower, so maybe you should wait a week or so.

Are you shure there is a finish at all?

Peter