I just got back from a sweet trip to Bali with a brief stop in Singapore, and I came back with some fine shaving goods, appealing to both the DE and straight shaver! Maybe!
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
A Pleasant Visit
In a nearby town, there is an old "kanamonoyasan". That word is hard to translate--it basically means "Metal thing shop." I've passed it at least 50 times over the last couple of years, and I never went in for some reason. Until last week or so.>
The wife and I were out and about and had some time open, so we pulled in. And lo and behold, there was a big sign saying "We hone."
I went in, and it was just perfect--the shelves were overloaded with pretty much anything you can think of in the tool/equipment vein...saws, knives, nails, and more. I poked around and looked at the knives, and then the owner came out, fitting the place like a glove. 60 years old if he was a day, happy to chat and see us, and more than happy when we started to talking about hones.
He only stocked artificials...king and Naniwa green carbon hones, and only a few, but when we started talking about naturals he went back and brought out his hones.
He had a few suita and aoto, for sharpening his customers' kitchen knives, plane blades and the like. He wasn't entirely sure of what kind of stones he had (Mo...moto...motoyama?) but he had used up quite a few of them over the years. He was so excited to talk about them, that he went in the back and got some old broken stones for me.
We thanked him for his generosity, of course, and went on our way. I'm astounded at how often this happens...people are so generous here, it's such a warm nation.
They are, admittedly, broken--but not beyond use, especially as tomo-nagura.
I decided to open up the suita and flatten out the back.
I took a chisel to the crack in the center of the stone and a tiny tap opened it up.
It split a little off center, but still left me with one reasonably usable hone and one that I can cut up for tomonagura use. So fun!
But you know, this is yet another example of something I've noticed at other sharpening places...they only sell artificial stones because customers don't buy naturals, but the professionals themselves always use naturals.
I've seen this at knife shops in Kyoto, at kanamonoya here in Yamaguchi, and among Miyadaiku (The highly skilled "temple carpenters")...the pros use naturals. I still don't know why but it's interesting...
Anyway, just thought I'd share.
The wife and I were out and about and had some time open, so we pulled in. And lo and behold, there was a big sign saying "We hone."
I went in, and it was just perfect--the shelves were overloaded with pretty much anything you can think of in the tool/equipment vein...saws, knives, nails, and more. I poked around and looked at the knives, and then the owner came out, fitting the place like a glove. 60 years old if he was a day, happy to chat and see us, and more than happy when we started to talking about hones.
He only stocked artificials...king and Naniwa green carbon hones, and only a few, but when we started talking about naturals he went back and brought out his hones.
He had a few suita and aoto, for sharpening his customers' kitchen knives, plane blades and the like. He wasn't entirely sure of what kind of stones he had (Mo...moto...motoyama?) but he had used up quite a few of them over the years. He was so excited to talk about them, that he went in the back and got some old broken stones for me.
We thanked him for his generosity, of course, and went on our way. I'm astounded at how often this happens...people are so generous here, it's such a warm nation.
They are, admittedly, broken--but not beyond use, especially as tomo-nagura.
I decided to open up the suita and flatten out the back.
I took a chisel to the crack in the center of the stone and a tiny tap opened it up.
It split a little off center, but still left me with one reasonably usable hone and one that I can cut up for tomonagura use. So fun!
But you know, this is yet another example of something I've noticed at other sharpening places...they only sell artificial stones because customers don't buy naturals, but the professionals themselves always use naturals.
I've seen this at knife shops in Kyoto, at kanamonoya here in Yamaguchi, and among Miyadaiku (The highly skilled "temple carpenters")...the pros use naturals. I still don't know why but it's interesting...
Anyway, just thought I'd share.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Care and feeding of a Kamisori
As someone who uses and sells Kamisori, it's probably a good idea for me to know how to take care of them. Luckily, now I do.
One of the problems specific to Kamisori is the flattening of the Omote.
As I discussed in a previous post, the omote of a Kamisori really should be slightly hollowed out, visible as an arc in the blade.
However, the hollow is very slight, and over time the particular honing process of a Kamisori will lead to a flattening of that hollow; in some extreme cases (after several decades) the blade can be come completely flat.
In order to prevent this, then, maintaining the kamisori requires the owner to rehollow the blade, either by himself or by sending it back to the maker.
I'd seen several websites where kamisori owners used hand grinders (like a Dremel) and ground it out but frankly, it looks terrible. My barber used a file for his razors, and it honestly wasn't too bad looking, but I never really thought of a better way to do it.
Then last week or so, Takami-san of Takamitou cutlery sent me an email about his experience with just this problem.
As I described in that previous post, one of the razors I had from him did not have a sufficient arc and so was difficult to hone and use. He fixed it for me, and he then posted on his blog how his teacher showed him to take care of a kamisori.
You can see it here in Japanese, but basically you use a tool called a "Sen" or "Tombosen" (don't bother looking it up in Japanese, I searched for a week and found only one reference on a blacksmithing site).
