# Aizu



## Badgertooth (Apr 28, 2016)

Fresh out the box





Needed some considerable diamond lapping to get to a smooth working surface. That surface is the faintest peppermint green when wet with purple and indigo renge type patterns. Raises slurry on wide bevels really quickly. Have left a Nakiri with Aizu as final edge and used it is my penultimate stone for some gyutos before a Tsushima finish. Gobbles up white steel & Aogami super. Raises Milkier slurry more slowly on Iwasaki Swedish steel.


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## YG420 (Apr 28, 2016)

Nice! Wheredd you find it at? What aproc grit range would you say it is?


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## Kn9b8 (Apr 28, 2016)

look nice , any pictures on the knife ?


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## panda (Apr 28, 2016)

:thumbsup:


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## Badgertooth (Apr 29, 2016)

YG420 said:


> Nice! Wheredd you find it at? What aproc grit range would you say it is?



Got the last one from Morihei after a long, long hunt & months of unanswered correspondence and a lot of google translate. Grit is hard to gauge but I have it a lot coarser than I've seen others rate it as. Maxim has it at 3 - 5k and I get that every stone is a little different but I would put this at much nearer 1k


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## Badgertooth (Apr 29, 2016)

Jaysis wept. I've had this less than 24 hours.





What I thought was a malicious kesuji was a a gaping crack. I am really careful about never soaking my stones and using just enough water to wet the surface and letting them dry carefully. I am really gutted. An I know I have just abt zero recourse with Morihei.


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## ynot1985 (Apr 29, 2016)

Omg.. That's horrible!! Any chance of glueing it back together on a piece of wood or something?


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## krx927 (Apr 29, 2016)

That is just horrible. And I also completely understand your zero recourse with Morihei. I just had similar problems with my last buy on Rakuten.

But there is a chance to salvage the stone. Matus did a nice job with his 2 small hakkas to create a bigger stone. He epoxied them on PVC plate and it is working just perfectly. After I saw it I did the same with 2 small red aotos. Works like a charm.

In your case the 2 pieces of stone should fit perfectly together and there is no need for lapping. Just remember that you do not need to glue the stones together , i.e. put glue on the stone. Just clamp them together and then it is enough to put epoxy just on the bottom side and glue it to the base.

The PVC base is perfect for this as it is level and smooth. In my opinion better than wood.


http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/s...bevel-contrast?p=400026&viewfull=1#post400026


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## Badgertooth (Apr 29, 2016)

krx927 said:


> That is just horrible. And I also completely understand your zero recourse with Morihei. I just had similar problems with my last buy on Rakuten.
> 
> But there is a chance to salvage the stone. Matus did a nice job with his 2 small hakkas to create a bigger stone. He epoxied them on PVC plate and it is working just perfectly. After I saw it I did the same with 2 small red aotos. Works like a charm.
> 
> ...



That seems like just the thing!! I've calmed down a bit since it happened and will give that a go.


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## mikedtran (Apr 29, 2016)

Sorry to see that =(

Have you lacquered your other stones? I just got around to lacquering mine (it is quite fun actually)


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## Badgertooth (Apr 29, 2016)

mikedtran said:


> Sorry to see that =(
> 
> Have you lacquered your other stones? I just got around to lacquering mine (it is quite fun actually)



I should really. You just don't really expect a day old rock to do it though.


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## mikedtran (Apr 29, 2016)

Badgertooth said:


> I should really. You just don't really expect a day old rock to do it though.



Definitely, and even before I lacquer stones I wipe them down with water so that might have cracked it anyways. =(


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## chinacats (Apr 29, 2016)

Badgertooth said:


> a day old rock



:rofl2:


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## Asteger (Apr 29, 2016)

Ah, man. You should have told a fellow Kiwi before. I'd say you have to be careful with some stones when they first arrive. I've had some that really react the first time you use them, and then after they're fine and seem settled. I've only ever had one split like this one on me, but it was a Natsuya which can be sensitive too. I'm not sure how it works, but these stones would have been mined more than a half a century ago and then just sat around after being cut, and then somewhere at some point some guy in NZ wets them.

Even though you were careful, I'd say you have to be doubly careful at first and if possible lacquer as soon as possible. Also consider how it will dry, although I don't imagine May weather in Auckland to be dry or a problem for stressing a drying stone.

Another point is, especially at first, don't use one of those sharpening stands like you have in the picture. Have the stone on a flat surface on a towel or non-slip pad. No need for the stand, as a big medium stone is already high enough. Plus, the stand may stress the stone as pressure isn't even.

