Thread: J-Nat club

Came into possession of a stone & doesn't know the price ?
Excuse my suspicion but in spite of our "no evaluations rule" as linked below, you will have a hard time getting a price from pictures.

SRP rules of conduct - Straight Razor Place Library

We don’t allow appraisals, because “Value” is subjective, especially on something like a stone, were really all that counts are performance, but things like where it was mined, which layer, size, color, pattern, hardness, age and any number of things that may be important to one, not to another can/will affect value to the buyer.

Quality Jnat vendors test and stand by their stone, which by itself, is a huge value. As said, you cannot rate a stone from a photo.

You might try PMing some of the more active members in the Jnat/Hones forum for a ball park idea.

Also check some of the Jnat vendor websites to get a general idea, but for both you and the seller, it will be a gamble as to value.

Let me tell you a story - i go today in the post to send a something for Cristmass to a frend in Germany and the girl there tell me - you have package . No way i said , i dont expect anything = Well i was amazed by this beautyfull stone - stamped kiita and an old stock boxed koma .
Thank you my frend - you surpise me , realy , realy nice . Outstrandin , fine and fast stone . God bless you . Stone is perfect and the hardness is just like i whant it .
Thanks again - i didnt see that coming .

Got in some odds and ends today, a nice hard dull egg Hatanaka kiita, pretty and fine, and a hunk of uchigumori for fingerstones and knife/razor polishing. I tested the uchi on the side of a Masahiro Virgin Carbon gyuto and it does not scratch and the polish is pretty high. I also tested it on a laminated Takeda and the ji/ha was excellent. It slurries purplish from the renge.

Cheers, Steve

Here's the first cut off the uchigumori. Since it's on the harder side, I sawed it. If you can split it easily that's desirable because the saw takes as much as it gives, 50% waste to saw.

The first image is off the saw, rough corners and all, the second image is a stack of semi-finished stock of different thicknesses, the thicker stuff will be used on knives, the thinner slices will be backed with mulberry paper and lacquer before it's thinned or sized any further. I cleared the saw marks with a 600 Atoma to better see what the finished thickness would be.

Cheers, Steve

Here's one of three new arrivals cleaned up lapped, and tested, super smooth razor edges off this Nakayama. If you don't do jnats, maybe you don't realize that many of the wooden dais are hand made to fit a specific stone. This one is typical, only this stone will fit, and if you look at the corners of the dais inset, you can see it's shaped to fit the stone. The stone will only fit in one way. It's most obvious in the corners. Truly an amazing thing, that the stands were hand made to fit each stone. And there's no play in any of them, the stone fits perfectly.

Cheers, Steve

Okay, I've been reading through this long thread and learning a lot (though the terminology is still confusing at times). I sort of feel like the poor kid who just had his 1st hit, and has now barged into the hardcore shooting gallery with the real addicts.So if this isn't the right place for rank newbs, I can start a new thread in the general honing forum.

Anyway, I got my 1st JNat "Pocket Rocket" Shobudani (I think?) with tomonagura in a sweet hone trade with a friend, who bought it from "Gamma" from B&B, aka Keith Johnson, aka TomoNagura on his Etsy store. Messaging back and forth with him, he says that it is very hard and fine (and certainly seems so), and quickly finishes a razor with a couple of tomo slurries. Here is the stone:


Bottom side


Anyway, I have been watching some of his videos on YouTube, as well as those by Robert Ortiz, whose demos especially seem to have helped me figure out the "feel" I am looking for, as well as to look for when the slurry starts to darken and the "ride up" over the blade, which as I take it means I am close to finished with the edge. I have been experimenting on edges already finished on a Nani 12k (stropped, shaving edges) to see if it will improve them any further. Mostly, then, I have copied Ortiz's method of 1st raising a mild DMT slurry, then using a combination of light circles, some back and forths (hey-it's a small stone!), then the usual x-strokes to smooth. Then I wash everything clean and do the same with the tomo slurry until it darkens, feels super-smooth, and rides up over the edge, final finishing with maybe 20 or so ultralight strokes.

Having done this with a few blades the same way, I'm not sure I can discern any improvement over the 12k. So I am thinking of stopping on the Norton 8k next time, then trying the above method to see what it does. In any case, I am enjoying the learning and experimentation. If any of you serious JNat aficionados care to chime in with any further tips, I thank you in advance. Mods, feel free to move this to the actual honing forum if you feel that is where it belongs.

Thanks again for the wealth of info! Aaron

Your basic honing method sounds pretty solid. You may not get a 'sharper' edge than the 12k but you should shoot for a smoother edge that shaves closer and more comfortably.

First, I'd shave off the diamond slurry using your normal method. Then I'd refinish the edge with tomo slurry and shave again to see if there's any difference. This will tell you if your tomo is helping or hurting.

Next, I'd try thicker slurry and a LITTLE more pressure, then shave. Then refinish using thinner slurry and lighter pressure and compare.

Doing stuff like this will frequently give you some clues about how to make the edge better.

Cheers, Steve

So do you guys think I should lap this one before honing razors?

Cheers, Steve

I got dizzy just looking at it...