Thread: Sealing natural stones

I love getting a new stone and tidying it up, then sealing it.
It's a getting to know you process, then the relationship can really begin

Well, if I was working on those old wooden Lyman, and Thompson boats, you'd better believe there would be drums of the stuff. But they were sealed by soaking the hull with water which would swell the planks and create a water tight seal. Had to be done every year before launching and mooring them to the docks.
Glad they don't make them any more..

Sealed Jnat.



Mowed the yard and put a third coating on the Jnat. Having a cold one. Saturday is almost comlete.
And earlier i fitted 3 knots in handles. Need to clean them up some and glue them. Not relivant to this thread but what the hell.

One idea I use when sealing groups of stones.

Alex

Generally don't need to seal Jnat finishers.
Softer stones like Tsushima, Aoto & Suita etc are a different beast & more prone to cracking.
I've got a Yaginoshima Asagi & oddly it's only sealed on the sides.

The sides are the most vulnerable to soaking up water that can cause delamination. If a stone has a kawa back or is tight with no inclusions I usually leave it as is not sealed. If you only use a stone for a short period or just every once in a while most stone do not need to be sealed.

Alex

really most seal them cause its cool! Tc

Well, it sure looks cool after sealing. What the hell, as they say.

Sealing can be done for esthetic purposes too, some stones, especially kiita, are really handsome with black sides.

You can also lacquer with mulberry paper as I've done this tomo, a favorite but it also has a fine layer crack, and I've had nagura separate in my hand before. So this tomo has several layers of cashew and a layer of mulberry paper to make a kind of 'fiberglass' reinforcement.

And some just need covering up - lol. The last stone is an original image of my 'ugly asagi', and it is ugly though it is a fine Nakayama razor hone. One reason that it's ugly is a previous owner apparently painted it with grey and blue paint, then someone else, probably the seller removed it and a good bit of the kawa skin with it. So there's bare rock that should have natural skin on it. Believe me, it looks much better black on the sides.

Cheers, Steve