Japanese Natural Stones Whetstones (JNATs) Intro - Progression, Mines, Strata, Terms, Sharpening 

Thank you Julien!

Thank you Jesse!

Thanks! I'm really glad it was helpful. Looking back I feel like I could do it much better now but that will be true of anything you continue to learn about yourself! I think the page on the website does a better job overall but this is still a pretty useful primer: naturalwhetstones.com/natural-whetstones/japanese-natural-stones-jnats/

You are welcome! I highly suggest you look at the website as well since I update it regularly. Even though the video was only produced a year ago, some items I've already learned weren't as accurate as they could have been. It should till be 95% on the mark though. Thanks for your interest!

No problem! Thank you for watching and hope I can put out more content you like.

@J. B. 😮

Glad you are finding it useful! Much more on my main site, suggest you also check that out too: naturalwhetstones.com/blade-sharpening/japanese-natural-stones-jnats/

Glad you liked it!

Thank you!

@@naturalwhetstones can you recommend a natural finishing stone (6000+ grit) that’s not going to break the bank account? 🙏

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it :D

@@naturalwhetstones hello Greg. Could you please tell if you can if Ozuku hard fine stone would be good for nagura progression? I mean would it be possible for example to go from Naniva 5000 to Ozuku with Botan, then Tenjyo and so on? Thank you!

@@Vart1980 Obviously all stones are their own unique specimens but genreally, if you have an Ozuku performing as it should yes - it would absolutely work in a progression. If you are going for super keen most people would want a tomo or diamond plate at the end of the progression too.

@@naturalwhetstones thank you so much for the answer, Greg. One more question - is the any ''more easy to find substitution'' exists for urushi / cashew lacquer?

@@Vart1980 Probably depends on where you are located. I have heard good things about earthpaint. I also have a few of the actual Japanese cans that I can get in sometimes, but they end up being pricey after all the shipping.

Thank you Nick!

Glad you enjoyed it!

Hey Scott, thanks for dropping a line! Yeah Keith is a great watch too, think we have different primary interests in the end so it gives good different approaches.

Glad you enjoyed it!

Yep, I will be doing my best to upload more in the future with some stone comparisons. Even for a US buyer, most stones are being bought overseas. Buying from Japanese sellers is the usual, so I do not think its too different even in the UK.

Thanks for reaching out! I got it from thebladerunner - an Australian seller. You can find them usually on eBay or if you shop around on the reputable vendor list here: naturalwhetstones.com/blade-sharpening/reputable-japanese-natural-stone-jnat-nagura-sellers/

Goodluck! I hope it works well for you. Most JNATs really could finish razors but won't give the best edge. A 5+ stone should do great though.

Some stones can do the super hards but many stop performing well. I find for the super hards the best naturals are some form of novaculite where the pressure performance can really help.

Sorry you had issues with Bernal, I do want to say that I actually have a good relationship/experiences with Josh there and think he is a pretty straight shooting guy. Your experience is not the norm, and I encourage you not to blacklist them. Anyway, if you are looking for 1k-8k Range you are talking Nakatoishi stones and Awasedo stones. You can find lists of Nakatoishi here and some overview of Awasedo: naturalwhetstones.com/blade-sharpening/japanese-natural-stones-jnats/ For that range you are probably talking 2-4 stones as you said. I would suggest 4, an "early stage" nakatoishi, a "late stage" nakatoishi, a softer/coarser Awasedo (3-3.5/5) and a harder/finer Awasedo (4-5/5) range. I would also recommend two diamond plates, a 140 workhorse for lapping flat and early nakatoishi generation fo slurry and a late stage one (600 or 1200) for awasedo slurry generation. I would also recommend against going Naturaks below the ~1k analagous mark, while they are interesting I think they are purely enthusiast/collectors pieces that are going to have serious drawbacks compared to 140-800 grit synths. All steels can do well on JNATs, but obviously the harder the steel the longer you have to work it. Not a huge issue though, and to be expected moving from Synths anyway as JNATs will always be a bit slower. If you have more questions, feel free to hit me up here via email so its a bit easier to track our convo: naturalwhetstones.com/contact-me/

I use an aroma 140 and an atoma 1200

It is only produced locally in Japan and you cannot air mail it, so you have to get it shipped by boat. Because demand is so low and those logistics stink, it is hard to get here. I get some in now and again and put it up on my eBay store, but I only tend to get about 5 cans in at a time every few months.

Nope, it is an Aizu. You could easily start with a Binsui though, depends on how much work you need to do.

