A knife accompanies a person from early childhood to old age. Each of us knows that most often it is a dull blade that cuts the hand. To do this, the blade just needs to slide off the surface.

In order to avoid this, and also to make the cutting process quick and comfortable, knives are sharpened. But there are many different devices and methods for sharpening knives; it is worth considering them in more detail.

Sharpening: principle and options

Sharpening a blade is the process of removing an edge with an abrasive along the entire length of the blade at a certain angle. The sharpening angle depends on the hardness of the steel and the tasks facing the blade. So for household kitchen and hunting knives the sharpening angle is 30...35 degrees, a hunting knife with resistance to dullness is sharpened at 40...45.

Blades that require special blade sharpness stand somewhat apart, usually chef knives or knives for professional food processing, in this case the sharpening angle is from 25 degrees.

Separately, it is worth considering the sharpening angles of razors and surgical instruments, since they require blade sharpness. For a straight razor, the sharpening angle is 14...15, for a surgical instrument - from 12 to 25 degrees.

Knives are sharpened by two methods: manually using abrasive bars or special devices and mechanically using a sharpening machine with a rotating abrasive wheel.

The first option requires skill, but at the same time it is easier to learn and accessible to everyone. Abrasive stones are used for sharpening various types, common:

• Arkansas, known as novaculitis;
• Japanese water stones;
• diamond bars;
• ceramics.

Each type of stone has its own advantages and disadvantages. These stones will be discussed separately below. To quickly sharpen kitchen knives, sharpeners with fixed or variable fastening of abrasive planes are often used, sharpening in which is carried out by moving the blade between sharpening surfaces.

Mechanical sharpening on a machine is much simpler, less time-consuming, but requires constant temperature control and compliance with safety regulations.

Important! When sharpening on a machine with electrocorundum abrasive, you need to control the temperature of the blade metal; if overheated, the blade steel may change its properties. physical properties.

Main types of whetstone

In the course of human evolution, materials of natural origin suitable for sharpening knives were identified, although at the beginning of civilization, even ordinary sandstone was trusted to sharpen blades.

Now information on metal processing has been structured and stones with the best abrasive properties have been selected.

Methods for working with them have been invented and developed. In addition, synthetic materials are widely used and often have better properties than their natural counterparts.

Arkansas stones

Novacula is a sharpening stone for a razor. It is a dense siliceous rock made from uniform quartz crystals. Extraction is carried out in quarries; bars made of Arkansas stone have several degrees of grain size, have excellent abrasive ability, but at the same time, due to their dense structure, they require the use of oil when sharpening.

Dry sharpening will clog the pores of the stone with dust and metal, causing the stone to fail. The main disadvantage of these bars is the price and unevenness of production when the blade is sharpened incorrectly.

Japanese water stones

A natural stone originally from Japan, it has a high sharpening ability, but at the same time it is quite difficult to use. Sharpening knives on it is almost a ritual. Unlike novaculite, this abrasive is softer.

Sharpening is done using water. The process itself is quite complicated and takes time. Stones with a grain size from 600 to 30,000 grit are produced in the Japanese JIS classification, while at the same time, 10,000 grit is quite enough for super-finishing the blade.

Therefore, 30,000 is already an excessive grain size for blades for domestic use. Before work, the block itself must be soaked in a container of water, after it has been soaked, it must be removed and a mud mass must be created on its surface using Naguro, the second abrasive stone in the water stone set.

Sharpening is done using this suspension. The abrasive surface wears out quickly and unevenly, for this reason it requires periodic restoration with the help of special bars.

Synthetic stones

Diamond whetstones for sharpening, synthetic materials - electrocorundum, chromium oxide or diamond chips on a silicate or ceramic binder. These stones have a uniform structure, different (depending on the bar) grain size and good performance characteristics.

The cost of such stones is usually low, and the bars themselves are available. Sharpening can be done either “dry”, which is not recommended, or using water or oil.

Ceramics

These materials are used for final finishing of the blade, finishing or super-finishing. The grain size of these materials is small, but at the same time they are quite cheap and will allow you to smooth out scratches from a peeling abrasive or straighten a serrated knife.

The use of liquid is mandatory, since the pores in fired ceramics become clogged very quickly and the surface becomes smooth.

Widespread sharpening stones of various shapes, from standard bars, which are best worked with on a stable plane, to rod sharpening stones, with the help of which the blade is adjusted on the go.

One thing remains the same, no matter what kind of bar or what kind of metal, but for high-quality sharpening, a lubricant must be used: water or oil.

Sharpening rules

First you need to prepare everything necessary materials. A sharpening stone, a container of water and a paper towel or a regular sheet of paper. A piece of rag will also come in handy.

You immediately need to decide on the sharpening angle. For example, 35 degrees is the most optimal angle for a kitchen knife or 40 for a sharp hunting knife.

Inspect the stone; if there is a trough or significant wear on it, it should be leveled, otherwise the sharpening will be uneven.

Leveling the stone is done with another block, some types of bars such as Japanese stones, have special ridge stones included to restore the surface.

