# story of a stone



## childermass (Mar 9, 2021)

Recently picked up my tenth Aizu with the firm intention to finally keep one. I was really excited about it as it seemed to be a really nice and big example:




To my very displeasure the thing arrived like this:









While the issue is discussed with the senders postal company I thought why not try to fix it.

The plan is to glue it up with cyanacrylate, wrap a portion of it with some twine, glue it to a wooden base and seal the stone with many layers of cashew lacquer.


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## childermass (Mar 9, 2021)

Gluing together worked out pretty well:








the twine is also already applied:










next steps will hopefully follow tomorrow...


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## Bcos17 (Mar 9, 2021)

I had a similar experience with a nice AIZU from Watanabe. I epoxied it to a large ceramic tile and it seems to be working well enough. The crack is still there though and I can feel it when I sharpen. Interested to see how this works out for you


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## childermass (Mar 9, 2021)

I‘m actually quite confident. The cyanacrylate seems to have filled the crack decently and the epoxy together with the cashew should give it the necessary stability. Never used cashew before so I‘m very interested in how it is to work with. My usual sealing mixture would be too thin for this purpose.


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## captaincaed (Mar 9, 2021)

You haven't kept your other aizu? I just sold mine, curious about why you've picked them up and put them down again


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## childermass (Mar 10, 2021)

Dai and epoxy day:


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## childermass (Mar 10, 2021)

captaincaed said:


> You haven't kept your other aizu? I just sold mine, curious about why you've picked them up and put them down again


That is a tricky question but I will try to answer it.

I tried many Aizu to find one that was a little softer than usual but gives the edge that these stones are so liked for. As you can imagine I did't quite succeed so I started to try lots of other things like Numata, Tajima, Ueno and many many others that are lesser known or even unknown. Unfortunately none of the other stones I tried did incorporate all the features I was looking for and were either a bit too coarse or a lot harder than Aizu. Hence I decided to quit my odyssey and stick with what I know will work and started to look for another Aizu that I can keep, knowing what kind of tradeoffs there will be. Sometimes it's just comfortable to know what to expect.

Hope that makes at least some sense.


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## captaincaed (Mar 10, 2021)

I get that. I tried an Aizu that wasn't quite as coarse as I hoped. I was hoping for a 2k ish edge and I think this one was finer around 4-5k. I really want to keep experimenting, but man this is a spendy rabbit hole


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## DHunter86 (Mar 10, 2021)

Sorry to see that happen to such a nice stone. Hope your fix works out well. 

Quick question on the CA glue on the sections of stone you'd use, wouldn't that cause a line running through the stone akin to an inclusion that messes up edges / polishes as the abrasives won't break down due to the CA holding them together?


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## childermass (Mar 10, 2021)

DHunter86 said:


> Quick question on the CA glue on the sections of stone you'd use, wouldn't that cause a line running through the stone akin to an inclusion that messes up edges / polishes as the abrasives won't break down due to the CA holding them together?


That is a great question. I will have to see what happens but I have read from other people that had good results with CA glue used for this. 
It should lap as normal and as the stone is quite hard it shouldn’t start to stick out in normal use. I also used a CA gel that shouldn’t penetrate too deep into the stone so release of particles should be as normal. 
I will of course post an update how it works once everything is done. Worst case I will have to pick the line every now and then like I would with a normal inclusion.


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## DHunter86 (Mar 10, 2021)

Thanks for the reply. Looking forward to your update, ideally it works out well and this is a usable stone whilst you hunt your "one" true Aizu.


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## childermass (Mar 10, 2021)

I think this one might actually be that one Aizu. I tried one of the pieces before gluing it and it does self slurry with some patience and seems to finish somewhere between 3-4k which would be all I am asking for. I have given up on finding an Aizu that will make real mud without using an Atoma


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## DHunter86 (Mar 10, 2021)

Hope it works out well in this case. It's always heartbreaking to see a good stone get destroyed.


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## childermass (Mar 10, 2021)

Absolutely. But on the other hand I tend to get somehow attached to things I needed to fix before I can use them so it’s likely I will establish a strong bond with that rock given the amount of work needed to get it going .


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## DHunter86 (Mar 10, 2021)

I think that holds true for most of us that like to fix things.


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## childermass (Mar 10, 2021)

Removed the tape and cleaned up the mess. I did a really bad job taping the base this time so it took some time and lots of Isopropanol to get it somewhat clean but it doesn’t look too bad now.


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## Justablacktee (Mar 10, 2021)

Also interesting to hear about the result and how the CA react with use ! Nice job fixing the stone, this give her some personality 

Just experienced a similar issue with some Aizus, didn’t thought that they were so fragile... I fixed mines in gluing them with transparent epoxy on dark transparent polycarbonate plates and they now look like AizuGlass 

First one started to develop crack, so glue her to be safe 









Other one completely cracked wide open after travel, so glued her on a thin portion of the bottom first tiers to never encounter the glue, then epoxy her on the plate


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## childermass (Mar 13, 2021)

@DHunter86 and everyone else interested...
I couldn’t wait until it’s finished so I gave the stone a quick test run:
Lapping it felt like it should and I didn’t notice anything odd about the glue line.
I tried some bevel work on a test knife and couldn’t feel anything odd underneath the blade, likewise when only touching the edge of the blade.
So at first glance this is a normally working stone. I am pretty sure it will need frequent lapping to keep it in this state but in my experience medium grit stones do so anyway so it shouldn’t be a lot more fuzz than usual.

Of course I forgot to take pictures of this test drive but I will update with some action pics as soon as I finished the whole thing.


