Next stones to try, higher grit?

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Kit Craft
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Re: Next stones to try, higher grit?

Post by Kit Craft »

blackcoffee wrote: Sat Mar 31, 2018 9:44 am OK, so today I tried the Kitayama for the first time.

First knife was a Misono Dragon, going Naniwa Professional 1000 followed by the Kitayama. Excellent result.

Second knife was a Tanaka with VG10 steel, went with Naniwa Professiona 1000, 3000 and then Kitayama. Also excellent result.

But oh my, it is soft. Will take some time to get used to.
It sure is a soft stone! I hear the Imanishi 10k is even softer but that is one that I have never tried. Glad it is working out.

Btw, good taste in knives. A dragon and a Tanaka. Some of my favorites!
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Re: Next stones to try, higher grit?

Post by blackcoffee »

Kit Craft wrote: Sat Mar 31, 2018 12:57 pm It sure is a soft stone! I hear the Imanishi 10k is even softer but that is one that I have never tried. Glad it is working out.

Btw, good taste in knives. A dragon and a Tanaka. Some of my favorites!
Thanks. I actually also have a JKI Gesshin 6000 incoming, to get even more to compare to. When reading up on sharpening I get conflicting ideas of which progressions (and how to use the progression e.g. how much effort on each step in the progression) for various purposes. I kind of like the two step progression of a medium stone (1000-ish) and then one but only one finer stone ... seems to work fine for my kind of cooking so far.

And re the knives - thanks. I like these knvies so far, even if the Tanaka is very new in my hands. It was kind of dull when I got it, but now it shines. The Dragon felt a bet "meh" in the beginning, but now, after sharpening - I do see what the fuzz is all about. And dragon!
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Kit Craft
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Re: Next stones to try, higher grit?

Post by Kit Craft »

blackcoffee wrote: Sat Mar 31, 2018 1:19 pm
Kit Craft wrote: Sat Mar 31, 2018 12:57 pm It sure is a soft stone! I hear the Imanishi 10k is even softer but that is one that I have never tried. Glad it is working out.

Btw, good taste in knives. A dragon and a Tanaka. Some of my favorites!
Thanks. I actually also have a JKI Gesshin 6000 incoming, to get even more to compare to. When reading up on sharpening I get conflicting ideas of which progressions (and how to use the progression e.g. how much effort on each step in the progression) for various purposes. I kind of like the two step progression of a medium stone (1000-ish) and then one but only one finer stone ... seems to work fine for my kind of cooking so far.

And re the knives - thanks. I like these knvies so far, even if the Tanaka is very new in my hands. It was kind of dull when I got it, but now it shines. The Dragon felt a bet "meh" in the beginning, but now, after sharpening - I do see what the fuzz is all about. And dragon!
Yes, the dragon needs work out of the box for sure. Mine had a very poorly convexed bevel on the right face that was dull as could be. Opened her up on the stones and was happy. One of my go to knives for a lot of tasks. Not afraid to put it through anything!

Which Gesshin? The soaker or the splash and go? I have not used the Splash and go but the soaker is a nice stone. Reminds me a lot of the suehiro Shiramine 6000, freakishly similar.
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Re: Next stones to try, higher grit?

Post by old onion »

I was going to ask the same thing. Which Gesshin 6000 ? Let us know how you like it.I was kicking the thought around about getting one of the 6K stones but didn't know which one.I heard the 4000 is a pretty nice stone too.
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Re: Next stones to try, higher grit?

Post by blackcoffee »

The Gesshin stones does not seem that common here in Europe, owing to shipping costs and VAT. Was planning to pick one up during my next trip to the USA, but I was offered a used one for a decent price "locally" (or at least on the same continent). It is the speckled splash & go version. I'll report my findings later.

My stone box is getting full. Oh well. :)
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Re: Next stones to try, higher grit?

Post by nevrknow »

"You're going to need a bigger box. "

:)
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Kit Craft
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Re: Next stones to try, higher grit?

Post by Kit Craft »

I had Jon finish a knife for me on the 4k, very aggressive edge. I have never used one myself but I bet it is a fun stone. I have never used the speckled 6k either but have heard only good things about it. Interestingly for a S&G stone if you want Jon's videos it leaves fair contrast.

No boxes btw. Open shelves are great.
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Re: Next stones to try, higher grit?

Post by Jeff B »

The Naniwa Snow White is a great high polish finisher. For an 8k it works fast, has a great feel and polishes like a 10k+. It would be a great follow up to either your Naniwa Pro 3k or 5k.
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/ornasnwh8k.html
Last edited by Jeff B on Sat Mar 31, 2018 9:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Next stones to try, higher grit?

Post by Kit Craft »

And it is hard as hell. Great if you like that but not if you don't. I like mine but it does not see near as much use as it once did. Super wicked stone for razors.

(Not to imply that it is the hardest stone around because that it is not. But it feels like it compared to something like the Kitayama.)
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Re: Next stones to try, higher grit?

Post by ken123 »

Jeff B wrote: Sat Mar 31, 2018 9:56 pm The Naniwa Snow White is a great high polish finisher. For an 8k it works fast, has a great feel and polishes like a 10k+. It would be a great follow up to either your Naniwa Pro 3k or 5k.
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/ornasnwh8k.html
+1 The Snow White has been a favorite of mine for many years. As a magnesia based stone it fits beautifully between the Chocera 5k and Chocera 10k stones. Right now it is competing with the 8k ume, but they are quite different from each other.

I'll diverge a bit from the 2k oriented theme and go to true higher grit choices.

The 10k suoerstone is a good stone, but it is a bit on the soft side. Personally I like the 12k superstone a bit more, mostly because it is harder and more forgiving. I like the Imanishi 10k and Nubatama 10k stones a lot but prefer the 12k in many instances.

Beyond this are the 15k and 30k Shapton stones (glass and pro) Beyond that I like the Suehiro 10k 15k and 20k stones. They are a bit deceiving in that they are actually 16k, 24k and 30k stones (1, 0.75 and 0.5 microns) These produce excellent edges, most comparing them favorably to the Shaptons for edge grit consistency. All 3 are extremely hard precise stones - excellent for straight razors and precise finishing of knives. Beyond these it's time for naturals :) There is also the 15k Nubatama stone, an exceptional but expensive stone - especially suited for natural stone finishes using a synthetic stone.

---
Ken
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Re: Next stones to try, higher grit?

Post by blackcoffee »

And the result:

I purchased two stones, one Kitayama and one JKI Gesshin 6000 as specified aboce. The Gesshin was used and partly abused but seems to work fine.

Both of these stones work wonderfully to get a very sharp edge (for my skill level), but the feeling is very different. I still haven't decided which I like better. I have only used these for japanese style knives, not western stainless.

Right now, I mainly use a two step process - starting with a medium stone (around 1000 grit) and then to finish on one of these finer stones. Gives me the edge I need in my kitchen.
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