You gents may remember that I posted asking for translation of the text on an ebay stone. Using your input (thanks!!!) I was able to argue that what he was selling was not quite what he was advertising. I got the stone for very much less than.

Last night, I lapped it. And here let me say that if any of you develop a time machine, please ask those fine mining gentlemen of yore to scribble scrabble their kanji on the sides and back!!! It's just a shame to lap that off.

Anyhooo.....he advertised the stone as a 'little bit softer' than the typical very fine and very hard stones from the nakayama mine. While I can't evaluate 'softer' I can say it was 'silkier' than my very hard, very fine (and verified) nakayama stone. He claimed 'nakayama' but the stone said 'atagoyama'. He also claimed "pre WWII, very old". I can believe this. It came in a ornately woodblock stamped cardboard box, within which the stone was wound in a fine but very brittle tissue paper. The box itself, though showing no water marks or damage, crumbles a bit more every time I touch it. Typical of very old but not 'acid free' paper products.

You may also remember that I've been trying to coax 'more' out of the nakayama. Last night I honed on this stone. The first indication was the hanging hair test. With my other stone, I have to slap the hair down on the blade pretty hard to get it to cut, and I have to be super super focused on a very light touch when honing. But it shaves. With this, I still have to focus, but it cuts the hair without effort or sound. I shaved with it this morning, and it was noticeably sharper and smoother. I cut off a few different skin bumps this morning without even feeling them--which is very new for me. You can bet I felt it when I took the styptic to them!!

I'm certain this is 'me', and me learning how to use different things. It's remarkable to me though how widely variant the results are with different rocks.