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## Checkpure (Mar 13, 2021)

Nice MoccaMaster


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## DHunter86 (Mar 13, 2021)

Thanks for the update @childermass! If it really works out as you continue to use the stone, that definitely increases our repertoire for reinforcing mid grits with cracks.


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## Justablacktee (Mar 15, 2021)

Checkpure said:


> Nice MoccaMaster



Haha thanks ! It’s « madame »´s one  

I’m more an espresso kind of guy (Nuova Simonelli musica with Eureka Atom grinder)


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## Checkpure (Mar 15, 2021)

Justablacktee said:


> Haha thanks ! It’s « madame »´s one
> 
> I’m more an espresso kind of guy (Nuova Simonelli musica with Eureka Atom grinder)


oh you went down the grinder/espresso rabbit hole. Nice kit.


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## Justablacktee (Mar 15, 2021)

Checkpure said:


> oh you went down the grinder/espresso rabbit hole. Nice kit.



Thanks ! Yep another slippery slope...


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## childermass (Apr 20, 2021)

Finally the night temperatures are high enough to keep my workshop door open over night. Applied the first coat of cashew today, more will follow plus some paper for adding strength.


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## childermass (Apr 21, 2021)

First layer of paper:


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## cotedupy (Apr 21, 2021)

Though I sincerely hope I'll never need it, this is a very excellent reference / methodology post for stone repairs. TY CDM!


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## childermass (Apr 23, 2021)

Done with the lacquer work. Two layers of paper with five total layers of lacquer should suffice. Next up is finishing the base with flooring oil and then it’s ready for some tests.


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## childermass (Apr 24, 2021)

Almost there. Just two more coats of oil and a few days to cure and the stone will be ready to come back to life...


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## childermass (Apr 29, 2021)

Lapped the stone and tested it. Still can’t feel the crack in any way. Stone slurries easily when freshly lapped and leaves a nice finish.













I think it’s safe to say that this stone was effectively repaired and saved. Also it seems to have been well worth the effort.


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## Grayswandir (May 23, 2021)

That was pretty insane. Great job on the woodworking. That base is legit! I'm curious, did you receive an compensation for the damage to the stone? Would that be a Kasumi finish? I'm new to these finishes, just heard about them on this forum quite recently. Are Kasumi finishes all about looks or does a Kasumi finish offer some practical benefits?


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## childermass (May 23, 2021)

Thanks .
I‘m pretty happy with how things worked out with this stone.
Actually the seller and I made an agreement and he refunded me half of the stone cost and the shipping which was fine for me as I was pretty certain that I could salvage it.
Yes this is what people refer to as a kasumi finish, kasumi meaning cloudy. That kind of finish highlights the contrast between core steel and cladding which is mostly aesthetic but it’s said that the not highly polished surface also helps to reduce food sticking to the blade (I‘m not entirely sure if that’s true though )


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## Grayswandir (May 23, 2021)

Hello,

I'm not sure of the grit, but that looks to be a pretty fine stone. I guess you could have made it into two razor hones if it didn't work out for a larger knife. If you were happy with the seller taking half off the price + no shipping, then I guess that's fair enough, though you had to work hard to restore the stone.

You are correct, the finer the polish (like a mirror finish) the more food will stick to the blade. You'd think a mirror finish would help stop food from sticking, but it acts like a suction cup. The reason I asked about there being any practical benefits with the kasumi finish is because I have a Gyuto made from Shirogami #1, and it rusts rather quickly. If I'm cutting sushi and I don't rinse and dry the blade right after cutting, orange rust will appear very, very quickly.

Last night I made some makizushi (sushi rolls) and made sure to wipe the blade clean after every few cuts and I had no rust problems at all. Problem is, it's a bit of a pain in the ass to do that all the time. I just took a look at the blade (I left it out in the open air, sitting in the box with the top off) and there's some very, very faint rust. You can onlty see it if the light hits the blade just right. Regardless, it's a problem that needs a solution.

I've heard I should cut up some onions with the blade and it will develop a natural patina fairly quickly. I might give that a try, though I have cut onions with this knife before, but noticed little difference.

Good luck with your stone!


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## M1k3 (May 23, 2021)

Grayswandir said:


> Hello,
> 
> I'm not sure of the grit, but that looks to be a pretty fine stone. I guess you could have made it into two razor hones if it didn't work out for a larger knife. If you were happy with the seller taking half off the price + no shipping, then I guess that's fair enough, though you had to work hard to restore the stone.
> 
> ...


Cut onions. Rub onion all over if needed. Let sit for a minute or so. Turn on hot water. Rinse under hot water. Dry.


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## Mikeltee (May 24, 2021)

Nice job! It will mean much more to you since you have invested so much time into it. I would have shipped it back for sure unless I got it stupid cheap.


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## childermass (May 26, 2021)

Grayswandir said:


> Hello,
> 
> I'm not sure of the grit, but that looks to be a pretty fine stone. I guess you could have made it into two razor hones if it didn't work out for a larger knife. If you were happy with the seller taking half off the price + no shipping, then I guess that's fair enough, though you had to work hard to restore the stone.
> 
> ...





M1k3 said:


> Cut onions. Rub onion all over if needed. Let sit for a minute or so. Turn on hot water. Rinse under hot water. Dry.


This. I have also had good experiences with using a lemon for establishing a stable patina.



Mikeltee said:


> Nice job! It will mean much more to you since you have invested so much time into it. I would have shipped it back for sure unless I got it stupid cheap.


As this was a private sale from a guy I know we have come to this agreement and it worked for both of us. But I can definitely understand your feelings about this.

Actually the stone is already sold and on it's way to another member as my priorities shifted a bit letely and I got rid of all my jnats except one Suita that I'm personally attached to.


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