Thread: Anyone Read Japanese?

Thanks OLD_SCHOOL - I really appreciate you and your wife taking the time to check this out for me.

Now I'll just have to try it out - I'll let you know how it goes.

James.

Well, I used this stone this morning. I've got a bit of learning to do to get the best out of it I think, but got some reasonable results nonetheless.

It's definitely a hard and slow stone. It's also a finer finisher than the Norton 8k but as to its "grit" I wouldn't want to say at this early stage. It generates almost no slurry from the razor - when I used a Nagura it made a dirty grey/green-ish yellow coloured slurry.

Following a tip from OLD_SCHOOL, I used very little water which seemed to work fairly well without slurry after getting the edge close with an 8k.

I haven't quite worked out whether the slurry makes it cut finer or faster or what yet. I've read that, unlike the coticule, the particulates in Japanese stone slurry continues to break down the more it is worked and can make the edge finer

An interesting thing I noticed, and I'm wondering if anyone who uses Japanese naturals has found this too, is that although the edge is finer and smoother, it feels more robust somehow when you shave. Don't ask me how I know, but I can feel something else going on with the edge besides smoothness and sharpness - the edge *feels* less fragile on my skin. Or maybe I'm just going mad...

Anyway, they're my first impressions and observations. I think it'll be a keeper and a regular part of my honing. Still have to figure out the slurry (how much, how it reacts) but for now it's working pretty well.

James.

Originally Posted by Jimbo

An interesting thing I noticed, and I'm wondering if anyone who uses Japanese naturals has found this too, is that although the edge is finer and smoother, it feels more robust somehow when you shave. Don't ask me how I know, but I can feel something else going on with the edge besides smoothness and sharpness - the edge *feels* less fragile on my skin. Or maybe I'm just going mad...

James.

I have little experience with traditional straights but what I can safely say is this.
With 2 shave ready straights from a yellow coticule I couldn't get a comfortable shave, just 1 cheek and part of the other before having to re-strop, however after using a Nakayama hone, I got through nearly my entire beard until it started to struggle with my chin hair, but even my feather struggles on my chin area thats why I grew a goatee for a while. Anyway, thats me agreeing that there is something different about it, but with my lack of experience I can't say what that difference is.

Jimbo and chance of grabbing another one of those and shiping state side is there? just curious! looks like a nice stone. if so just let me know what it would cost. Thanks. If not thats cool to.

I sent a mail to So at www.japan-tool.com to ask about this hone, and he sent me the following reply:

Originally Posted by So

It says it is from Narutaki quarry, and seems like one as well.

I can't be absolutely sure from just by looking at it, but I'm 99% sure
that this is way too soft for razor honing. Good for chisels, and plane
blades, but a bit too coarse for final finishing plane blades. Also good
for Japanese laminated style knives (not for western all steel knives).

Hope this will help.


So

Thanks Bruno. So's reply is interesting - I've got no experience with Japanese naturals other than these stones. The one I posted pics of seems very hard to me, but perhaps it's not in relation to some other Japanese stones. I've gotten good shaves off this stone.

However, I did get another two stones (for comparison) from the same place. Did I mention before that all the stones they had are different? Anyway, while I can't comment on their hardness (maybe they are a bit softer ), what So says about the grit is definitely true of these two - I haven't been able to get as fine an edge off these as the original - they feel like 6k or so to me.

Looks like I might have fluked a good one from the batch...

James.

I lapped mine, and did a first experiment yesterday.
It soaks up water fairly quickly (so it is probably 'soft' by Japanese measures.
It is also as smooth as glass. Even more than my coticule.

According to So it was too coarse, but it is definitely a lot finer than 4K because I polished away the 4K scratch pattern of a razor I am currently honing without too much problems, and the surface was mirror shiny with no visible scratches.

Of course, since the razor was still dull I could not judge its effect on a good 8K edge yet. That will be the next experiment: as a finisher after Norton 8K.

Did So mention sealing the back and sides if it's a softer stone?

No.
But then again, I didn't buy my stone from him.
I only asked So if he knew anything about it, based on the Kanji.

Two of the stones at the shop were painted - one had a yellowish lacquer around the sides and another had a black paint-like substance. The black painted one turned out to be from Taiwan - apparently they have similar volcanic geology to Japan - and is one of the other two stones I picked up. It feels more like a 6k to me, but I'm still trying to get my bearings with these stones. The one I have that looks like Bruno's is definitely a finer finisher than the Norton 8k, but is not painted and definitely sounds harder than Bruno's too.

James.