@@naturalwhetstones I have two similar stones but I can't understand what is it. Can i show you pics? In telegram if it possible

Yeah I prefer email, start a thread with me here: naturalwhetstones.com/contact-me/

No problem. Learning the process is an ongoing experience, I think there is always more to learn. I do suggest you check out the main site (naturalwhetstones.com/blade-sharpening/japanese-natural-stones-jnats/) I keep as it stays more up to date, whereas this video needs to already be remade just to make some more items clear. I had nobody who taught me, but the community is great out there and many vendors or people in Japan willing to talk about it if you take the time to ask them and learn first as much as you can on your own. It was quite daunting, but my goal with the website and this channel is to make it more approachable for everyone.

The first stone in the video is an Aizu, but the first stone in the Ara-to section was a Sasaguchi.

Hey, thanks for commenting. For a knife only situation I would probably look at a Suita if it is in your price range, something 3.5 or 4/5. That will make for the most pleasant knife sharpening as the slurry will come up easily and it will get the job done quickly. You can find some vendors here that are sourced from the broader community and my own experiences: naturalwhetstones.com/blade-sharpening/reputable-japanese-natural-stone-jnat-nagura-sellers/ Otherwise, to help you further I'd need to know more of what you want. What type of steel? Do you like fine or toothy edges? What is your price range? If you want to discuss more shoot me an email through the contact form on the website (same site as the above link).

Hey Chris, I am not sure I 100% understand your comment. I will say since making the video though, my understanding of the Kanji for the word has changed, and thus the literal translation. My best understanding of it now is a neutral grey with thin indigo undertones. If I was better at RU-vid I would add in a placard at that are in the video, maybe I will figure that out :P

Hi, my sentence was a little bit confusing because this was the German grammar. I mean you said Asagi means yellow but in my understanding Asagi means blue. You can find this word often in the naming of Coy fish and it is always a blue one. Mizo Asagi is a very bright blue. Kind regards Chris

@@chrisrauschebart348 Seems to match up with my better understanding of the kanji. Thank you!

In this case "slow" is relative. I typically compare natural stones stone to stone within the category. You are right though, the aluminum oxide used in synthetics will be much faster than almost any natural stones (some Coticules can keep up). I find regarding "rougher" finish, it greatly depends on how you condition and generate your slurry. If you generate with a rough diamond plate for sure. If you generate with a very fine diamond plate or fine nagura, I don't think it comes out rougher. YMMV per stone of course though.

@@naturalwhetstones Murray Carter said that he would not use slurry on natural stone

@@MasterofPlay7 I would say depends on the stone, many stones require it so that the surface will actually refresh itself - specifically harder stones. To each their own though and the purpose of use matters quite a bit.

Yeah, this can be especially true at the start of the diamond nagura's life. It also drastically matters what diamond plate you are using. Once my diamond plates are conditioned out of the package I have had no issue with loose diamonds. Of course, if there is any concern of that yeah the natual nagura are fine too. Plenty out here use the diamond plates without issues though! As in all things, YMMV.

Not sure exactly what you mean but stones having to be raw/rough cuts to be from major japanese mines is straight false - sounds like maybe you are talking about "raw finished" stones that are from the outer edges of the mother blocks pulled from the mine. It is extremely easy, and more common for any middle to high quality stone, to find stones that are similar to mine in this video. They are just more expensive than raw finished stone. All you have to do is shop around the major vendors or check out any of the major picture collections from Otto (Toishigram) or Johnathan (Lacasadetoishi) to see stones that blow mine out of the water. Heck a google search would find you similar stones. Go poke around, they are beautiful!

Yeah, I'm aware. I was always taught growing up by my grandfather "wHet". It has been very hard to break. Maybe someday I will finally break it! Oh well. I was raised in an area of the US which says many things in strange ways :P

@@naturalwhetstones Don't take it personally, I complain about mispronunciations all the time, when people say Heigth, instead of Height, it really REALLY annoys me, as does butchering the word chamfer, with a ch, as in chicken, instead of an 'S' , , shamfer is correct. Thanks for the videos. (I should put a breathalizer on the computer so I can't drunk-post)

@@thomasgronek6469 Nah, no hard feelings, part of the love for this hobby is learning new things so I would be amiss to not be open to that in all aspect! :)

@@naturalwhetstones Thank you. (you gained a new subscriber BTW)

@@thomasgronek6469 Awesome :) I'll try my best moving forward, but if you find other issues let me know so I can correct it!

You can contact me on the site if you wish to send me stones.

@@naturalwhetstones How can I contact you?

@@naturalwhetstones I've DMed you on Instagram