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

Hay out there, without mentioning the seller, which precious little japanese natural razor hone did you hone with today? Is it a asagi, kiita or suita or some other tomae stone? What is the size and do you handhold your hone? Any and all photos would be appreciated and a good photo of the back of the stone too. Alx

Can't find the photo just now, but I have a Nakayama Asagi. It's maybe 7 x 1.5 and maybe an inch thick, mounted to a wooden base. Sometimes I hand hold it, sometimes I leave it on the table. I use water only, partly to preserve the stamps and partly because I really like the results. No skin on the sides, but I'm not sure about the bottom.

Osaki finishing hone to the far right in the picture.

The Japanese natural hone that I use regularly is the Osaki finishing hone. It is a very hard and very high grit hone that I bought from a member here.
Size is 135mm long by 85mm wide by 25mm thick at the thinnest point.

I still consider it one of my best “shaving investments”.

I used a Shoubudani light Asagi on 2 razors last night.

My progression with that finisher is to use a 1-5 and 10K Chosera, then I use a Botan and Tenjou Nagura for two sets each.
After that I finish on a TomoNagura, diluting the Nagura a bit as I go.

On this particular hone, I never go all the way to water, I seem to get the best result from a very light slurry on it.

The size is about 200mm X 70mm X 25mm
Here's a couple pics of it:

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

This is my Nakayama Maruichi



This stone has served me well but because of some very good advice from Stefan [mainaman] this week, I have developed a "lapping progression" for this stone.. I had been lapping and making slurry on this stone with the 325 grit diamond plate. Stefan suggested that I could improve my edges by improving the surface of this stone with finer stones in the lapping process.

So, I now have a "lapping progression" which goes like this; 325 diamond plate, Norton 1k, BBW and finish with the Norton 8k. This new surface on the Nakayama has given me the best shaves I have ever gotten in my 43 years of straight shaving.

JERRY

Mine has all the same stamps as Jerry.

Yesterday I used a nakayama asagi. Great little hone, not as hard as a couple of my Ozukus, but produces much finer, keener and smoother edges.

Dry:


Wet:


I need to do another lapping progression. I use three stones to rub together alternating them until they are all flat to each other. The scratches are remenants of an experiment, unsuccessful.

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

Originally Posted by deighaingeal

Yesterday I used a nakayama asagi. Great little hone, not as hard as a couple of my Ozukus, but produces much finer, keener and smoother edges.


Wet:


I need to do another lapping progression. I use three stones to rub together alternating them until they are all flat to each other. The scratches are remenants of an experiment, unsuccessful.

Deighaingeal, the old classic asagi is a bluish/green color described in japan as a faint indigo color with a watery green cast. Some of the coloration is a mix of yellow and blue like yours, which optically blends into green if the colors are intense enough and intermixed. Your asagi is from a little lower elevation on the mountain with harder stone and you can see the effect of the ball effect where the Hon-kuchi-naori layer of stone was forced millions of years ago to roll a bit like a carpet being rolled up stretching out the mineral deposit. Do you find an difference in the sharpening qualities from one part of the stone like in the yellow area? Alx