Here's a pic:
Basically, it's a bar of hardened Hitachi Aogami steel, with one end ground into a very heavy blade, something like a machinist's hand scraper. It's got a very thick bevel, so it will stand up to the abuse of scraping steel, but is still quite sharp. Simple, and kind of elegant.
Here it is in use (That's Takami-san, from his blog):
This is the one that Takami-san made for me, and I tried it out on my "tester kamisori".
Basically, you just scrape. It takes some practice to hit the right angle, and you shouldn't put any weight or strength into it, just let the Sen do the work. Takami-san recommends clamping the kamisori to a board, or cutting a notch into the board to hold the tools at the proper angle, to do it.
It is a slow, but very precise, way of removing steel, and very gentle on the steel. When performed frequently, it'll keep your razor in shaving shape for decades.
One of the problems specific to Kamisori is the flattening of the Omote.
As I discussed in a previous post, the omote of a Kamisori really should be slightly hollowed out, visible as an arc in the blade.
However, the hollow is very slight, and over time the particular honing process of a Kamisori will lead to a flattening of that hollow; in some extreme cases (after several decades) the blade can be come completely flat.
In order to prevent this, then, maintaining the kamisori requires the owner to rehollow the blade, either by himself or by sending it back to the maker.
I'd seen several websites where kamisori owners used hand grinders (like a Dremel) and ground it out but frankly, it looks terrible. My barber used a file for his razors, and it honestly wasn't too bad looking, but I never really thought of a better way to do it.
Then last week or so, Takami-san of Takamitou cutlery sent me an email about his experience with just this problem.
As I described in that previous post, one of the razors I had from him did not have a sufficient arc and so was difficult to hone and use. He fixed it for me, and he then posted on his blog how his teacher showed him to take care of a kamisori.
You can see it here in Japanese, but basically you use a tool called a "Sen" or "Tombosen" (don't bother looking it up in Japanese, I searched for a week and found only one reference on a blacksmithing site).
Here's a pic:
Basically, it's a bar of hardened Hitachi Aogami steel, with one end ground into a very heavy blade, something like a machinist's hand scraper. It's got a very thick bevel, so it will stand up to the abuse of scraping steel, but is still quite sharp. Simple, and kind of elegant.
Here it is in use (That's Takami-san, from his blog):
This is the one that Takami-san made for me, and I tried it out on my "tester kamisori".
Basically, you just scrape. It takes some practice to hit the right angle, and you shouldn't put any weight or strength into it, just let the Sen do the work. Takami-san recommends clamping the kamisori to a board, or cutting a notch into the board to hold the tools at the proper angle, to do it.
It is a slow, but very precise, way of removing steel, and very gentle on the steel. When performed frequently, it'll keep your razor in shaving shape for decades.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
In the Details
Someone bought one of the Coral razors on sale at Kanayama Strops and when I opened the box to check it I found a lovely surprise.
Inside the package, the maker had sealed a pamphlet explaining the source, use and warranty for the razor, including both the date of manufacture and the hanko (personal stamp) of the inspector.
Apparently the company, Takagi Riki, is out of business and I haven't found any info on them.
Inside the package, the maker had sealed a pamphlet explaining the source, use and warranty for the razor, including both the date of manufacture and the hanko (personal stamp) of the inspector.
Apparently the company, Takagi Riki, is out of business and I haven't found any info on them.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Winter Sale at Kanayama
If you've been wanting to get hold of an NOS Razor from Japan, a Kanayama Cordovan Strop, or an Iwasaki 2 Chou Gake--NOW'S THE TIME
From today until Christmas, all products at Kanayama are on sale.
10% off Kanayama strops
15% off All NOS razors from Japan
5,500 JPY off the price of our Iwasaki 2 chou gake razors. (Only two left, then they're gone!)
Go take a look! Christmas is right around the corner, you know!
From today until Christmas, all products at Kanayama are on sale.
10% off Kanayama strops
15% off All NOS razors from Japan
5,500 JPY off the price of our Iwasaki 2 chou gake razors. (Only two left, then they're gone!)
Go take a look! Christmas is right around the corner, you know!
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Meet Rusty
In an amazing confluence of events, a random post on SRP and an email from a stone supplier pushed me into buying a new stone. Amazing, huh?
This is an Oozuku Karasu.
It's a big one, 200x75x25, and as you can see, it's got all kind of Karasu spotting. I got it for Kamisori, because they do tend to like longer stones.
Anyway, I was trying it out for the first time tonight, and I noticed something interesting...
Here is a fresh Koma slurry. My koma is pure white, so the gray comes from the stone.
Here is the same slurry after some honing.
It's getting thicker, so I made fresh slurry, and added water, and then honed some more.
And this happened:
That is clearly NOT gray.
Clearly, there is something in this stone that causes oxidation in the steel, turning the slurry rust colored.
I've heard of this before, but not seen it. It could be what the Japanese honers I know call "Gunpowder" (煙硝), meaning a high sulfur content (I think...). What effect does this have on the honing? I have no idea. But it sure is interesting.
This is an Oozuku Karasu.
