Thread: Japanese natural stone

Had a had a friend from Japan bring me this stone today, his mother in law purchased in the 40's for sharpening straight razors in her barber shop. The scratches are visible but most you can not feel. Do I need to do anything to it? It is 6.5"x3.25".

Looks like it could be a winner. Probably someone sharpened knives on it and it can be saved. Get yourself some Wet/Dry 80 or 100 grit sandpaper, draw lines with a pencil on the stone and with water on the paper flatten the stone. Keep redrawing the lines so you are really sure it is flat. Next get 220 paper do the same and progress up into 1200 paper of something close. Before you try a razor on it be sure to use a stiff brush to scrub off any of those loose grit particles from the sandpaper. Of course you have to start with perfectly set bevels on your razor before getting any good edges off this Jnat, but the stone should be able to do the final work.

Your stone looks like an asagi, lets see some photos of the back.

good luck,
Alex

+1 on what alx said but to add, find a good thick piece of glass or scrap granite from a counter manufacturer to lay the sand paper on.

If it's a Jnat you will have to finish after lapping with a coticule ideally, or some similar grit stone.

Here is a picture of the back. Thanks for the feedback.

Interesting.I was given a stone (box and slurry stone) several yrs ago by a 90 yr old friend of my wifes.
She salvaged it from her fathers medical clinic after we bombed Hiroshima,she never did find her father
I do not hone so no clue as to what it is,is a pretty stone tho.

Pixelfixed, that does look like a good stone, again an asagi layer stone and that was a barbers hone or possibily for scalpels. Silverjay, I would venture to guess that your stone is from the Umegahata area and most likely from one of the famous mines.

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

Interesting.I was given a stone (box and slurry stone) several yrs ago by a 90 yr old friend of my wifes.
She salvaged it from her fathers medical clinic after we bombed Hiroshima,she never did find her father
I do not hone so no clue as to what it is,is a pretty stone tho.

Worth using is what it is.

Originally Posted by onimaru55

Worth using is what it is.

I totally agree, and it is what I refer to as a "historic stone", one that was actually used and has some history of its own.

Alx

Thanks! .