# To Binsui or not to Binsui



## DSChief (Aug 21, 2013)

here's the story, Have been using my G 1K ex lg stone from Jon for a couple of months now. It's clearly a favorite, But { for me }
it seems to be TOO soft , love the mud, but it dishes way fast. Have had to stop & diamond plate it in the middle of a knife.

Was watching Maxim's demo of his huge & super Huge Binsui's, Saw that the swarf , while black seemed to be more water than mud.
which i figured , that it was much harder than the Gesshin.

Bottom line, do I buy the Binsui , to be my work horse. & use the Gesshin for light touch -up work.


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## Slypig5000 (Aug 21, 2013)

I've been looking at this as a middle grit stone. Probably will be my next buy. I don't have any Japanese naturals and would like to give it a try. I've been curious as to why they come in such large sizes? do they wear away quickly?


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## vinster (Aug 23, 2013)

I have a "huge" binsui from Maxim and I really like the stone. It might be my favorite coarse jnat. I need to use it with a nagura though, as it's a bit of a workout to get some slurry going if you're using just a knife. My binsui is very slow wearing and there's virtually no dishing after sharpening a handful of knives. It leaves a very nice kasumi finish on my single bevel knives and the scratch pattern seems finer than my 1200 grit stones.


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## DSChief (Aug 23, 2013)

Thank you, finally a straight forward answer! as previously stated , I was really excited to get the jumbo gesshin, and was hoping to use it as my primary work horse to thin knives.
but it virtually dissolves before your eyes when I lean into a knife. I have a short attention span, a long session with any one stone is only about 10 minutes. and I'd have break out the 
Dia-flat to grind away the grooves.


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## JBroida (Aug 24, 2013)

for thinning, i'd look at even coarser stones... binsui is a medium grit stone


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## vinster (Aug 24, 2013)

Oh yeah. FWIW, I had been using Jon's Gesshin 600 to flatten and even out the bevel on a yanagi and that was slow going. This week I started using Maxim's JNS 300, and that's still not going particularly fast... I wouldn't even think of doing this work on the Binsui.


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## chinacats (Aug 24, 2013)

DSChief said:


> but it virtually dissolves before your eyes when I lean into a knife



Just curious why you are 'leaning into it?'


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## DSChief (Aug 24, 2013)

chinacats said:


> Just curious why you are 'leaning into it?'



That MAY have been a tad dramatic! Think moderate to firm as opposed to a very light finger touch that I use with my Naniwa Snow White & the KIT for the final mirror work


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## DSChief (Aug 24, 2013)

JBroida said:


> for thinning, i'd look at even coarser stones... binsui is a medium grit stone



How about Chosera 400 or 600: or should I think coarser


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