It's a big one, 200x75x25, and as you can see, it's got all kind of Karasu spotting. I got it for Kamisori, because they do tend to like longer stones.
Anyway, I was trying it out for the first time tonight, and I noticed something interesting...
Here is a fresh Koma slurry. My koma is pure white, so the gray comes from the stone.
Here is the same slurry after some honing.
It's getting thicker, so I made fresh slurry, and added water, and then honed some more.
And this happened:
That is clearly NOT gray.
Clearly, there is something in this stone that causes oxidation in the steel, turning the slurry rust colored.
I've heard of this before, but not seen it. It could be what the Japanese honers I know call "Gunpowder" (煙硝), meaning a high sulfur content (I think...). What effect does this have on the honing? I have no idea. But it sure is interesting.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
For Those In Search of Koma
I get a LOT of requests for help finding Koma Nagura, which I understand, but I simply can't handle all of them. So here's one option for you, if you are looking.
I have gotten all of my Nagura thus far from one place: a shop in Nagasaki called "Mandala-ya"(Japanese site). The owner is a super friendly, super helpful carpenter named Teshiba-san, and he sells all kinds of lovely woodworking tools and good hones from his online shop there. He also gets his Mikawa Nagura directly from the source in Aichi, so they are all Asano stamped stones.
He sells a nice set of three (Botan, Tenjou and Mejiro) for 2000 JPY, which I highly recommend, and he does sometimes get Koma nagura, but they sell out so fast he doesn't even bother putting them on his site so you have to ask.
He also sells hones directly from the official source, the Kyoto Natural Hone Association so you can trust the quality.
Some advice for ordering:
The site is only in Japanese, but he told me that if you use simple English, you can email for information. PLEASE use short, simple sentences. He does accept PayPal, and he does ship internationally but he insists on EMS so shipping can be pricey. He does say that he's willing to mark "gift" for Customs purposes, as well.
I can very highly recommend dealing with Mr. Teshiba, he has been a real help to me and his service and products are outstanding, so I hope the language barrier isn't too high to get what you need!
So please, if you're looking for Koma Nagura (or indeed any number of stones, or Japanese Planes or chisels or the like) drop Teshiba-san at Mandala-ya an email.
(and if you're wondering, I'm not getting any for this, just wanting to help some people out on both sides).
I have gotten all of my Nagura thus far from one place: a shop in Nagasaki called "Mandala-ya"(Japanese site). The owner is a super friendly, super helpful carpenter named Teshiba-san, and he sells all kinds of lovely woodworking tools and good hones from his online shop there. He also gets his Mikawa Nagura directly from the source in Aichi, so they are all Asano stamped stones.
He sells a nice set of three (Botan, Tenjou and Mejiro) for 2000 JPY, which I highly recommend, and he does sometimes get Koma nagura, but they sell out so fast he doesn't even bother putting them on his site so you have to ask.
He also sells hones directly from the official source, the Kyoto Natural Hone Association so you can trust the quality.
Some advice for ordering:
The site is only in Japanese, but he told me that if you use simple English, you can email for information. PLEASE use short, simple sentences. He does accept PayPal, and he does ship internationally but he insists on EMS so shipping can be pricey. He does say that he's willing to mark "gift" for Customs purposes, as well.
I can very highly recommend dealing with Mr. Teshiba, he has been a real help to me and his service and products are outstanding, so I hope the language barrier isn't too high to get what you need!
So please, if you're looking for Koma Nagura (or indeed any number of stones, or Japanese Planes or chisels or the like) drop Teshiba-san at Mandala-ya an email.
(and if you're wondering, I'm not getting any for this, just wanting to help some people out on both sides).
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Big Things Afoot at Maruoyama
Maruoyama stones have not been the best for razors. Until recently, that is.
As I hone more and more razors on Japanese stones, one thing becomes clear to me--the hardness of the stone is of immense importance. Soft stones simply don't give good shaving edges, no matter how pure or "fine" they might be. The Maruo stones I've had up until now have all been excellent for knives and the like, but they have simply been too soft for razors. The website for these stones, Totoriya (Japanese Link), lists this as one of the main differences between "Western Stones" (including Maruoyama) and "Eastern Stones" (including Nakayama).
However, the other day I was reading a blog (Japanese Link) kept by a self-named "Natural Stone Researcher", and he mentioned that he had just gotten a Maruo stone that was too hard for plane honing...which is usually just where we want razor stones to be. I contacted him, and he explained that the mine at Maruo was getting into the very center of the mountain, where the stones should be their hardest. Thus, there were new grades of stones being found all the time.
Not three days later, I saw right there one the Maruo home page their very first "Kamisori hone". Until now, not even the owner felt that the Maruo stones were quite right for razors, but now he had one that reached that point. Unfortunately it had sold already, but I contacted him and he said that more and more of these should be coming, though he couldn't predict when. I put in a standing order...and last Friday my stone came in!
This is a Maruoyama Kamisori To, from the Hachimai seam near to the Senmai seam.
(The wooden frame is a "honing base" from Totoriya, a cheap and interesting piece of work.)
