Recent Jnats - A thread of new stones

[DaveW]

I have been whining about the price of jnats lately, and the surge of junk stones now being purpose sold. Someone somewhere is boasting about their "market making".

This is at the top of my mind because I have been buying a huge pile of jnats. I'll post them as I get them. This one I got tonight. I don't know how to get a stone like this cheap. It's about a 1.5 KG stone, so not small. it's a bit misshapen, but almost white with black renge in the middle, and even though the arrangement isn't perfect compared to a bright white perfectly square stone with uniform renge from top to bottom, I still had to pay $325 for it when all was said and done. Don't tell my wife!!

It is incredibly strong cutting and smooth - not billowy smooth like a soft stone, but very firm and smooth. These pictures came from the seller, but tonight I tried it on a vintage english chisel, a japanese chisel and a chinese high speed steel chisel. It cut all of them fine and made an incredibly bright edge. It is the finest combination of fine and strong cutting that I have gotten in any stone, but I have learned to spot them (which is not hard when you've bought the wrong thing enough times).

This would not be an ideal knife stone, but it is very ideal for the fine side of suitas for tools, which is why I got it. I'm sure it would easily finish a razor, but I won't chance guessing at that - I've got razors coming also, so I will see if that's the case.

I also got an ohira renge suita about the same time, about the same price. It will be a coarser stone than this. This one would peg around 9 fineness on aoki takeshi's scale, and less fine only than the finest green stones. I may see (time permitting) if i can get stria from these on a microscope.

This one breaks the ice. I have gotten other stones from dealers in japan, but not directly off of an auction. The cutting power and fineness of this stone is pretty rare - a very LUCKY purchase, because from this distance, it could've ended up being coarse and scratchy and I just have to lump it.

No clue on mine, but would speculate okudo or okunomon. It doesn't matter. I'm keeping this one unless i go broke.