Thread: Without mentioning the seller, which natural Japanese hone did you use today?

I don't have apic, but it is a urigorami (i mght have misspelled that)... From you..

Used this beauty, on the right, just a few minutes ago to put a superb edge on my 6/8 square point Japanese "Favorit" brand folding razor. This stone is always a pleasure to use.

The stone is a Kamsori Suita Toishi and is about 2.25" wide x 6.25" in length. I use it on it's base.

Originally Posted by alx

Maxim, that looks like an kiita stone and although the most famous kiita came from Nayakaya, most of the other mines had small quanities also. I am trying to see the skin on the one side and if there is a deep and sparkling black over the rust red color and it is super fine grit, it most likely is a Nakayama. Because it looks like it was used (with the name on the back) and the saw marks are low rpm and heavy toothed it is from the 1960s or earlier. Could be a choice piece of stone. Alx

Yes there are some sparkling black spots on red color of the skin but so there is on Hakka, Ozuku, Hideryama and many other mines, heavy toothed is on new stones too
The wird part is that it seems like to be used with oil before.

Originally Posted by alx

I use right now Unknown one, very wird stone and unusual, it is soft but super super fine, never have seen such a stone.
I fist even thought that it is not Jnat because feeling and feedback feels much like Eschers and size is very unusual too. I got it from old barber shop, i think it is Nakayma but not sure ! Edges i get from that stone is like Ozukus or Shoubu but stone it self is much much softer.
Size is 205mm 45mm 35mm




Maxim, that looks like an kiita stone and although the most famous kiita came from Nayakaya, most of the other mines had small quanities also. I am trying to see the skin on the one side and if there is a deep and sparkling black over the rust red color and it is super fine grit, it most likely is a Nakayama. Because it looks like it was used (with the name on the back) and the saw marks are low rpm and heavy toothed it is from the 1960s or earlier. Could be a choice piece of stone. Alx

This Stone is not a Kiita.
It is a Suita without Su.
They are very rare and some of them can be used for last finisher which will be very fast and very fine.
It may be from Nakayama but other mines have Suita withour Su too.
Good find Maxim san.

Because my Oozuku Assagi is on lone to Rene, I've been getting to know this one a bit:




It's an Oozuku Suita (No Su) and seems to be providing a very nice, smooth edge!

I used a Kutsuki Kiita from Shiga-ken. It's sold as a Honyama stone, though it is not. It's a testament to the fact that Kyoto is not the only source for good stones. It's hard and fine, though a little lacking in abrasive power.

Jim
Can you tell us more about the Kutsuki stone, where it is from and it's like to use. The back of that stone looks awfuly familar. alx

Kutsuki is to the West of Takashima, near the border between Kyoto prefecture and Shiga prefecture. If you'd like to know more, try looking for Latitude 35.353216, Longitude: 135.845947 on Google maps.

This one is smooth and pure. It's got a faint feeling of abrasion in honing, but it doesn't objectively remove much steel on its own. Using slurry, it has better abrasive power and leaves a comfortably smooth and sharp edge.

Kutsuki stones are often sold as stand-in Nakayamas, according to a couple of people I've talked to (both of whom I trust a lot). Also, according to those people, if you find a good one it is every bit as good as any of the famous Kyoto stones--apart from a tendency to split unpredictably, which explains why this stone was sold sealed with Toishi-coat, though it has no visible cracks or tsuji.

I wrote more about the story behind this stone on my blog.

Hi Jim
Thanks for the info and the reminder of your fine blog. It is 9:08pm here in Kanazawa, but first thing at 4:00am tomorrow I will read up some more on your blog. best to you, Alx

Yesterday did a new to me, but very old near wedge by M. George - sheffield (no clue who that maker actually is). It had never been honed, and is my first wedge.

Used a synthetic bevel setter, then to heavy slurry chinese, then to a large nakayama asagi woodworking stone (not fine in terms of razors), to an ozuku asagi with slurry and then to an antique asagi stone with no scratchiness. Even new, the wedge took much much more work than a hollow ground more modern razor, and the grind wasn't exactly perfectly even on the wedge. Not sure if a higher dollar wedge would've been more even (as in, is it an issue of the maker) or if all really old wedges are like that.

Really like having a very fine jnat finisher - it's nice to avoid compounded strops, the geometry of the edge never gets out of whack and a little bit of time on the finest hone after the initial setup seems to keep the edge in good shape.