Thread: Playing with a Jnat

First off, I have never honed with a j-nat and find them and their terminology very confusing.

After reading all this I can remember years ago talking to the guy that was mentoring me about them.
He told me that I would be better off if I stayed away from them.
He said that in all his years of honing he had to buy five of them to finally get one that worked right.

Sounds like you might have just gotten the wrong stone.
I know that there are boatloads of guys that use them and love them. I would consult with someone that knows them inside and out before picking out another.

Just my 2¢

Good luck Gerry!

Pete <:-}

I've had a few dozen. Some are better than others. But out of these they all delivered the goods, again some better than others. Start slow. Hit your highest synthetic and with a small slurry try to maintain the sharpness. I nailed my first jnat edge. Then I started using naguras. Took me a month before that system delivered. But I've come to realize what works for me. And I do just that. It's easier than you think. Keep it simple.

Originally Posted by Euclid440

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It is probably easier for a un taped razor to stick as tape will vary the spine smoothness, though I get stiction with Kapton tape over electrical, it is smoother, slicker and more wear resistant.
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Thank you for the pro tip on the Kapton tape, I have been late in following this excellent and informative thread. I've never heard of or tried Kapton tape, but I definitely will.

I love the protection and forgiveness that electrical tape offers and have really warmed up to it, now I use it on everything. But I do miss the subtle feedback I got from plain steel. I set my bevel at 1K and check it, but after that get little feel on the mid-range stones in the progression when using tape. I still get strong stiction at the highest finishing levels, like honing on molasses - when I've done it right all the way through.

But if I wander and lose my way between the 1K and the finishers, I don't get the feel with electrical tape that I've gone wrong until I get to the finishers; the mid-ranges all feel a little sticky to me just because of the tape, and it fools me. So I have to start over. With plain steel, I seem to be able to feel when I've gone awry at the lower/mid grits, and correct earlier, wasting less time.

That said, I find honing relaxing, even when I don't succeed. As long as it comes out right in the end, and it usually does if I keep at it and really pay attention to what I feel, and see through a loupe. I sympathize with Gasman, I have had stones that I just could not get a result from, it's a chemistry thing. And I've bought stones from people that they couldn't do anything with, that worked great for me.

I wish I had the skills to pick up any stone and be able to use it to its potential, like a concert pianist walking up to any piano. Some I do ok with, some I *really* click with, and some I just can't anything out of. Finding just one that I click with makes up for a lot that I don't.

So mine is on its way to be checked out as said, and another fine member has sent me twp Jnats to try out. So no my next weekend i should get word about my stone, and be able to play with a couple others. I will soon know if its me or just a lessor stone that has been causing my issue. Im really hoping for the rocks fault. Id hate to think after all this time it was a matter of me not doing something right. But, its always possible.

Thanks to all for the kind words and comments along this journey. Id really like to be able to hone on all the biggest type of finishing stones we all use. My Thuri edges are getting really nice, the Zulu has been an easy one. Arkie is still hit and miss but most the time i get it now. I wont talk about the Coti. Even an edge done for me by others that love coties still doesn't feel keen enough to me. So that one is out. Sorry to all the Coti guys out there but its just not enough for my tastes.

I was thinking about the sticking more. I think some of the issue is i do a rolling x most the time now without thinking about it. So the blade doesn't sit quite flat enough to stick. Just a though. Im so used to dealing with warped blades so my way of honing might be causing this to not happen. Just something else to work on. Im excited to be able to try a couple other jnats. It is bringing my hopes back up for this type of stone.

Jerry-I truly admire your "grit" (pun intended) in really trying to master all of these different naturals. Some of our more advanced honers seem to possess or have experimented with dozens if not hundreds of different stones, and are seemingly able to get a laser edge off of any stone you put in front of them. But they are all very different animals; I think jnats and cotis in general can require more advanced knowledge and techniques to get the most out of them than, say, thuris, PHIGs, or arkies.

And it's a rewarding journey as we learn our way through the various type of stones, coming to each new honing problem with new skills and intuition based on experience that we can throw at any given stone. I don't know that we have to master them all, though. Some guys on here seem to specialize in Jnats, while another contingent prefers arks (which I also keep gravitating back to), and some who have the stones, experience and advanced skills let the razor and its steel composition/hardness dictate the choice of finishers.

But I'm reminded of an old saying: "Beware the man who only has one gun [or stone]; he probably knows how to use it." Have fun learning and sharing the journey we're all on.

I can see the future...

Originally Posted by Steve56

I can see the future...

You might be reading my future instead

I hope not many Jnats. But a couple any way.
Id love to learn them all but I think my goal is to find just a few that give me the best results in an edge. My Thuri is really turning out some great edges. Used one today and was very happy with the shave. Its going to be a hard one to beat.

Don't buy any more! Stick with what you got! I'm sure that bad boy will deliver soon enough.

Originally Posted by Bill31521

Don't buy any more! Stick with what you got! I'm sure that bad boy will deliver soon enough.

Bill are you well?