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Detailing The 3 Essential Tools Of Douglas Chang, Knife-Sharpening Maestro

PencilforScout

Tradecraft takes Scout readers into the workshops, kitchens, and toolkits of Vancouver’s most talented crafts-people. From trusty pencils and custom-built machines to good luck charms and bespoke chef’s knives, this new column aims to get to the bottom of every creative attachment. No laptops or cellphones allowed!

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Today we hear from chef Douglas Chang, who is opening the specialty knife store Ai & Om at 129 East Pender St. in Chinatown. We eagerly anticipate its imminent opening, if only because we haven’t seen inside since we toured the raw space a few months ago, and we’re really excited to see what Bestie and Torafuku designers Scott & Scott have done to it.

Even when Douglas was cooking on the line and leading kitchen brigades (most recently Sai Woo across the street) Douglas kept a side business in hand-sharpening knives for his peers. It’s a craft he takes as seriously as it should be, and we’re fascinated by the devotion he shows to it. In detailing his most important tools, we feel like we’re given a window into his process…

1. | “Pencil — I use it to mark my stones so that when I flatten it it’ll show me if I’m truly flat. Not only do I mark my stones with it, but I also use it to write down different techniques, failures, successes, new ideas and things to try in my notebook.”

2. | “Lapping plate — This is maintenance for my stones. It makes sure that I’m sharpening on a flat surface and that I’m able to keep a consistent angle. This specific one is a diamond plate made out of diamond dust. I really like it because its super versatile. It’s coarse enough to reshape knives or to act as a really abrasive stone. But, because it’s really rugged and guaranteed perfectly flat, I can trust it to not dish, wear down or lose its’ ability to flatten my stones.”

3. | “Stones — They’re the abrasive surface on which I reshape, repair, reset, sharpen and polish knives, razors, shears or any edged instruments. Without the right stones, it’s impossible to get a perfect finish on them. I have synthetic and natural stones in my collection for different purposes. For sharpening knives, synthetics are good enough, but for really nice or special knives, such as honyaki, I use Japanese natural stones to bring out their beauty. Nature is truly the master and the best stones are a gift from her. What makes them stand out is their cutting power, edge retention on the blade and the ability to bring out different qualities in the steel.”

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