Thread: 1k NATURAL waterstone?

Japanese Amakusa, approximately at 1-2 k level. Some steels it likes and some it does not.

iyo japanese stone. Interesting to use, but not as effective as synthetic stones. Make the switch to natural at the pre-polisher level instead if you want to do it earlier.

I have not found a lot of favor in the commonly available blue aotos (2-4k range), have had a couple, they are sloppy to the point that it can interfere with being able to tell what they're doing.

Best coarser than finisher japanese stones that I've gotten are stones people sold me as finishing stones, but lied about how fine they are (i'm not much for sending things back, esp. something as subjective as a japanese natural stone). They're barely finer than an aoto, but they are harder and cut better and do a good job of prepping for really fine natural stones

You could also use a novaculite stone, like a hard arkansas, and use it only with soapy water. Novaculite stones have a bad reputation for speed because the novaculite is fairly soft and will break down and be smoother than its grit suggests, BUT, if you have a diamond hone to scuff their surface regularly, they actually cut quite fast, and they don't cut really deep grooves like diamonds or really aggressive synthetics. I've actually used them with good effect on japanese chisels if they have been scuffed regularly, but they will behave like they're not able to cut the steel on those same chisels if they are allowed to settle down and go without being scuffed.