As you can see, it's an almost uniform dark gray except for a portion at the side, which has a nice golden brown streaking.
It's small, and not really uniform, but there's plenty of honing space for razors.
I lapped it, and it was indeed hard--as hard as any Japanese stone I've tried. If you look at the slurry I raised with the botan:
You can see there there's only a hint of gray in the white--meaning that the slurry is primarily from the nagura, as it should be. Too much gray, and it would be slurry from the stone itself and no good for Botan honing. What's more, raising a slurry from the tomonagura I got from my barber took FOREVER, again--this means that the stone is hard enough to not release any slurry without being told to.
All of which is good news!
I've honed a couple of razors on it and will get back with the results, but the preliminary tests are encouraging. Fingers crossed!
As I hone more and more razors on Japanese stones, one thing becomes clear to me--the hardness of the stone is of immense importance. Soft stones simply don't give good shaving edges, no matter how pure or "fine" they might be. The Maruo stones I've had up until now have all been excellent for knives and the like, but they have simply been too soft for razors. The website for these stones, Totoriya (Japanese Link), lists this as one of the main differences between "Western Stones" (including Maruoyama) and "Eastern Stones" (including Nakayama).
However, the other day I was reading a blog (Japanese Link) kept by a self-named "Natural Stone Researcher", and he mentioned that he had just gotten a Maruo stone that was too hard for plane honing...which is usually just where we want razor stones to be. I contacted him, and he explained that the mine at Maruo was getting into the very center of the mountain, where the stones should be their hardest. Thus, there were new grades of stones being found all the time.
Not three days later, I saw right there one the Maruo home page their very first "Kamisori hone". Until now, not even the owner felt that the Maruo stones were quite right for razors, but now he had one that reached that point. Unfortunately it had sold already, but I contacted him and he said that more and more of these should be coming, though he couldn't predict when. I put in a standing order...and last Friday my stone came in!
This is a Maruoyama Kamisori To, from the Hachimai seam near to the Senmai seam.
(The wooden frame is a "honing base" from Totoriya, a cheap and interesting piece of work.)
As you can see, it's an almost uniform dark gray except for a portion at the side, which has a nice golden brown streaking.
It's small, and not really uniform, but there's plenty of honing space for razors.
I lapped it, and it was indeed hard--as hard as any Japanese stone I've tried. If you look at the slurry I raised with the botan:
You can see there there's only a hint of gray in the white--meaning that the slurry is primarily from the nagura, as it should be. Too much gray, and it would be slurry from the stone itself and no good for Botan honing. What's more, raising a slurry from the tomonagura I got from my barber took FOREVER, again--this means that the stone is hard enough to not release any slurry without being told to.
All of which is good news!
I've honed a couple of razors on it and will get back with the results, but the preliminary tests are encouraging. Fingers crossed!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
A Smile on My Face
*contented sigh*
I just test shaved two freshly honed razors, and they were exquisite. It was a hone test, as well. I have a new, small Nakayama that I wanted to run though its paces and man, did it win.
I had two of the NOS Japanese razors that had been giving me a hard time--not dull, just a little tuggy, and they didn't respond to diamond paste. So I dulled them on a glass and worked up some honzan slurry on this little Nakayama.
One razor I used the old slurry stone I got from my barber, and one I used a small piece of Oozuku suita. The Suita was super hard, it took more than twice as long to work up a suitable slurry.
I went through three refreshes on each one. This stone was fantastic, slightly abrasive feedback and very very fast slurry darkening led me to believe that not only was it hard, but also a very fast hone. And the shave, off both razors, was perfect.
The stone was a real winner, and my face is reaping all the benefits!
I just test shaved two freshly honed razors, and they were exquisite. It was a hone test, as well. I have a new, small Nakayama that I wanted to run though its paces and man, did it win.
I had two of the NOS Japanese razors that had been giving me a hard time--not dull, just a little tuggy, and they didn't respond to diamond paste. So I dulled them on a glass and worked up some honzan slurry on this little Nakayama.
One razor I used the old slurry stone I got from my barber, and one I used a small piece of Oozuku suita. The Suita was super hard, it took more than twice as long to work up a suitable slurry.
I went through three refreshes on each one. This stone was fantastic, slightly abrasive feedback and very very fast slurry darkening led me to believe that not only was it hard, but also a very fast hone. And the shave, off both razors, was perfect.
The stone was a real winner, and my face is reaping all the benefits!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
A Suprising Coticule
Reading coticule.be gave me an urge to try one of these apparently unique, rare-ish "Les Latneuses" coticules.
I won't go into details about them, because I don't really know, but the difference about this is that they are a natural combination but instead of a BBW back, the coticule is fused with a greenish stone that seems to have properties very different to the coticule proper.
They're kind of hard to come by, from what they say, but I contacted Ardennes Coticule and they had one for me. I requested a bout (irregular piece) roughly 12.5cm x 2cm.
This is what I got:
It's not a bout--it's a perfect rectangle. Not only that, but it's THICK. But it was at a Bout price--apparently, because the back greenish half has some serious chips? I don't know, but I appreciate the price a lot.