This Aizu looks a bit unusual. Basically you have two types, sesame seeds and white spots with black lotus, and you've got the latter. Both have seemed equally good to me. Yours doesn't have a consistent appearance though, and those various lines can indicate cracks. Sometimes you can hear worrying hollowness when you tap on an inconsistent stone, and you can still try this. Unfortunately, seems like you've got a lower grade specimen, but as I understand it Morihei has sold some recently for about only Y10,000 while in the past when seen other sellers have had Aizu for Y20-40,000. Maybe he got hold of a cheaper few to sell, and I've never thought Morihei prices were on the economical side either, so there has to be a reason. 

Aizu are not layered stones and so wouldn't have 'suji' in the normal toxic line sense. As you later found out, 'twas a crack.



mikedtran said:


> Definitely, and even before I lacquer stones I wipe them down with water



'before I lacquer' - How often do you lacquer? Thought you just got your 1st natural last month! :dontknow: Lightning Mike, you move quick. Don't tell me you already have a sizable stone collection, too.


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## chinacats (Apr 29, 2016)

Asteger said:


> Another point is, especially at first, don't use one of those sharpening stands like you have in the picture. Have the stone on a flat surface on a towel or non-slip pad. No need for the stand, as a big medium stone is already high enough. Plus, the stand may stress the stone as pressure isn't even.




This actually makes the most sense about it cracking...as stated it most likely already had the crack and this just forced the issue. 

As to Mike, I guess you can't just have one or two stones when you've got so many knives :laugh:


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## Asteger (Apr 29, 2016)

chinacats said:


> As to Mike, I guess you can't just have one or two stones when you've got so many knives :laugh:



Hehe, and all the same brand :groucho:


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## mikedtran (Apr 29, 2016)

chinacats said:


> This actually makes the most sense about it cracking...as stated it most likely already had the crack and this just forced the issue.
> 
> As to Mike, I guess you can't just have one or two stones when you've got so many knives :laugh:



I've got 3 now =)


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## Asteger (Apr 29, 2016)

chinacats said:


> This actually makes the most sense about it cracking...



... Another thing to mention is the kind of water used can have an effect. Distilled or purer, maybe filtered, should be best. Chemical laden tap water might have an effect. Too complicated a topic to really know much about, but makes sense.


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## CutFingers (Apr 30, 2016)

That's the nature of the beast with natural stones. Sometimes it happens, sorry about that, that really stinks. I wouldn't glue or epoxy it back together. Imagine it coming apart when sharpening, that's a recipe for a big ouch!

You could grind some of the broken stone up and apply the mud to a piece of hard felt sheeting and have a nice loaded strop. Or grind up some of the stone into mud and apply it to cardoboard and have a nice stone powdered strop, it does work nicely. Or use some of the mud as a polishing medium. The stone does not need to be wasted.


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## Asteger (Apr 30, 2016)

As these aren't layered stones you can use any side that looks good. I'd see about cutting it down the middle where it broke, so then there's no angle and the stone's rectangular again. Flatten and shape it a bit with your diamond and use the newly cut side or the old side as your sharpening surface. If necessary of course mount it, but looks like it could still be thick enough to me. I have 2 thinner Aizu that are half the thickness of a large one and no problem, although they're also both very clean to begin with.


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## Badgertooth (May 2, 2016)

CutFingers said:


> That's the nature of the beast with natural stones. Sometimes it happens, sorry about that, that really stinks. I wouldn't glue or epoxy it back together. Imagine it coming apart when sharpening, that's a recipe for a big ouch!
> 
> You could grind some of the broken stone up and apply the mud to a piece of hard felt sheeting and have a nice loaded strop. Or grind up some of the stone into mud and apply it to cardoboard and have a nice stone powdered strop, it does work nicely. Or use some of the mud as a polishing medium. The stone does not need to be wasted.



I've taken the risk of glueing to a base and lacquering the sides, although I can already see where the next crack may happen. 

As you so rightly say, the stone needn't be wasted and if indeed it cracks again, I will grind it up and use it as a polishing medium to refinish Kasumi knives.


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## Asteger (May 2, 2016)

Badgertooth said:


> .. the stone needn't be wasted and if indeed it cracks again, I will grind it up and use it as a polishing medium to refinish Kasumi knives.



You can hammer it out, then filter the powder


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## Badgertooth (May 17, 2016)

It lives!!

And a damn nice working edge it puts on a nakiri. Much finer than my initial estimate. Could just about sneak a gyuto finish on it.


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## Doug (May 17, 2016)

Great!! I had a crack appear in my aizu while lapping it so I know the gut wrenching feeling you experienced. I repaired mine with cyanoacrylate then sealed the sides and bottom with tile sealer. I like the edge I get from it on my double bevel knives. Just finished a 10' zkramer 52100 on it today and got a refined toothy edge. The Aizu is such a beautiful stone with a pale green tinge, little small white blotches and black dots and renge like patterns. Honing on a pretty stone has it's own special pleasure.


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## DanHumphrey (May 17, 2016)

Glad it worked! I don't think I can even see the crack in that shot.


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