Thread: My First Japanese Natural

Hi guys,
I bought my first Natural Hone from Japan and i cant wait to receive it.
Its a Shoubudani Mizu Agasi L5+ (i think thats how its spelt,from memory) + Tomo Nagura
I have a few questions, if you dont mind.

1.What do i need to buy to lap it. My cheapest option.
(I have a DMT plate for my Shaptons but i think using that is not recommended.)

2.I read, not to strop on canvas, just use leather after honing on jnats. Would this exclude linen.

3.How and would i need to clean my Shoubudani.
(I use a small Nagura rubbing stone to clean my Shaptons)

Many thanks in advance..

I have one very much like that, also Lv 5+. I think you'll be happy with it once you get to know it.

1. They are quite hard and are best lapped under running water. I use a 220 DMT. A 325 can be used but it will take a lot longer & you must be careful to lift the DMT and rinse off the slurry quite often or you will destroy the DMT. You could use a silicon carbide lapping stone -such as the Norton - to get mostly there and then finish with the DMT. Some stones are almost flat, some will need a hour's work.

2. BS. You will see all sorts of stuff about whether you should or should not use linen/canvas/webbing after honing. None of it has any basis in fact; it's all just someone's opinion. I use linen or napped leather before the smooth leather every time.

3. Those are very smooth, practically non-porous stones AND.. the process of producting slurry with the various nagura cleans and smooths the stone constantly. There will be little, if any, glazing due to swarf buildup. You could aways give it a couple of swirls with the DMT from time to time but I never do with any of my jnats.

Welcome to the club. Your pocketbook may hate you for it but jnats are a lot of fun and can produce edges like no others.



rs,
Tack

Originally Posted by Tack

I have one very much like that, also Lv 5+. I think you'll be happy with it once you get to know it.

1. They are quite hard and are best lapped under running water. I use a 220 DMT. A 325 can be used but it will take a lot longer & you must be careful to lift the DMT and rinse off the slurry quite often or you will destroy the DMT. You could use a silicon carbide lapping stone -such as the Norton - to get mostly there and then finish with the DMT. Some stones are almost flat, some will need a hour's work.

2. BS. You will see all sorts of stuff about whether you should or should not use linen/canvas/webbing after honing. None of it has any basis in fact; it's all just someone's opinion. I use linen or napped leather before the smooth leather every time.

3. Those are very smooth, practically non-porous stones AND.. the process of producting slurry with the various nagura cleans and smooths the stone constantly. There will be little, if any, glazing due to swarf buildup. You could aways give it a couple of swirls with the DMT from time to time but I never do with any of my jnats.

Welcome to the club. Your pocketbook may hate you for it but jnats are a lot of fun and can produce edges like no others.



rs,
Tack

I have the DMT 325. I didnt realise i can use that on my Natural Stone.
I dont even like using it on the Shaptons because it leaves scratches on the surface.
But ill give it a go.
Thanks for the help

Oh, you'll find that the Shaptons are like soft clay compared to that jnat. Just take it slow and rinse often. If not, the slurry builds up and wipes the diamonds off the DMT.

According to DMT we're not supposed to use anything finer than the 220 to lap but the 325 is probably the most commonly used lapping plate around here. And after all, a practically worn out 325 is perfect for raising slurry on most stones if you don't have a slurry stone.



rs,
Tack

Edit: Just dawned on me, if you are seeing visible scratches from the 325 your plate might need conditioning. They often have a few rogue diamonds "sticking up" here and there. Rubbing the plate with some flat steel - a screwdriver shank, for instance - or sharpening a few knives will knock them off.

Originally Posted by Tack

Oh, you'll find that the Shaptons are like soft clay compared to that jnat. Just take it slow and rinse often. If not, the slurry builds up and wipes the diamonds off the DMT.

According to DMT we're not supposed to use anything finer than the 220 to lap but the 325 is probably the most commonly used lapping plate around here. And after all, a practically worn out 325 is perfect for raising slurry on most stones if you don't have a slurry stone.



rs,
Tack

Edit: Just dawned on me, if you are seeing visible scratches from the 325 your plate might need conditioning. They often have a few rogue diamonds "sticking up" here and there. Rubbing the plate with some flat steel - a screwdriver shank, for instance - or sharpening a few knives will knock them off.

Yeh, a rogue diamond make alot of sense..I'll go and sharpen some knifes then lap some Shaptons to test it, before it goes near my precious Shoubudani (love that word) thx

After lapping with a DMT 325, I go to a 1200. After a short time with the 1200, I use another natural stone to polish it further. If possible, you want to get the surface as close to mirror smooth as you can. For the most part, your nagura will be delivering the majority of the cutting grit. The use of your nagura will also help polish the stone further as you use it.

Originally Posted by OCDshaver

After lapping with a DMT 325, I go to a 1200. After a short time with the 1200, I use another natural stone to polish it further. If possible, you want to get the surface as close to mirror smooth as you can. For the most part, your nagura will be delivering the majority of the cutting grit. The use of your nagura will also help polish the stone further as you use it.

I see.. thanks for that.

I was told a Naniwa flattening stone was a good way to lap your stones...

I wouldn't lap it if it doesn't need to be lapped.

Originally Posted by ZethLent

I wouldn't lap it if it doesn't need to be lapped.

What can you do to determine if a stone needs lapping or not? And is getting it truly flat the only reason to lap it?