Here's the chip, BTW:
I figure it's only a matter of time until the rest of it gives way, which is fine.
But here's the thing: This hone was the roughest I've ever gotten from anyone. It was covered in deep, coarse scratches and very strongly "domed" in the middle. It needed serious lapping. The coticule side was easy--ten minutes, it was smooth and flat.
The back, "hybrid" side (as Bart sometimes calls it) was...different.
After 3++ hours on a 400 grit diamond plate, it was ALMOST flat. Flat enough to use. I still haven't smoothed it bast there, and this stone is hard enough that I refuse to use it without smoothing it up to 1000 grit, at least.
Freaking HARD. Possible the hardest stone I've lapped--the Frankonian took longer, but it was bigger--more surface area to remove.
But that was only the beginning of the surprises, as this picture will show:
And this one:
Yep. The stone split in two. As I was taking the pictures this evening, I picked it up by the top half and, with a quiet "crack", the top came off in my hand. I didn't drop it, or bump it, or anything...it just came apart.
Soooo...that's not too cool.
I'm still not sure what to do with it. Any suggestions?
I won't go into details about them, because I don't really know, but the difference about this is that they are a natural combination but instead of a BBW back, the coticule is fused with a greenish stone that seems to have properties very different to the coticule proper.
They're kind of hard to come by, from what they say, but I contacted Ardennes Coticule and they had one for me. I requested a bout (irregular piece) roughly 12.5cm x 2cm.
This is what I got:
It's not a bout--it's a perfect rectangle. Not only that, but it's THICK. But it was at a Bout price--apparently, because the back greenish half has some serious chips? I don't know, but I appreciate the price a lot.
Here's the chip, BTW:
I figure it's only a matter of time until the rest of it gives way, which is fine.
But here's the thing: This hone was the roughest I've ever gotten from anyone. It was covered in deep, coarse scratches and very strongly "domed" in the middle. It needed serious lapping. The coticule side was easy--ten minutes, it was smooth and flat.
The back, "hybrid" side (as Bart sometimes calls it) was...different.
After 3++ hours on a 400 grit diamond plate, it was ALMOST flat. Flat enough to use. I still haven't smoothed it bast there, and this stone is hard enough that I refuse to use it without smoothing it up to 1000 grit, at least.
Freaking HARD. Possible the hardest stone I've lapped--the Frankonian took longer, but it was bigger--more surface area to remove.
But that was only the beginning of the surprises, as this picture will show:
And this one:
Yep. The stone split in two. As I was taking the pictures this evening, I picked it up by the top half and, with a quiet "crack", the top came off in my hand. I didn't drop it, or bump it, or anything...it just came apart.
Soooo...that's not too cool.
I'm still not sure what to do with it. Any suggestions?
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Couple More Videos
A nice little Karasu stone gave me a surprise.
I've had this little, thin Karasu plate for a while but I never gave it much thought because the size and shape are so awkward. But I was playing around and gave it a few strokes with a knife and MAN, it was fast. It felt so different from my other awasedo that I thought I might give it a try with a Takamitou kamisori that I haven't had the best of luck honing up. And I ALSO just won a new video camera in a drawing so I thought I'd record the whole thing.
I started by dulling the razor, a la Bart's coticule honing. It had a decent bevel, but the edge just wasn't up to snuff. I figured resetting it would be a good place to start. Then I ran a full honing nagura regimen, Botan->Tenjou->Koma->Tomonagura. Total honing time from absolute beginning, including testing, washing the stone, etc. was 25 minutes. Note: for time, I edited out most arm hair tests and the between-nagura washing. Always wash your stone between each nagura step.
Enjoy!
The stone itself is perhaps the best quality hone I've laid hands on. It's the magic combination of fast and smooth, with incredible feedback, and the edge on this razor was gorgeous. Too bad I don't have a bigger, better shaped one...
I've had this little, thin Karasu plate for a while but I never gave it much thought because the size and shape are so awkward. But I was playing around and gave it a few strokes with a knife and MAN, it was fast. It felt so different from my other awasedo that I thought I might give it a try with a Takamitou kamisori that I haven't had the best of luck honing up. And I ALSO just won a new video camera in a drawing so I thought I'd record the whole thing.
I started by dulling the razor, a la Bart's coticule honing. It had a decent bevel, but the edge just wasn't up to snuff. I figured resetting it would be a good place to start. Then I ran a full honing nagura regimen, Botan->Tenjou->Koma->Tomonagura. Total honing time from absolute beginning, including testing, washing the stone, etc. was 25 minutes. Note: for time, I edited out most arm hair tests and the between-nagura washing. Always wash your stone between each nagura step.
Enjoy!
The stone itself is perhaps the best quality hone I've laid hands on. It's the magic combination of fast and smooth, with incredible feedback, and the edge on this razor was gorgeous. Too bad I don't have a bigger, better shaped one...
Thursday, October 14, 2010
How many times...
Do I have to learn the same lessons?
