Some YouTubers work metal in an extraordinary way. A very popular topic among the audience is knife making, and in more than one project they have used materials that would simply end up in the landfill. Today it is the turn of Kiwami Japan, a channel known for extreme restorations and strange custom designs, which teaches us to make a knife with aluminum foil, the same one used in any kitchen.
I reckon our readers still remember the knife that Dmitry Shevchenko made with batteries. The final result is fabulous, but if the idea of creating a special place at home to make homemade knives is not entirely compatible, then there is always the option of restoring old knives, or making new ones with simpler methods. That brings us to "Kiwami Japan" channel on YouTube, which has more than 300,000 subscriptions. Its content includes crossbows, swords, and the occasional video about food, but the most popular ones are focused on knives.
What did he do this time? After experimenting with wood, pasta, stone, and chocolate, he created a knife using aluminum foil. A highlight of the whole process (besides the skill) is that no power tools are involved at any time (except for the vacuum cleaner that removes the sawdust). The cuts are by hand, as are the perforations for the handle. The aluminum foil is processed with pure hammering (with a bit of heat at the exact moments) until it takes the shape of a long plate. What honestly took me by surprise is that he splits the knife in two, and continues the work on one of the halves.
Now, if there is something as impressive in the video as the manufacturing of the knife itself, it is his collection of sharpening stones. He starts with an 80-grit wet sandpaper, then goes to 150, 400, 1000, 2000, 6000, 8000, 12000, and finishes with 30000. Hundreds of dollars in original Japanese stones (if I'm not mistaken), a more than justified investment for any knife enthusiast.