The block is placed on a flat, stable surface; a table is perfect. To minimize slipping, fabric or rubber is placed under it. You can fix it on the table in another convenient way. The surface of the bar is wetted with water or machine oil.

The position of the blade is adjusted using available means, for example, by placing a paper clip on the back of the blade or placing a coin. If the owner of the knife has strong nerves and a sharp eye, then simply holding the knife in the desired position is enough.

The knife is placed at an angle of 40-45 degrees to the center line of the blade, sharpening is done by forward movements of the blade away from you. For high quality sharpening, it is worth doing it in two steps.

First time on a coarse grinding stone. Then, on finishing, fine-grained. During sharpening, it is necessary to periodically wet the surface of the stone. The check after sharpening is carried out visually, by examining the edges of the blade against the light; the sharp part of the blade is uniform along the entire length and should not give glare.

You can also cut a sheet of paper by weight. A sharpened knife cuts smoothly, without snagging or tearing off the paper. The sheet cut is even, without shaggyness or tears. If the edge of the paper is torn, the knife must be fine-tuned again.

Conclusion

There are many stones, but each of them has its own characteristics, and, like a knife, is chosen according to your hand. Synthetic stones are inexpensive to use. They are inexpensive and widely distributed.

But at the same time, you can achieve a soft sharpening only by using natural stone, which has its own characteristics. Japanese water stones are good in terms of quality. But their price is very high.

In addition, sharpening with such bars is long and inconvenient. In addition, it requires mood and skill. The same should be expected from Arkansas.

Hence the conclusion, each stone is suitable only for its owner; if you are outdoors or adjusting the kitchen one during a break between TV series and reading the newspaper, then it is better to take synthetics.

It will forgive small mistakes, and the quality of sharpening does not play a role here. But to sharpen a hunting or combat knife before going out into nature for a long time, it is worth using natural stones.

After sharpening, the knife is sharp, with edges and shape close to ideal. If you give a knife a lot of time and warmth, it will definitely not let you down at the right time.

Video

Sharpening a straight razor is no less exciting process using this tool than shaving itself. If you learn how to sharpen a straight razor, you will be able to handle any cutting object. Therefore, every man should acquire such a skill.

To sharpen a straight razor, use various stones. No matter how much you want to save money, you will have to spend money on several copies, which you will use alternately each time. Today, synthetic stones are often used for straight razors, which you can buy in our store of straight razors and accessories for them.

Buy stones for straight razors in the britvaopasnaya.ru store

Our online store is a specialized store of straight razors and accessories. We work directly with manufacturers, which means that we only stock original products. In our large catalog you can buy stones for sharpening straight razors, belts for straightening straight razors, as well as straight razors from world-famous manufacturers: Solingen and Thiers Issard. Solingen razors are presented in two lines. From us you can buy Dovo Solingen and Erbe Solingen straight razors.

With proper care, these truly high-quality razors will last you for decades. To make shaving comfortable and safe, you need to buy a stone for sharpening a straight razor and a belt for straightening. Below we will tell you how to choose and use the right straight razor stone.

Choosing a stone for sharpening a straight razor

People who have recently purchased a straight razor are often lost in the huge offer of the modern market and cannot choose the right stones for their tool. Various materials, section, quality - it’s really easy to get confused. Your choice should be stones that have the following qualities.

1. A good stone for sharpening a straight razor should be uniform. Look carefully at its surface. It should be perfectly smooth visually. If you observe elevations or heterogeneity on it, then it is better to abandon such a stone.2. Size matters! 150x50 stones are best suited. You can find other offers on the market: 60×180, 70×200, etc. We recommend that you stick to the optimal size so as not to overpay and sharpen your straight razor with maximum comfort.3. Evaluate the shape of the stone. It should be smooth on all sides. Often there are low-quality samples in which only one side is declared smooth. Get ready for the fact that you will be buying a really high-quality stone.

For complete and high-quality sharpening of a straight razor, you will need several stones of different grits: #500; #1000; #3000; #5000; #6000; #8000; #10000.The first stone will be useful to you for correcting the geometry of a straight razor, rough processing of the cutting edge and its repair. Further sharpening should be carried out on stones with an increasingly larger cross-section.

Natural or synthetic?

Among owners of straight razors, there is ongoing debate about which stones are better to use for sharpening their tools: synthetic or natural. Let's try to understand this issue. For a long time, stones produced in Belgium and Germany were considered the best. This natural stones made from slate. They were even once called “razor stones.” But progress does not stand still and can offer us alternative options. Recently, synthetic stones made in Japan have become increasingly popular. How are they better and why are they worse?

1. Think about what nature can provide us with and what a machine for making synthetic stones can provide. Slate can be heterogeneous in places, have different grain sizes, and gradually fail, which will lead to poorer sharpening time after time. Unfortunately, nature did not even imagine that it was creating stones for sharpening razors, so it was not in her plans to make them ideal. A synthetic stone for sharpening a straight razor is made precisely for this purpose, and therefore has optimal characteristics. Therefore, with a high-quality approach to the production of such stones, homogeneous samples are obtained without compactions, elevations or small depressions.