I was honing a chip out of my new takamitou kamisori and trying a new mix--naniwa ss 1000 to take out the damage, aoto to clean up the bevel and then finishing on a Maruoyama Aisa with judicious use of slurry throughout.
I got to the final stage and I was unsure how to proceed. The Maruo stones are softer than the honzan stones I'm used to so they aren't really suited for tomonagura use; they release slurry on their own. This means that for the final finish, pressure is a bad thing. So, like I said, in testing the setup, I was unsure of myself...and I skimped.
The finishing stage went on a while, me honing with small strokes on water only, no pressure, just the slurry released by the razor. I was using the arm hair test to check the edge-I've honed enough now that I can see a strong correlation between the way the edge cuts arm hair and the way it shaves. The edge was popping a few hairs, but it wasn't really hitting what I'd call a good aht, and so I cheated. I stropped.
I KNOW this doesn't work for me. If I can't get a good aht off the hones, then I can't get a good shave. But I thought "well, I'm not really sure of this stone so let's just try one more time." I stropped 20 on linen, then 30 on smooth cordovan, and got a great aht. I knew I would, I've done this before. I also knew how the shave would turn out....
Crappy.
I don't know what it is, what's happening at the very edge that makes stropping an incomplete edge give a great aht but a terrible shave, but I've tested it plenty and it's not failed yet. If I don't cheat, if I hone until the edge actually slices hair cleanly a good half inch off my skin without stropping, then I'm confident I'll get a good shave.
So if I know this, then why did I cheat the edge? Laziness? Perverse curiosity? Masochism? All of the above?
Who knows! But now i have to go back and figure out where to start fixing that kamisori. It's a good thing I enjoy honing.
I was honing a chip out of my new takamitou kamisori and trying a new mix--naniwa ss 1000 to take out the damage, aoto to clean up the bevel and then finishing on a Maruoyama Aisa with judicious use of slurry throughout.
I got to the final stage and I was unsure how to proceed. The Maruo stones are softer than the honzan stones I'm used to so they aren't really suited for tomonagura use; they release slurry on their own. This means that for the final finish, pressure is a bad thing. So, like I said, in testing the setup, I was unsure of myself...and I skimped.
The finishing stage went on a while, me honing with small strokes on water only, no pressure, just the slurry released by the razor. I was using the arm hair test to check the edge-I've honed enough now that I can see a strong correlation between the way the edge cuts arm hair and the way it shaves. The edge was popping a few hairs, but it wasn't really hitting what I'd call a good aht, and so I cheated. I stropped.
I KNOW this doesn't work for me. If I can't get a good aht off the hones, then I can't get a good shave. But I thought "well, I'm not really sure of this stone so let's just try one more time." I stropped 20 on linen, then 30 on smooth cordovan, and got a great aht. I knew I would, I've done this before. I also knew how the shave would turn out....
Crappy.
I don't know what it is, what's happening at the very edge that makes stropping an incomplete edge give a great aht but a terrible shave, but I've tested it plenty and it's not failed yet. If I don't cheat, if I hone until the edge actually slices hair cleanly a good half inch off my skin without stropping, then I'm confident I'll get a good shave.
So if I know this, then why did I cheat the edge? Laziness? Perverse curiosity? Masochism? All of the above?
Who knows! But now i have to go back and figure out where to start fixing that kamisori. It's a good thing I enjoy honing.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Did I show you this?
Cause it's really worth looking at...
Naomi-san seems to have found the motherlode of NOS Japanese razors. They've been sitting in the storehouses of old Barber supply shops in Tokyo for 40 odd years, and now they're in MY house, waiting for people to buy them. I've been asked to sell these on consignment, for Naomi-san. My fee for this is one of each...and I'm more than happy with that, indeed. But if you'd like to get one of these, and support a lovely man and his family in the process, please take a look at the page on Kanayama Cordovan Strops.
I don't usually like advertising my commercial sites here, but seriously, look how gorgeous these are...I get to play with these, man. Opening up these boxes was like going back in time, to when straight razors were a dime a dozen.
This one is cool. A Solingen made stainless razor, but all marked up for the Italian market. They even include some cool paperwork.
My Italian is a bit rusty, but I think its clear that you've got a Warranty/certificate of quality, and a not on use (strop carefully, etc.).
Then we've got this cool one. It's a "Rugby" razor, a wedge made from "Austrian Phoenix Steel".
That certificate reads something like this:
"Rugby razors are made using Phoenix EVH steel from the world's top specialty steel maker, Austria's "Schoeller-Bleckmann". Because they are given careful heat treatment in the forge, hollow ground and polished to our country's highest standards, the cutting edge and durability are perfect.
Rugby Razors are tempered one by one, and their cutting edge is fully inspected, so they are ready to use as is. However, from the second shave on, stropping on a top quality strop is necessary.
For normal professional use, the 18mm No. 1961 hollow-ground razor is recommended; the 17mm [trans.note--this must be from edge to bottom of spine--I measured 20mm] half-hollow No. 1072 is best suited for those with particularly tough beards."
My particular favorite among the bunch is this FON razor, made from Hitachi R.s.c.-2 steel.
