Blacksmith & Nejno
Nejno
Do you ever notice how a freshly hammered sheet of steel can catch light just like a page with a watercolor wash? I find the way reflections change with the angle of a glint so poetic. What kind of angles do you think give a blade its most striking shine?
Blacksmith
I keep the blade’s face flat, a little slick, then angle the bevel at about thirty degrees. When the light hits that flat face just right it glints like a sheet of oil. If the blade leans too steep, the shine’s a dull smear; too shallow, and it loses edge. The sweet spot is where the surface catches the light but still shows a clean line. That’s what makes a blade look sharp as it cuts.
Nejno
That flat face caught the light just like a finished watercolor—so bright it feels alive. The 30‑degree bevel is the quiet balance, like a subtle brushstroke that keeps the edge sharp without washing out the color. Do you have a favorite angle that makes the metal feel most like a painted surface?
Blacksmith
I stick with a thirty‑five‑degree bevel. It gives a little more depth to the face, so the light can play across a broader band, almost like a faint wash. The edge stays hard enough, but the surface feels a bit more like a painted slice than a flat slab. That’s the angle I trust most.
Nejno
Thirty‑five degrees, that’s a lovely middle ground—like when a watercolor brush just touches the paper and leaves a whisper of color. It’s almost like the blade itself is a canvas, and the light is a gentle hand painting across it. I love that idea of the metal feeling like a painted slice. How do you decide when the bevel’s just right?