# Proper care and storage of Chosera stones - i.e. to wet or not to wet???



## narcnh (Jul 3, 2012)

In another thread MoodyMann posted a link to a website with various Japanese waterstones, and that site sells Chosera stones: 

http://www.fine-tools.com/naniwa-chosera.html

So, right off the bat I learned something, that the name of the new stones for my Edge Pro - Chosera - is actually a brand name from Naniwa and not a kind of stone. Learn something new every day. At least I think I got that right. Anyway, there is a note on the page about care of these stones that reads:

_"IMPORTANT NOTE on storage and lubrication: Chosera sharpening stones are bound with magnesium and so have more cutting particles per unit of surface than resin-bound stones. But magnesium-bound stones are much more sensitive to prolonged exposure to water as other types of stones. So Chosera stones should NOT be left to soak in water for prolonged periods and must be stored dry. If this advice is not followed the stones can develop hairline cracks or the binding material can be leached out of the stone. It is more than enough to pour a little water on the surface or briefly dip the stones in water, they do not need to be soaked. If you are not sure that you can keep this always in mind, perhaps because you have a number of different kinds of sharpening stones, it may be better to opt for the more tolerant Super Stones."_

Pretty much everything else I've read (and seen on YouTube videos) shows the stones being heavily wetted and/or soaked before use. More important, according to the above they need to be dry when stored. I am fine with cutting back on the amount of water I use, but for storage how dry is dry?  Wiped off dry? Bone dry? Leave-out-on-the-counter-for-a-day-before-putting-away dry? I've only used the stones a couple of times so far. Just checked them and they look fine. Also, for the Edge Pro they are mounted on metal plates, so that might help prevent cracking.

Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated. 

Bill


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## Benuser (Jul 3, 2012)

Yes, they should be stored dry, and all depends on the ambient humidity, wether this takes half an hour or four hours. They should feel... dry! 
Don't try to accelerate it.

I know some vendor advices to soak them. He will see on the returns. Don't soak, apply some water, wait a few minutes and you will be fine.


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## Schtoo (Jul 3, 2012)

Chosera stones say, right on the side, they're good for an hour being soaked, but no longer. They don't 'need' to be soaked, and I've used the 1K and 5K with just a splash of water and got good results from them, but they don't work as well as if they're soaked for 5-10 minutes. 

You should also be careful to not let them dry too quickly as they can crack/craze, don't leave them wet because they will fall to pieces (magnesia binder) and keep them away from extremes of temperature and generally look after them well. 


Stu.


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## tk59 (Jul 3, 2012)

I use mine like splash n go stones. When I'm done, I leave them on the counter a week or so to dry out and put 'em away. I have soaked them for a few minutes before use. I think they work a little faster that way but I don't bother anymore.


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## RRLOVER (Jul 3, 2012)

I soaked my 5k to long and when I lifted it out of the water it broke in two. I would go with the no soak camp.


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## Tristan (Jul 3, 2012)

I've only ever used mine soaked for about 15 mins before use... feels less likely to dry out immediately than if I use them dry. No problems so far, but perhaps next time I'll do a very quick 2min soak and see if there is a diff. Using 400, 1K, 5K all chosera for synthetics


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## GlassEye (Jul 3, 2012)

I sometimes soak mine for 5-10 minutes, after use I leave them out to dry for several day, flipping them over occasionally for even drying.


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## Birnando (Jul 3, 2012)

I've used the 1-5-10K Chosera's for about 2 years now, the last year or so, almost daily, as I hone a lot of razors for others.
Here's how I use them:

Usually I will put them all in a soak for about 10 minutes, then I take them out of the basin and hone with adding water as needed when honing.

After each session they are left out to dry until next day before being stored away or reused.
I seem to flatten them slightly after each honing session, a couple laps with a Shapton DGLP is all it takes really.
That cleans the surface, and leaves the stones flat enough for razor honing.
Not equally important I would think in knife sharpening.

I started out with keeping them submerged through an entire honing session, which could often last 4-5 hours.
Mine are still fine, but the 10K is starting to show some hairline cracks. Nothing too foul as of yet, but it did leave me to change my routines to the above eventually


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## narcnh (Jul 3, 2012)

Thanks for all the feedback. Just did another sharpening session this evening - only rinsed the stones for a few seconds in the sink to start and then squirted once for each side, while sharpening. There was plenty of water and plenty of mud on the stones. Seems to work for me so far. But, I'm just doing touch-up on knives OOTB and not seriously grinding new edges. Will leave out at least overnight, so they do not go into the container wet. These are for the Edge Pro, so they are smaller, have a metal plate on the back, and do not have any writing on them.

Thanks!


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## bkdc (Jul 8, 2012)

Definitely store them dry. I love the performance and feedback on my Chosera stones, but for the Edge Pro, I went with the Shapton set because the Shapton stones don't dish or wear as quickly and are truly splash and go. The Shaptons dry much faster too. For my regular stones, I keep a very slow drip of water running onto the stone while it sits on a Tojiro sink bridge. This avoids my having to repeatedly splash and wet the stone. For hand-sharpening, it's tough to beat a Chosera. But I find that I am more likely to grab my Shapton Pro set.


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