Just gorgeous.
There are more, of course, but these are the ones that really stood out.
They shave, of course, like a dream...when they're well honed. Which is easily done.
Naomi-san seems to have found the motherlode of NOS Japanese razors. They've been sitting in the storehouses of old Barber supply shops in Tokyo for 40 odd years, and now they're in MY house, waiting for people to buy them. I've been asked to sell these on consignment, for Naomi-san. My fee for this is one of each...and I'm more than happy with that, indeed. But if you'd like to get one of these, and support a lovely man and his family in the process, please take a look at the page on Kanayama Cordovan Strops.
I don't usually like advertising my commercial sites here, but seriously, look how gorgeous these are...I get to play with these, man. Opening up these boxes was like going back in time, to when straight razors were a dime a dozen.
This one is cool. A Solingen made stainless razor, but all marked up for the Italian market. They even include some cool paperwork.
My Italian is a bit rusty, but I think its clear that you've got a Warranty/certificate of quality, and a not on use (strop carefully, etc.).
Then we've got this cool one. It's a "Rugby" razor, a wedge made from "Austrian Phoenix Steel".
That certificate reads something like this:
"Rugby razors are made using Phoenix EVH steel from the world's top specialty steel maker, Austria's "Schoeller-Bleckmann". Because they are given careful heat treatment in the forge, hollow ground and polished to our country's highest standards, the cutting edge and durability are perfect.
Rugby Razors are tempered one by one, and their cutting edge is fully inspected, so they are ready to use as is. However, from the second shave on, stropping on a top quality strop is necessary.
For normal professional use, the 18mm No. 1961 hollow-ground razor is recommended; the 17mm [trans.note--this must be from edge to bottom of spine--I measured 20mm] half-hollow No. 1072 is best suited for those with particularly tough beards."
My particular favorite among the bunch is this FON razor, made from Hitachi R.s.c.-2 steel.
Just gorgeous.
There are more, of course, but these are the ones that really stood out.
They shave, of course, like a dream...when they're well honed. Which is easily done.
Friday, October 8, 2010
You know what?
Japan is MADE of hones.
Now, I'm not saying that every rock you find laying around here is going to put some awesome edge on your knife or razor. But as far as being able to grind steel, I think it's way more common than you might think.
This isn't so far fetched, you know. People (my folks and others) used to sharpen their kitchen knives on the front porch steps, or on the bottom of a pot or whatever abrasive you could find. And stone, being what it is, is all about abrasives. Now, of course not literally every stone is going to work as a great hone, but I genuinely believe that most of them will do the job for most basic use.
The thing that really drove this home was this list I found at Hamono no asobi (Japanese link). That page features a list of the professional hone mines that are known to the author...and there are a TON of them. Not only are there a lot of mines, but they're spread out all over the country. Of the 47 prefectures in Japan, there are 29 listed there. What's more, I know that list is incomplete because it doesn't list the Iwakuni mine which was in business until the 1980's...so that's 30 prefectures, and then there are the smaller local mines that never really got professional, so there's a good chance that there are hone mines in every single prefecture in this country.
Not all of these are of the extremely high quality of the Kyoto finishing stones, though there are others that supposedly rival them. Most of the mines produce rougher utility hones, for home and garden use. But they do the job, and they were useful enough to make some people enough money to justify the work in digging them out.
They're all types, as well. Volcanic accretions, sandstones, shales and more...all kinds. Even something called "tuff" which, you know...weird.
So I guess my point is...OK, maybe I don't have a point. But it's pretty cool, don't you think? A lot of us, me and you who tend to read this blog, are so fascinated with these beautiful, exciting rocks that are, in fact, the bones of this country, and the bones run all over.
I really need to learn about Petrology. Any recommendations?
Now, I'm not saying that every rock you find laying around here is going to put some awesome edge on your knife or razor. But as far as being able to grind steel, I think it's way more common than you might think.
This isn't so far fetched, you know. People (my folks and others) used to sharpen their kitchen knives on the front porch steps, or on the bottom of a pot or whatever abrasive you could find. And stone, being what it is, is all about abrasives. Now, of course not literally every stone is going to work as a great hone, but I genuinely believe that most of them will do the job for most basic use.
The thing that really drove this home was this list I found at Hamono no asobi (Japanese link). That page features a list of the professional hone mines that are known to the author...and there are a TON of them. Not only are there a lot of mines, but they're spread out all over the country. Of the 47 prefectures in Japan, there are 29 listed there. What's more, I know that list is incomplete because it doesn't list the Iwakuni mine which was in business until the 1980's...so that's 30 prefectures, and then there are the smaller local mines that never really got professional, so there's a good chance that there are hone mines in every single prefecture in this country.
Not all of these are of the extremely high quality of the Kyoto finishing stones, though there are others that supposedly rival them. Most of the mines produce rougher utility hones, for home and garden use. But they do the job, and they were useful enough to make some people enough money to justify the work in digging them out.
They're all types, as well. Volcanic accretions, sandstones, shales and more...all kinds. Even something called "tuff" which, you know...weird.
