# Dammit



## Badgertooth (Apr 21, 2017)

Yasss





Noooooooooooo


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## ynot1985 (Apr 21, 2017)

the pressure of the spring splitted it?

2 stones!!!!


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## Badgertooth (Apr 21, 2017)

I guess it must have. It was sealed too.


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## tgfencer (Apr 21, 2017)

Well, that's unfortunate! Remember Jon mentioning once that happened to him on a big shobu suita, split just like yours flat across the surface into two stones. Hope they both work okay for you because that is some black goodness in that first photo.


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## Badgertooth (Apr 21, 2017)

I am 99% it's shobu Suita. I was giving myself a pat on the back for sourcing one of the best stones I have ever used and I fear it's annoyingly broken at a bit of a tilt so it won't quite be two stones without sacrificing about 5mm from both to get em level


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## TheCaptain (Apr 21, 2017)

Ouch! I feel your pain.


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## tgfencer (Apr 21, 2017)

I imagine you might be able to make a wooden base with a slope for the upper half of the stone to compensate for its unevenness and make it so that its level when set down. Don't see much alternative to lapping the bottom though.

Also, given how well you seem to do at finding excellent stones, maybe you should start dealing...


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## Badgertooth (Apr 21, 2017)

TheCaptain said:


> Ouch! I feel your pain.



What solution did you come up with in the end?


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## zetieum (Apr 21, 2017)

Well. Keep the big upper half, and give me the bottom part


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## shipbuilder (Apr 21, 2017)

Great title for the thread, and now I understand why! As I've been getting into natural stones over the last year, I have always wondered about the focus on lacquering the stone versus the tendency for stone (and most natural things) to have grain, planes of weakness, etc. Between the nature of stone and the pressure applied in sharpening, lacquer always strikes me as something that soothes the mind more than actually offering physical resistance to the stone "doing its thing". I know the Japanese have a long history with these things, but this is a case where all the lacquer in the world could not prevent the stone from shearing. If you build a dam for the better half, create shims to level the stone inside, then pour thick-set epoxy into it, then insert the stone on the shims, it should cure into a "mounted" stone with utility remaining.


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## Badgertooth (Apr 21, 2017)

shipbuilder said:


> Great title for the thread, and now I understand why! As I've been getting into natural stones over the last year, I have always wondered about the focus on lacquering the stone versus the tendency for stone (and most natural things) to have grain, planes of weakness, etc. Between the nature of stone and the pressure applied in sharpening, lacquer always strikes me as something that soothes the mind more than actually offering physical resistance to the stone "doing its thing". I know the Japanese have a long history with these things, but this is a case where all the lacquer in the world could not prevent the stone from shearing. If you build a dam for the better half, create shims to level the stone inside, then pour thick-set epoxy into it, then insert the stone on the shims, it should cure into a "mounted" stone with utility remaining.



That sounds like a pretty good solution. I think the sealing is to prevent water ingress more than anything else though I saw a vintage stone recently fortified with both lacquer and tightly wrapped kite string set into the lacquer and then lacquered again. Not only a clever solution but it also looked amazing. Too late for that though now


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## Badgertooth (Apr 21, 2017)

zetieum said:


> Well. Keep the big upper half, and give me the bottom part



I'm afraid that parts of the bottom layer are so thin that only fingerstones would arrive.


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## Doug (Apr 21, 2017)

Oh man! I feel your pain. Always a drastic shot to the Nuticles when this happens. When my Aizu split I glued it together with cyanoacrylate.
I'll never wear it down to the glue joint.


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## Badgertooth (Apr 21, 2017)

Funny enough Doug, the only other stone that broken on me is an Aizu. Despite the ingenuity of shipbuilders suggestion. I am kinda tempted to just glue it back together. I won't reach the joint for a many many years


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## KimBronnum (Apr 21, 2017)

I would glue the two together. It is not your only stone so you'll be at the glue in about 70 years.


