Thread: New Nakayama

Nice stone! Cashew or urushi is more durable and much more trouble to use. Urushi is basically poison ivy sap so wear gloves, use it outside - and it takes a warm humid environment to cure.

I just use regular brushing lacquer. It holds up well enough and can be removed in an overnight soak in alcohol if you wish.

Cheers, Steve

Originally Posted by Matt1222

Is Urushi the same as cashew lacquer? If not, are there significant differences. It seems easier for me to find lacquer.

No, cashew urushi is also known as cashew lacquer and is relatively safe and simple to handle; hon urushi is the traditional lacquer that is toxic and requires special handling and a controlled curing environment. This is the source I use: HyperCafe Japanese Sword Shop

I use cashew form the above store. Dilute it with distilled turpentine. I don't use gloves. If I get some on my fingers I use the turpentine to clean them Transfer some to a lidded glass jar, I use a plastic spoon since it's a mess trying to pour it. Then dilute and apply. In warm weather it dries fairly quickly. Few layers and you are done.
Just an anecdote. I was lapping a tomo, triangular shape, on an Atoma, no crazy pressure or anything and that thing just split in half. Despite that stone having
very thin layer of kawa on one side and no obvious fissures. Well now I have 2 tomos but it just showed my why it's important to seal.

Originally Posted by Matt1222

I've been in touch with Alex regarding the Tomo. He is doing a bit of experimentation with a similar stone of his and going to find a good match for me.

This is my first stone from the seller I got it from. It would be awesome if he underestimated the hardness as most tend to over estimate it. Also the shipping was fast considering it was from Russia to the US. Got it in about a week. If it turns out to be a good one I have some others I am eyeing on their site. I was also thinking about getting another Nagura set so I have some mix and match options. That's one of my favorite parts about JNat honing.

In the future if you do buy from him again ask if he has a matching tomo if he has one he will usually throw it in for free especially for a repeat buyer. Problem is he is a rock dealer once he gets you hooked he offers you a code for a discount on next purchase for a short time and it gets better with each purchase.

Originally Posted by rideon66

In the future if you do buy from him again ask if he has a matching tomo if he has one he will usually throw it in for free especially for a repeat buyer. Problem is he is a rock dealer once he gets you hooked he offers you a code for a discount on next purchase for a short time and it gets better with each purchase.

So you were definitely right about the hardness rating and the coupon codes being addictive. I just ordered a Kiita Karasu that I probably wouldn't have gotten without the code the seller had offered. He also is including a tomo for free, which is always appreciated. This will be my first Kiita stone so I'm interested to see the difference between Kiita and Asagi.

Yeah one should arrive here tomorrow or Monday with a matching tomo.
Glad he underestimates hardness too.
Hope you enjoy those stones they look nice.

Where did you get the stone from ?

Originally Posted by rideon66

That should be a hard 5+ stone. That seller has sold me a few very nice stones. If there are no cracks or crevices for water to get into you don't have to seal it, but I usually do. You just don't want water getting into cracks and causing them to grow over time. You can check with Alex at the Japan stone he sells tomo by the gram and takes returns if you find it no good.

Way late on this one - but I'd seal nice stones, anyway. Years ago, I got an Ohira Tomae stone, used it for a while and then sold it to someone at a great loss. Those stones are plentiful with and without cracks. Mine had none in it, and I paid dearly for it as mediocre as it was. It cracked and delaminated about a year later for the next guy, and he glued it together and sealed it. My shop is freeze-free, and the guy I sold it to lives in Southern California (no freeze) and was an experienced japanese tool user. I'm not sure what caused it to delaminate.