Regardless of the particle size. I still think he's brave or foolish not wearing a dust mask.
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Unfortunately in Japan this is a very typical scene. You see jack hammer operators and other loud construction projects going and no one has ear or eye protection, let alone a dusk mask with filters. But everyone has on a helmet. Heck I have one under my desk in my office.
Nice one! That's a post about cutting aoto, that man in the pic (Okamoto san) is apparently the last person mining Aoto in Japan now.
It doesn't say much else, just talks about how it's a rare thing these days, and all the equipment in that dark hole feels like history.
The owner of that blog, RinRin, is actually one of a few of the "Japanese Honemeisters" that I communicate with sometimes.
Another site that might be of interest is Yuuken-san's blog.
☆名古屋砥泥会(なごやとどろかい)☆ - Yahoo!ブログ
He's a bit of a restorer as well, but he's a generalist--axes, knives, razors, pretty much anything with a blade.
Click around and look at the pics--it's worth it.
Yeah - the thing is that these hones are comprised of clay minerals and radiolaria (silicified microscopic marine fossil critters). While both will likely liberate <1u dust on cutting (commonly much finer), the radiolaria have barbed surfaces which is the classic cause of silicosis. If I did this hone cutting a lot, I believe I'd be wearing a mask... :hmmm:
I am a self-proclaimed neat freak, but many say I have OCD.
Seeing those pictures, although hugely interesting, makes me cringe at the lack of proper organization.
On another note, does this guy have an online shop?