JNAT nagura progresion tell me more

[cleanshaved]

I have been going from my 12K Naniwa to the JNAT - Tomo slurry then water only.
Now I am moving away from the synthetic stones and will be using a nagura progresion.
Botan - Tenjou - Mejiro - Tomo.
No Koma not yet but one day I hope to find one.

just a few questions if I may.

• do you wash the stone clean between each nagura?
• If you are just refreshing a edge which ngaura would you start from?
• any special indicator to when to move to next ngaura?

 

[Disburden]

You can look at the bevel scratches to know when to progress.
botan is about 5k level, each is higher after that.

 

[jkh]

Follow up questions:
Where the heck can I purchase a nagura (Botan - Tenjou - Mejiro - Tomo) set?
What should a set cost? I know this answer will vary, but looking for ballpark.
Any other pointers for purchasing a set?

Should I just cut a check and send it to Gamma?

 

[Doc226]

I have been going from my 12K Naniwa to the JNAT - Tomo slurry then water only.
Now I am moving away from the synthetic stones and will be using a nagura progresion.
Botan - Tenjou - Mejiro - Tomo.
No Koma not yet but one day I hope to find one.

just a few questions if I may.

• do you wash the stone clean between each nagura?
• If you are just refreshing a edge which ngaura would you start from?
• any special indicator to when to move to next ngaura?

I do wash the stone between each nagura, I also wash off the razor.

For just refreshing an edge going from tomo to water should be suffient

The third is the hardest question to answer, I look at the scratches with a loupe, you can also feel when the edge is "there", this is the part that takes some time. Watch the undercut of water, the feel of the edge on the stone, etc, etc.

 

[cleanshaved]

Follow up questions:
Where the heck can I purchase a nagura (Botan - Tenjou - Mejiro - Tomo) set?
What should a set cost? I know this answer will vary, but looking for ballpark.
Any other pointers for purchasing a set?

Should I just cut a check and send it to Gamma?

I got mine from JNS http://www.japanesenaturalstones.com/Finger-Stones-Naguras-s/1817.htm.
be quick he has just sold out of Botan.

 

[Gamma]

I rinse the Awase after each step on each Nagura.
Then, I run the stone down with the next Nagura thoroughly and I rinse that slurry off.
Sometimes I clear the stone off with a Large Tomo instead.
Then I make a fresh slurry to work with.
Reaaon - I find dried slurry on stones the next day, even when I rinse them off really well.
I'm not saying it's necessary to do this, Im just saying that's what I do.

Scratches - the eye can be fooled and each Nagura can be very similar or very different than another one with the same 'name' I wouldn't rely on assigning a grit rating to any Nagura.
Scratch marks on the bevel from Nagura are markedly different than those from a synth. A visual inspection of the bevel's haze might not indicate that you are ready to progress. It may indicate that you can progress but you may not have maxed out yet.

The indicators that I rely on are usually; how my undercut on the slurry looks, and how the feedback feels. Each Nagura has a signature 'feel' that it imparts to the feedback throughout the work-process. That feedback changes with time and dilutions so its hard to say "it's like this or it's like that' - suffice to say that after a few honings the 'feel' becomes more easily understood.

Other indicators I use are; slurry color, suction of the bevel on the stone, sound of the stroke. All of those are more nebulous in their effect and meaning though.

Im not saying those indicators are the only truth out there, Im only saying that they work for me.

Edit - when refreshing an edge, I usually start at Mejiro, then go to Tomo. Only when I feel that I only need a teensy bit of edge-enhancement do I go straight to Tomo.
Mostly, the decision is based on experience, and if I'm uncertain I'll just add the extra step to avoid having to go back to the stine again because I misjudged the blade.

 

[mainaman]

#1 yes,clean the stone before every nagura in the progression
#2 for refresh I'd use the tomonagura, if more work is needed go down in the progression
#3 you will learn from experience when to move on, a safe bet would be two series on each nagura progression

 

[casus4844]

This really helped me http://easternsmooth.com/blog/jim-rion/2010/05/23/324-honing-japanese-naturals

But I would agree with Gamma and mainaman ( also check out mainamans video on youtube!)

 

[cleanshaved]

thanks guys great info.
@casus4844. the blog was a good read and a great video by mainaman.

 

[Kentos]

You can play around with the concentration of slurry you create too. More is not always better.

 

[Bayamontate]

• do you wash the stone clean between each nagura?

Yes, I clean the basestone between each Nagura in the progression.

• If you are just refreshing a edge which ngaura would you start from?

To refresh I like starting on Tenyjou and complete the progression from that point onward.

• any special indicator to when to move to next ngaura?

I work the slurry until it starts to change color and dilute three times (usually) and move on to the next Nagura.