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## TheCaptain (Apr 21, 2017)

Badgertooth said:


> What solution did you come up with in the end?



For now nothing. I have asthma so can't use any chemicals in the house. I have to wait until it's warmer (almost there!) so I can set up in the garage (better air circulation and nothing in my living quarters). 

One thing I HATE about this forum is you can't bookmark threads. Someone posted a bit back about mounting a high quality stone on a base and had a smashing picture tutorial of how they filled in an uneven back. I thought it was Matus but I've checked their started threads and can't find it.

So I have a few choices:

1. Lap both ends and like you, lose about 5-7mm on each stone then mount to a base.
2. Use the fill in technique once I find it (grrrr!) then mount a higher/easier to use stone to each base.
3. Split the baby and do one of each of the above to get some practice in.

All of the above will end with coating the heck out of the stone with several layers of cashew lacquer.

I've lapped a few pretty rough stones, but they've been bigger and I'm afraid the thinner of the two halves will crumble if I try that, hence wanting to try the fill in technique on at least the thinner side.

Can't wait for warmer weather for several reasons.


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## Bolek (Apr 21, 2017)

Sorry to read that. For others stones : only put Jnats on a plain surface not a stone holder urging more on the supported area (at ends and in the middle).


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## valgard (Apr 21, 2017)

Vicky, Matus has that tutorial on his blog http://matuskalisky.blogspot.ca/2017/02/project-17-mounting-shiro-suita-from.html


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## Pensacola Tiger (Apr 21, 2017)

TheCaptain said:


> One thing I HATE about this forum is you can't bookmark threads. Someone posted a bit back about mounting a high quality stone on a base and had a smashing picture tutorial of how they filled in an uneven back. I thought it was Matus but I've checked their started threads and can't find it.



Two suggestions:

1. "Subscribe" to the thread (use the Thread Tools drop down);

2. Use your browser's bookmark function.


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## TheCaptain (Apr 21, 2017)

Valguard - that's it thanks!

Pensacola Tiger - good ideas - even better - never noticed the thread tools button before - I can email pages!!!


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## Krassi (Apr 21, 2017)

Oh Sh....thats super crap
Well i would glue it. i also got one that was glued and until you reach that point the earth will be ruled by dinosaurs again.
Thats some black hole black swarf on the stone.. insane. and looks so harmless actually 

Seeya Daniel


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## brooksie967 (Apr 22, 2017)

Glue it, wrap in rice paper and lacquer the poop out of it


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## dwalker (Apr 22, 2017)

Otto, I can tell this is really bothering you. Since you have been so kind to me in the past, I'd be willing to take it off your hands for say $100. That way, you won't ever have to think about it again.


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## zitangy (Apr 23, 2017)

" Someone posted a bit back about mounting a high quality stone on a base and had a smashing picture tutorial of how they filled in an uneven back"

IF I have to even the base of stone.. I wld use a soft rubber like play dough wch after 24 hours becomes solid adn hard. You can scrape it away.. if no longer desired

I wld fill up the hollow part.. test for evenness on a flat surface , turn it upside down and let it harden... Its www.sugru.com check it out. I also use it to color and seal the tang holes if they are too wide ..


One of the fellow members advocated using it in place of epoxy.. I hv not tried it.... someday....
Good luck rgds D


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## zetieum (Apr 23, 2017)

zitangy said:


> " Someone posted a bit back about mounting a high quality stone on a base and had a smashing picture tutorial of how they filled in an uneven back"
> 
> IF I have to even the base of stone.. I wld use a soft rubber like play dough wch after 24 hours becomes solid adn hard. You can scrape it away.. if no longer desired
> 
> ...



I never used it for a stones. I used it however for other stuff. It seems like a very smart idea, and it is very easy to use. Moreover, compare to epoxy, it is definitively less hard.


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## Krassi (Apr 23, 2017)

I think thats from the blog of Matus

http://matuskalisky.blogspot.de/
Oh he has even new ones about DIY Wood bases! cool!


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