So I guess my point is...OK, maybe I don't have a point. But it's pretty cool, don't you think? A lot of us, me and you who tend to read this blog, are so fascinated with these beautiful, exciting rocks that are, in fact, the bones of this country, and the bones run all over.
I really need to learn about Petrology. Any recommendations?
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Takamitou Kamisori.
New toys, new ploys for attention.
Recently, NagoyaTodoroKai (Nagoya Slurry club), a Japanese hone-centric blog I often read, introduced me to a new Kamisori maker on the block. Takami-san (天水さん) makes kamisori and other cutlery, and he has some interesting designs--you can see his blog here. It's Japanese, of course, but the pics are worth a look.
Anyway, I mentioned to Yuuken-san, the owner of the Nagoya Slurry Club blog, that I would be very interested in trying these new razors out, and he facilitated an order. I got two of them, and here they are!
As you can see, they've got some unique design points. First is the shape. The handle is hefty, with an almost bamboo-ish design making a nice grip. Second is the texturing. The entire razor has a rough, woody grain to it making the bamboo impression even stronger. Then there's the blacking. It's much sturdier feeling than the carbon on Iwasaki razors.
So I love they way they look. In addition, they're heavy--close to an Iwasaki 2 chou gake, but a little shorter. These two run 175mm and 170mm, not quite up to the 180mm of a size 2 Iwasaki.
The longer razor, the 175mm, is made of standard jigane on the spine, and the blade is SK-3N steel. On the back, you can see a gorgeous suminagashi pattern. Very cool.
The other is made of Hitachi White Paper #2 steel, but without the groovy suminagashi.
Anyway, enough about the details, about the handling.
They feel fantastic in the hand, well balanced and hefty. They grip is firm, the blacking/woodgrain pattern making for excellent traction.
They needed a honing, so I got out my babies and went to town...and realize a problem.
Here, see if you can spot it:
The razor on the left is an Iwasaki, the other two are the Takamitou razors. Can you see it? The Omote, the side that gets the major honing, is almost perfectly straight on the two Takamitou. There is a gentle arc to the Iwasaki. This means...well, let me show you:
When honing with slurry, the flat omote creates serious suction with the stone, and it gets stuck. It's not the worst problem, but it does make honing difficult. It ALSO makes shaving difficult, as the angle is not clear to shave, and the razor keeps getting stuck in the lather. Not cool.
In addition, the longer razor has this bump just down from the blade:
Can you see that? It makes honing and especially stropping a real pain.
So these razors, though gorgeous, are not perfect. I posted this all on my Japanese blog and the maker has offered to fix the razors to my satisfaction, though, so that's all good.
I hope they can be made perfect, cause they really are cool to look at and would be such fun to use...
Recently, NagoyaTodoroKai (Nagoya Slurry club), a Japanese hone-centric blog I often read, introduced me to a new Kamisori maker on the block. Takami-san (天水さん) makes kamisori and other cutlery, and he has some interesting designs--you can see his blog here. It's Japanese, of course, but the pics are worth a look.
Anyway, I mentioned to Yuuken-san, the owner of the Nagoya Slurry Club blog, that I would be very interested in trying these new razors out, and he facilitated an order. I got two of them, and here they are!
As you can see, they've got some unique design points. First is the shape. The handle is hefty, with an almost bamboo-ish design making a nice grip. Second is the texturing. The entire razor has a rough, woody grain to it making the bamboo impression even stronger. Then there's the blacking. It's much sturdier feeling than the carbon on Iwasaki razors.
So I love they way they look. In addition, they're heavy--close to an Iwasaki 2 chou gake, but a little shorter. These two run 175mm and 170mm, not quite up to the 180mm of a size 2 Iwasaki.
The longer razor, the 175mm, is made of standard jigane on the spine, and the blade is SK-3N steel. On the back, you can see a gorgeous suminagashi pattern. Very cool.
The other is made of Hitachi White Paper #2 steel, but without the groovy suminagashi.
Anyway, enough about the details, about the handling.
They feel fantastic in the hand, well balanced and hefty. They grip is firm, the blacking/woodgrain pattern making for excellent traction.
They needed a honing, so I got out my babies and went to town...and realize a problem.
Here, see if you can spot it:
The razor on the left is an Iwasaki, the other two are the Takamitou razors. Can you see it? The Omote, the side that gets the major honing, is almost perfectly straight on the two Takamitou. There is a gentle arc to the Iwasaki. This means...well, let me show you:
When honing with slurry, the flat omote creates serious suction with the stone, and it gets stuck. It's not the worst problem, but it does make honing difficult. It ALSO makes shaving difficult, as the angle is not clear to shave, and the razor keeps getting stuck in the lather. Not cool.
In addition, the longer razor has this bump just down from the blade:
Can you see that? It makes honing and especially stropping a real pain.
So these razors, though gorgeous, are not perfect. I posted this all on my Japanese blog and the maker has offered to fix the razors to my satisfaction, though, so that's all good.
I hope they can be made perfect, cause they really are cool to look at and would be such fun to use...
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