Thread: 1st Jnats - what a win

Substance, congratulations. $10 very well spent. Enjoy and do not worry about the stamps on the nakayama, that stone is easily recognized. Lap it as needed to get the best possible use from the stone. Enjoy.

Thanks lads
they will be coming lapped & lacquered ready to go

Nice win, I guess I rubbed all my luck off predicting your win.

Originally Posted by Substance

Yep from FBShave gear raffles

You might be correct Oz the discription claimed it is good for swords and for removing the lower grit marks

This is the descriptions

Uchigomoru Suita:
This is a sensational suita and known for it's cutting abilities with a history that goes way back renowned for the final stage of sword polishing proceeding a koma throughout Japanese sword history. This works a charm as a midrange or prefinishing stone and releases a beautiful pink slurry from the renge (red) spots in the stone, although a somewhat hard base it cuts very fast and I have sucessfully removed scratches from the 1k and #600 chosera. They are also used for bringing out the contrast in bi metal carbon knives and are often sold as tiny pieces called "finger stones".
145x60x30mm

Nakayama Asagi:
Most of us are familiar with that name as it's a highly coveted stone in Japan which also reflects the high price tags that we see often. I have tested this stone by avoiding the stamps and it's ultra smooth and fine as expected. The stamps translate to "True original mountain" "Nakayama Tomae" "Kyoto Whetstone Assosiation". The colour of the stone is asagi (greenish/grey) and has a beautiful kawa skin. The colour of the slurry is white which makes it very easy to judge the cutting action which darkens after a small series of strokes. This stone needs a good lapping, I can do this prior to shipping upon winners request.
165x75x25mm

I'm just generalising mate. Yes, Uchigomori are generally used on swords & Tomae stones on knives but there can be overlap into razors.

Dual Japanese mail call yesterday, so I thought I would let these two meet for a quick rub this morning, and what a fine match they make,
The shave test was very nice

This is my Uchogumori,







About 17+x6+cm I think, along with a nagura, tomozuri they call it, it's huge and you can hone on it, but I prefer it as a slurry stone,



I'm using it on swords, but the first time I honed on it, it was with a razor. The edge is really fine, a finisher, and finer than a good Thuringian, as well as very smooth. Not as fine as my maruka, still a finisher. I was surprised that an "inferior Ohira" stone could deliver that kind of finish, as well as speed, a fast stone.
So, again, generalizations are no good, there are also very fine uchigumori stones, don't underestimate them simply because they are from Ohira mine.
As for your stone Mr. Substance, check to see if the lines contain harmful inclusions, if so, you'll have to remove them.

Originally Posted by onimaru55

Grats.
Uchigumori is not normally useful for razors but you can update us when you try it.

Lies.

Uchigumori and suita are PRIME middle stones, they cut very well especially the softer and waxy karasu ones. A couple circle strokes and 1k scratches go poof.

Originally Posted by DireStraights

Lies.

Uchigumori and suita are PRIME middle stones, they cut very well especially the softer and waxy karasu ones. A couple circle strokes and 1k scratches go poof.

There is no need for such tone, read the quoted text again, the statement was not absolute. There are lots of variations of J-Nats as we all know.

Originally Posted by DireStraights

Lies.

Uchigumori and suita are PRIME middle stones, they cut very well especially the softer and waxy karasu ones. A couple circle strokes and 1k scratches go poof.

Uchigumori is a suita layer. And indeed, suita stones are/were priced for their speed as they were the fastest of any other layer, but not for their finishing qualities. Still, some hard ones, and especially from the eastern mines like Okudo-the most famous, or nakayama/shobu can be excellent finishers too, along with their top notch speed (don't try it on ultra high carbon, high alloys or generally vanadium containing ones, you'll be disappointed; nature has pretty much no stones for these steels when properly hardened).
Other famous suita are the shinden, although slower than the Okudo still the good ones are excellent suita stones, and, Ohira, which aren't as good as the above but people like them I guess. I have also seen some decent suita stones from the famous owner Mitsuhide's mine.
The Uchigumori layer is a paradox in any case, and I'm not sure if it's a unique layer on the Ohira mine or other ones have/had it too. There are people who even get angry if you ask them if the stone existed in other mines, and others who say that this shallow layer did exist in other mines as well. In any case, when I finish the sword, shashikomi within the next 3 months, I'll upload photos of how it looks if some uchigumori thread is active.

Originally Posted by Vasilis

In any case, when I finish the sword, shashikomi within the next 3 months, I'll upload photos of how it looks if some uchigumori thread is active.

I would be keen to see it regardless.