This is a complicated method. There is actually a different steel at the core than at the edge giving properties to your shears that can not be created in any other way. On the outside of the cutting edge you will see a misty line. This is not a bevel, since the blade is completely convex or hamuguri style. This is a tempering line" also called the hamon line. This is created to form a hard sharp edge without increasing the brittleness of the entire blade.Once the steel is formed, a master bladesmith called a Sensei creates the shear. Mr. Lee pictured below is the blade master at the factory in Taiwan that creates this shear from beginning to end. The shear is totally handworked to an ultimate level of perfection. This process will take 5 days before the shear is ready for the hand of a master stylist.How does this shear cut different than other quality shears? It is in primarily in the feel. If you close the blade of your best shears with your eyes shut, you can at any point see in your mind exactly where the blades cross. These shears are so smooth and effortless that if you tried this experiment, you would not be able to tell how far apart the blades are open or closed without visibly looking at them. In other words, the blades ride on each other perfectly matched and smooth.The Damascus steel or Tajyusou pattern is subtle and your shear will appear as other shears except on close examination in the light when the beautiful pattern of the layered steel is revealed. Each shear has its own personal pattern, much as a fingerprint. These shears can be sharpened, when needed in the ordinary way, but be sure to use a sharpener who has the top equipment and training and understands the demands of sharpening Damascus steel. Because of the time consuming process, the Bonika Shoto Shears have a limited production. Each will be consecutively numbered for the collector and for insurance purposes.
