# Nagura Stone alternative



## DaveRossy (May 19, 2012)

I'll try not to make this too long but I am sick and tired of ordering online. I know there are times that its unavoidable but man!!!!!!!!!. As a professional photographer, I now have to buy all my equipment online as all the camera shops have died a death because of places like best buy and amazon. I don't want to go down the same road with my culinary equipment so I am left with Sur La table and Williams Sonoma unless I want to drive 120 miles for something. I am picking up a 1000/6000 stone today but no one has a nagura stone so I was wondering if there was an alternative I could use from say a gardening center :O. By the way, I am ordering from Jon @ Japanese Knife Imports but that is because I cant find anyone here who sells them.


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## Benuser (May 19, 2012)

Sandpaper is an alternative. Something like P600 wet/dry.


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## tk59 (May 19, 2012)

Why do you want a nagura?


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## EdipisReks (May 19, 2012)

a small diamond plate is much better than a nagura for building mud, in my opinion.


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## DaveRossy (May 19, 2012)

I thought that is what you need to keep the stone flat? any alternatives that I can find local would be fine.


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## Pensacola Tiger (May 19, 2012)

DaveRossy said:


> I thought that is what you need to keep the stone flat? any alternatives that I can find local would be fine.



Dave,

A nagura is used to raise some "mud" on a stone, specifically a natural stone, or to clean a stone of embedded swarf during sharpening. It's not used to flatten a stone. For that, a diamond plate, like a DMT XXC or Atoma 140 is the most recommended method. You can also use 80 or 120 grit wet/dry sandpaper or drywall screen on a flat surface like a piece of heavy glass, a floor tile or a granite surface plate. The least popular method, although it will work, is one of the many coarse stones sold for that purpose, but these must be flattened themselves over time. 

Hope this helped.

Rick


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## DaveRossy (May 19, 2012)

Oops :O as you can see, I am very new to this. I just gave my Global Nakiri a 1000 & 6000 going over. I did buy some guides to help me and the difference was amazing :bigeek: the only problem I had was feeling the burr but I'm sure the more I practice, the better I will get.Thanks everyone.


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## Benuser (May 19, 2012)

Both raising a burr and eliminating it are known to be a little hard with Globals.


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## Pensacola Tiger (May 19, 2012)

DaveRossy said:


> Oops :O as you can see, I am very new to this. I just gave my Global Nakiri a 1000 & 6000 going over. I did buy some guides to help me and the difference was amazing :bigeek: the only problem I had was feeling the burr but I'm sure the more I practice, the better I will get.Thanks everyone.



Dave,

Everyone here started out at the same level of experience and learned from others. Don't hesitate to ask questions.

Burrs at the 1000 grit level are hard to feel, and are almost impossible to detect (at least for me) at the 6000 grit level. 

You are absolutely correct that you will get better with practice. If you've not tried it, the magic marker "trick" is very useful to make sure you are hitting the edge.

Rick


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## DaveRossy (May 19, 2012)

magic marker trick :scratchhead:


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## Andrew H (May 19, 2012)

DaveRossy said:


> magic marker trick :scratchhead:



You put sharpie (or magic marker) on your knife near the edge. When you sharpen the part of the knife you are hitting with the stone will not have any marker left on it. It is a nice visual representation of where you're hitting and where you aren't.


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## Eamon Burke (May 19, 2012)

DaveRossy said:


> magic marker trick :scratchhead:



Marker Trick


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## Pensacola Tiger (May 19, 2012)

DaveRossy said:


> magic marker trick :scratchhead:



I hope I can explain it, so if you have questions, ask for clarification.

Use a magic marker to color the edge and a little up from it, maybe an eighth of an inch. Take a stroke or two on your stone, then examine the edge with a good 10x loupe. You should be able to clearly see where the magic marker ahs been removed. That's where you are grinding and removing metal. If you see any marker left at the edge, and you are trying to match the original edge angle, then you are sharpening at an angle that is too small (shallow) . If you are removing the marker right to the edge (you don't see a line), then you are sharpening at an angle equal to or larger (steeper) than the original, and that you sharpening right to the edge, which is what you want. Pay attention to the entire edge, especially near the tip.

When you are thinning behind the edge, you want to be at a shallower angle, so as long as you see marker at the edge, you know that you have more steel to remove. 

Rick


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## tk59 (May 19, 2012)

Pensacola Tiger said:


> I hope I can explain it, so if you have questions, ask for clarification.
> 
> Use a magic marker to color the edge and a little up from it, maybe an eighth of an inch. Take a stroke or two on your stone, then examine the edge with a good 10x loupe. You should be able to clearly see where the magic marker ahs been removed. That's where you are grinding and removing metal. If you see any marker left at the edge, and you are trying to match the original edge angle, then you are sharpening at an angle that is too small (shallow) . If you are removing the marker right to the edge (you don't see a line), then you are sharpening at an angle equal to or larger (steeper) than the original, and that you sharpening right to the edge, which is what you want. Pay attention to the entire edge, especially near the tip.
> 
> ...



Looks like you're covered. As others have said, we all had to learn from someone. Let us know how it goes.  As for the diamond plate. It's expensive but it's still the best way to go, imo.


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## Benuser (May 19, 2012)

As the Globals come with a convexed edge they may use a lot of thinning.


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## tk59 (May 19, 2012)

Benuser said:


> As the Globals come with a convexed edge they may use a lot of thinning.


+1. Those that I've seen have been a bit thick near the edge.


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## Crothcipt (May 19, 2012)

Globals are good on having the convex work into the bevel. I just followed the line to the bevel when I was honing (did this before I got any stones), and it will follow the geometry of the blade. I hope I am making sense.


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