Thread: Help with J-Nat stone

You should try your best to determine the stone's hardness, since that will pretty much tell if it can be used as a finisher for razors. If you have a soft stone, it will be difficult to get better result than what an Escher is normally capable of providing.

Here's a video that might help you do that:


A testing guide by Maxim from JNS:
JapaneseNaturalStones.com: how to water test
Hope this helps you!

Originally Posted by tagandlog

You should try your best to determine the stone's hardness, since that will pretty much tell if it can be used as a finisher for razors. If you have a soft stone, it will be difficult to get better result than what an Escher is normally capable of providing.

Here's a video that might help you do that:


A testing guide by Maxim from JNS:
JapaneseNaturalStones.com: how to water test
Hope this helps you!

He is new to Jnats, that is his first, and also he has no other stone to compare to.
The water method only shows relative hardness to other stones not absolute hardness.
Hardness is not the only important factor to a Jnat, there are plenty hard but coarse stones as well as very fine softer stones. That is why it is always good to buy from a seller that tests the stones on razors.

Originally Posted by feelgeorge13

Up date, I used a 600 grit wet n dry paper to try and produce a slurry and it works well. It produces a nice a tin creamy slurry.

But you risk 600 grit particles in the slurry. Not good for finishing.

Originally Posted by onimaru55

But you risk 600 grit particles in the slurry. Not good for finishing.

Then I will get a slurry stone, but which one should I get?

Originally Posted by feelgeorge13

Then I will get a slurry stone, but which one should I get?

If you're going to use it as a finisher only I'd go for a Tomo nagura, a Meijiro would also work, but not quite as fine as the Tomo slurry.
If you want to use it with a full progression you will need Botan, Tenjou, Meijiro, a Koma if you can find one, and a Tomo.

Originally Posted by Zephyr

If you're going to use it as a finisher only I'd go for a Tomo nagura, a Meijiro would also work, but not quite as fine as the Tomo slurry.
If you want to use it with a full progression you will need Botan, Tenjou, Meijiro, a Koma if you can find one, and a Tomo.

Okay,I try and get my self a Tomo stone, Can you please tell me when a Botan,Tenjou,Meijiro and a Koma should be used in the honing process.
Like you said a Tomo is used with the stone as a finisher, what of the above mentioned slurry stones? I take it they are a pre-finisher but in what order should they be used before I use a Tomo slurry stone as a final stone?

Originally Posted by feelgeorge13

Okay,I try and get my self a Tomo stone, Can you please tell me when a Botan,Tenjou,Meijiro and a Koma should be used in the honing process.
Like you said a Tomo is used with the stone as a finisher, what of the above mentioned slurry stones? I take it they are a pre-finisher but in what order should they be used before I use a Tomo slurry stone as a final stone?

Birnando did a good explanation of the progression in post #2, this is pretty much the same way I do it (B thaught me how to use mine, and I have found this to work best with mine as well )

Originally Posted by Birnando

I set the bevel first, on a Chosera 1K.
After that I will raise a Botan slurry on the stone and do circles and x-strokes untill the slurry thickens.
This process is then repeated once more.
I do the same thing on all my Nagura's as sort of a progression up thru the Tenjou, Meijiro and Koma Naguras.

After that the process is again repeated with a Tomo Nagura.
On this one though, I will thin the slurry as I go, and finish on a almost clean and watery stone.
Just the hint of slurry left really.
I keep at it untill the stone is more damp than wet.

This seems to be what works best for me, but like I said, there are tons of ways to use a JNat finisher

mainaman's videos are also very good IMO, showing the progression from start to finish.

I really don't have anything to add about your stone but I love your "dubbeltje" (10 dutch cents from before 2001) in the picture, wish we still had them.

Originally Posted by feelgeorge13

Okay,I try and get my self a Tomo stone, Can you please tell me when a Botan,Tenjou,Meijiro and a Koma should be used in the honing process.
Like you said a Tomo is used with the stone as a finisher, what of the above mentioned slurry stones? I take it they are a pre-finisher but in what order should they be used before I use a Tomo slurry stone as a final stone?

Did you watch the videos I posted? They should answer your question how to use nagura and tomonagura.
Chances re you may not find a Koma, they are super rare now and very expensive. Tmonagura is a piece of another Jnat used to create slurry on the base stone. You need the tomonagura to be softer than your base stone.

thanks for your help, I did watch the video you posted. most helpful. I think my is quiet abrasives, takes off steel, its not a soft stone for sure. I was under the impression that the word nagura means slurry stone, Tomo-nagura is one type, you mensioned "Nagura" What type are you referring to when you say "Nagura"?