Thread: Mud Hone

Originally Posted by wsfarrell

From your pics and descriptions, this is definitely a variety of aoto. They're not all blue (e.g. kouzaki, miyagawa), but they're all 3k-5k grit range, soft, muddy, and thick (because they're soft and wear quickly). Great for polishing out 1k scratches, and really great for $5.

I guess anything's possible but if that's an Aoto he's honing on the wrong side & it's been cut wrong.
Unlike finishers you hone on the grain with Aoto.

Originally Posted by onimaru55

I guess anything's possible but if that's an Aoto he's honing on the wrong side & it's been cut wrong. Unlike finishers you hone on the grain with Aoto.

Well, the other side has been flattened, but is rougher than I would want to touch a razor to. It is pretty obvious the under side has been flattened for sitting square on a flat surface, but not for honing.

No, I mean if it was an Aoto you would need to hone on the narrow edge with the grain

Originally Posted by onimaru55

No, I mean if it was an Aoto you would need to hone on the narrow edge with the grain

You mean, if it was an Aoto it would be cut differently so the flat side honed on would be the sedimentary (?) grain visible on the side? (The top and bottom would be the sides, and the sides would be cut to be the top and bottom.)

Is that what you mean?

Originally Posted by LarryAndro

Well, the other side has been flattened, but is rougher than I would want to touch a razor to. It is pretty obvious the under side has been flattened for sitting square on a flat surface, but not for honing.

Oz meant it is not cut the way Aoto should be cut.
As I mentioned earlier it looks like Hakka, very muddy and soft.

If you guys are looking for aoto, check this out...its where I picked up some of mine...including a "blue":

Sharpening Stones, Woodworking Tools

Originally Posted by shooter74743

If you guys are looking for aoto, check this out...its where I picked up some of mine...including a "blue":

Sharpening Stones, Woodworking Tools

a really good quality Aoto is very hard to find.

Originally Posted by LarryAndro

You mean, if it was an Aoto it would be cut differently so the flat side honed on would be the sedimentary (?) grain visible on the side? (The top and bottom would be the sides, and the sides would be cut to be the top and bottom.)

Is that what you mean?

Exactly. Aoto are cut the opposite way to finishers.

Originally Posted by onimaru55

I guess anything's possible but if that's an Aoto he's honing on the wrong side & it's been cut wrong.
Unlike finishers you hone on the grain with Aoto.

None of my 3 aoto are cut like that...

In fact, looking at most of the aoto on the net, they have very little discernible grain; the only think I can tell is that along the broken corners of two of mine, there are faint crack-like lines running parallel to the finished surface.

Originally Posted by mainaman

a really good quality Aoto is very hard to find.

Actually I agree...mine has a bad layer in it somewhere that has some really coarse stuff to it. The mud goes great till you work one of them out and there goes some gouges/scratches (when I was polishing swords). Haven't used it in several years.