Naniwa 12k, should I soak it?

Hi guys,
Well that's the question, should I soak my Naniwa 12k SS? I've seen a few different people say different things so just going to put it out on the forum and see if there's any consensus.

Thanks guys

Splash and go. From the SRD web site: "They do not need to be soaked. Just a spray or splash of water over the surface until the water starts to pool and you are ready to go." Also, from Sharpening Supplies Plus: "... these resin bonded stones don't require soaking in water prior to use, just a sprinkle on the top is all that is needed."

+1 on the above.

Bob

Can't site it, but I'm sure I read that soaking the Nani SS will actually destroy it. Same thread talked about 2-3 min soak at make. I just spray mine and get at it...works fines so far.

I just run the whole thing under running water for 15ish sec to get any dust or what not off

I flood mine and let it soak in for a few minutes before honing, so not quite a splash and go but I never really soak it either.

Yeah, just a quick soak, then spritz as needed. I honestly think the Nani 12 may be the easiest hone of all to use.

The Naniwa 12K is very fine. Even if you were to soak it, little water were to be absorbed. If you soaked it for a long time and water did get absorbed into the structure, it would take a long time to dry out again with potentially bad effects. I normally place my Naniwa stones under running water and scrub the surface with a green ScotchBrite pad to remove any surface debris. After a quick rinse, I start honing. Because the finer Naniwa stones do not absorb much water, it is good to have a spray bottle of water handy to keep the surface wet as you are honing.

Of course, since you really only need 10 or 15 strokes on it, there should not be much trouble keeping the hone wet.

We've covered this ground many times, we heard of crazing on some Naniwa stones, cracking of some models. My Naniwa's from 1k Chosera, 2,3,5,8,10k have been immersed in water for five minutes before honing. I am now on my second set, had the others for just under five years. I like a little bit of slurry on my stones, so, I use my Atoma400 to clean the surface with half a dozen fig 8's, never had a problem.
Gssixgun did a video on this 6 years ago, I followed that since day 1 and had no reason to change it since. I'm talking five minutes, I would not advocate leaving stones in a well, for long periods. And as mentioned the higher the grit size, the less porous the stone.

I think the problem is that there is soaking and then there is soaking. Depends what your idea is for the length of a soaking is. Me, I just avoid any possible issue and use a spray bottle. If I want a slurry I just use a small slurry stone.

Bob

Another point is that the Naniwa Choseras, which have a magnesium based binder, seem to be much more sensitive to soaking in comparison to the Naniwa SuperStones.