Thread: nagura stone

If using 4000/8000 norton for honing is Nagura stone helpful or not? Anyone uses it on Norton?

I wouldn't think so.
The nagura is usually used on natural stones to help raise a slurry. without a slurry, a natural stone doesn't cut.

Nortons (and most synthetic stones) don't need this because they are essentially nothing but cutting particles, bonded with some sort of resin. they will cut OK without slurry, and they will cut insanely fast with slurry.

Nortons as used without nagura, only with plain water.
A nagura also has the problem that you are turning your stone from flat to 'unflat' (hey, it's a word) because you put uneven wear on the stone.

Bruno is correct.

I bought a nagura stone from a regional woodworker store known as Rockler and I experimented with it on a Norton 4000/8000. My results were wholly unimpressive. My opinion of the nagura stone was very very low.

Actually, it's been sitting on my shelf unused and I doubt I'll use it for any honing of any kind (I don't own any Japanese water stones).

If anyone wants this stone, if they want to pay postage, I'd send the nagura stone out to them for free.

Chris L

I've got natural hones and naguras but I don't usually use them for raising a slurry as I have been told they are more for dressing stones and are often of a lower grit than finishing stones.

Originally Posted by murph

I've got natural hones and naguras but I don't usually use them for raising a slurry as I have been told they are more for dressing stones and are often of a lower grit than finishing stones.

They are sometimes lower grit in order to raise the slurry fast. I have tried a Nagura from the same piece of natural stone and it just takes a few moments more to create the slurry. I don't use them personally though coz all I see it doing is wasting away an expensive stone.

Some Japanese synthetics come with Nagura stones, I just bought a 5k one 2 days ago and it came with a Nagura, which has already found its permanent position in my dust collecting pile.

Not sure if my info is of any use really. But as I said IMO Nagura stones simply wear out hones faster than necessary, and I imagine it would be even faster on a synthetic.

I like to raise a slurry on some hones for a few fast cutting passes, but i generally save the grit particles on paper and reuse them in my other sharpening endeavors (coticule slurry-dust on paper polishes knife bevels like magic).

For the most part, many stones can be used with or without a nagura, I lean toward without, but find it necessary sometimes.

Norton has a prep stone for their waterstones. It's special just for the Nortons. They recently doubled their price on these stones as they've gone to a new supplier. I don't think it's worth it and will use a cotigura (coticule) slurry stone on the nortons.

A piece of coticule should work just as well on the nortons, since it is much finer than any of the nortons. So the grit contamination will be insignificant.