Resources for Japanese Naturals

[Stapelfeld]

Hello friends!

I'm very interested in Jnats, I really enjoy japanese culture and feel very zen with them. I have two koppas that are made for finishing, the seller I got them from has very good reputation and we spoke before hand that the two stones were razor finishers between what he would say are 8,000 - 10,000 range. I'm playing around with them but i've found that getting resources that explain the different names and how to learn them is a bit more complicated than synthetic stones. The purpose of this thread is to see if more experienced honers with Jnats can link me the best resources they have found to understanding Jnats. Anything you find that is valuable to understand about them is also very much appreciated. In conclusion, I'm trying to learn about jnats but finding a difficult time finding resources that teach about them. Thank you all in advance!

 

[Steve56]

Most of the basic naming scheme is mine, layer, and color.

Here’s a list of the mines, layers, and kanji that Alex Gilmore had in his shop, but it came from one of the knife forums.

For the colors, this should help.

JNat Colors, A Visual Glossary

Questions and comments about JNat colors and color terminology come up pretty often, so I put together a series of images that might help people understand the colors and terminology. Getting the color rendition correct across digital devices is maybe impossible, so each image contains several...

www.badgerandblade.com

Good hunting!

 

[Steve56]

Greg Bupp’s site, naturalwhetstones (dot) com is also a useful reference.

 

[Seelector]

Greg Bupp’s site, naturalwhetstones (dot) com is also a useful reference.

As a fellow JNAT beginner, Greg's website has been the best source of the information you're looking for.

 

[H Brad Boonshaft]

Folks think that Jnats are mysterious, because they are foreign, most sellers speak and write in Japanese, and a rabbit hole, well
well they can be a bit of a rabbit hole,

But the simple way to look at it is, match the stone to the steel and edge you want. This goes for most all natural stones and to an extent even synthetic stones. Some steels work better with some stones.

Most of us finish on naturals for keenness and comfort. If you take a “finished” edge to a natural and just “modify” a finished edge, it is much simpler, a shave ready 8-12k edge.

Stones, synthetic and naturals are all about grit, grit size and binder. You can have two stones with the same size and type of grit and a harder or softer binder, and they will perform very differently.

Think 600 grit lose silicone carbide and 600 Wet & Dry, sandpaper will polish higher, lose grit is more aggressive.

So, while there are generalities about mines and layers, if the stone works for your needs, all that hula baloo does not matter. And here is where the veracity of the seller comes into play. Is the stone really from that mine and strata?

If you want a deep dive and learn from a real Jnat expert, buy Alex Gilmore’s book (Japanese Sharpening Stone Heaven: NARUTAKI TOISHIYAMA) and read his blog, website, Japan Stone, and many post on this forum and others.

Invest a few dollars in a great reference book, before you invest a lot of money and time in stones from questionable dealers.

More great information than you want to know about Japanese stones. Alex is also a member of this forum.

 

[Stapelfeld]

Most of the basic naming scheme is mine, layer, and color.

Here’s a list of the mines, layers, and kanji that Alex Gilmore had in his shop, but it came from one of the knife forums.

View attachment 1804298

For the colors, this should help.

JNat Colors, A Visual Glossary

Questions and comments about JNat colors and color terminology come up pretty often, so I put together a series of images that might help people understand the colors and terminology. Getting the color rendition correct across digital devices is maybe impossible, so each image contains several...

www.badgerandblade.com

Good hunting!

Thank you, saved the picture and I will study it!

 

[Steve56]

YW!

 

[alex1921]

Fikira

"historyrazors.wordpress.com": A site about straight razors, Japanese kamisori, orihi, honing stones,... and their history, identification, restoration,...

historyrazors.wordpress.com

Jnats, Tomo & Mikawa Nagura & Straight Razor Hones | TomoNagura.Com

A Jnat paradise, also featuring Tomo and Mikawa Nagura, Natural Whetstones, straight razors, safety razors, strops, shaving soaps and shaving brushes too!

www.tomonagura.com

 

[Christian1212]

I like Keith/ tomonagura and he has good videos. Would probably send people to his youtube/website if they were looking for more information

 

[Stapelfeld]

I like Keith/ tomonagura and he has good videos. Would probably send people to his youtube/website if they were looking for more information

Yes the most i've learned about jnats so far is from his youtube... so many questions I have like surface lapping and the effects that has on the finished edge

 

[JPO]

I know enough about JNAT’s to know how little i know
however, i have bought my stones from good and honest vendors that knew what they were selling, and what they were suitable for.

 

[cugel]

Gamma’s site is great with museum quality photographs.

 

[sexy beast]

All suggestions listed above are great and have to say my personal favorite hones are my Jnats. I really like the Keith Johnson videos. His library videos are great on YouTube. Also, Jacques on Dapper shaves on YouTube is also excellent. I made most of my purchases on Ebay with vendors that had return polices and would clarify that the stones can hone for razors. I was also able to negotiate the prices as well. I never had to send a stone back either. Might be luck but I did ask a lot questions before hand. I know Keith Johnson has stones for sale and he's a solid guy to deal with from my experience. I've bought strops and some nagura's from him. All excellent transactions.