2. Experienced sharpening specialists still tend to choose stones created by nature. They say that using a straight razor sharpened on such stones is much more comfortable.

3. The use of natural stones is a true tribute to tradition. You will sharpen your shaving tool the way your ancestors did. Which stone to choose is up to you. Still, for beginners, we recommend synthetic stones, which are easier to handle. Alternative The modern market is ready to offer us alternative versions of stones for sharpening straight razors and, in general, other methods that you will have to evaluate. We highly recommend that you try each of them individually to see which one is right for you. It is necessary that the sharpening process brings maximum comfort and pleasure.

Water stones

Most often, such stones are used for sharpening woodworking tools. However, it is also suitable for a straight razor. It should be used for honing a razor (very rough sharpening) when the tool no longer works as it should.

Water stones also come in synthetic and natural varieties. Most often, the composition of such products includes aluminum, silicon carbide and ceramics. Before use, the stone must be moistened generously. You need to buy stones for sharpening straight razors according to the size of the tool itself. Try to keep the length of the razor no longer than the width of the stone. It is better to purchase a water stone with a small supply in order to be sure to sharpen your instrument with high quality.

Ceramic hones

These are old-fashioned straight razor sharpening stones that you can still buy in regular stores, but you'll have to look for them. You can purchase domestic products from diamond coating. Such stones are called “butcher’s rod.” They are much more delicate than water stones, so they can be used for fine processing of the cutting edge. As a rule, these are very small stones that give a truly high-quality result. Suitable for dry work. You can also wet such a stone. It all depends on how comfortable you are with working in one way or another.

Fine abrasive grit or sandpaper

You can try this method only for the sake of experimentation, since you are unlikely to like it. Sandpaper needs frequent replacement, although it is inexpensive. How to tell if a razor is sharp

It can be very difficult for a beginner to determine that the cutting edge of a razor is perfect and suitable for use. There are two effective ways, allowing you to determine how sharp your straight razor is. To do this, you can use a hair on weight or a microscope. It's better to combine them.

First, try cutting the hair on the fly with your straight razor. You can do this on your hand without touching the skin. If the razor cuts hairs, then it is safe to use. Next, look at it under a microscope. At 500x magnification, the cutting edge should be mirror-like with only minor spots and scratches.

Common mistakes in using sharpening stones

When you're just starting to use a straight razor stone and haven't gotten any experience sharpening it yet, you may encounter some interesting effects and bugs. To quickly learn how to bring your cutting edge to perfection, we recommend that you avoid the mistakes listed below.

Sharp pain in the hand

You work with the razor for one hour, two, four, and now it is brought to perfection, cutting hair on the fly! Remember that you have been working for a very long time, so be prepared for the fact that individual fingers or the entire hand may experience spasms. It manifests itself as sharp pain.

The pain does not occur during the sharpening process, but after it. During the evening, we do not recommend that you carry fragile objects in your hands, or hold children or animals in your arms, because the sharp pain may cause you to drop them. Also, do not shave immediately after sharpening. This may cause injury. And if you drop the razor, it will result in chips and the blade will have to be sharpened again or even purchased a new tool. Many people think that they need to see a doctor for things like this. The fact is that spasm cannot be predicted. Beginners should be prepared for this effect.

Along the blade and in a circle

With all due respect to the people who taught you how to sharpen kitchen knives and other cutting tools, you must look at the facts and use a straight razor sharpening stone correctly. You must clearly understand what processes occur with the cutting edge due to certain manipulations with stones. And the first thing you need to know is that any stone leaves scratches on the cutting edge, right up to the final stages of processing.

When you move the cutting edge across the stone, this has a positive effect on the sharpness of the razor. The grooves will be across the blade. In this case, the razor will withstand a lot of stress when chopping, cutting and planing and will not become dull for a very long time.

This is not to say that circular and longitudinal movements will not make the razor sharp. However, she will not remain so for long. The fact is that longitudinal grooves create thinning in some places. This leads to the razor gradually breaking off in weak areas. “Where it’s thin, that’s where it breaks.” With this approach, you will have to use the straight razor stone very often. It is acceptable to use circular and longitudinal movements on non-abrasive stones that do not cut the cutting edge. This straight razor stone is designed to harden the tool.

Don't push!

Excessive pressure on the tool is a common mistake of new owners of straight razors. It is important to observe gradation here. At the very beginning of sharpening, when roughing the cutting edge, the pressure on the razor should be significant. The next time you use the razor, you should gradually reduce the pressure. In the final stages, the razor should press on the stone only under its own weight. In some cases, even this pressure should be reduced.

Why is this so important? The fact is that with high pressure the razor bends, and you are processing not the tip of the cutting edge, but areas located slightly higher. This will not lead to a positive result and can ruin the razor if you are particularly diligent.

Appearance or efficiency?

Even experts often use electrical tape or other interlayers when using a stone to straighten and sharpen straight razors. In the short term this will not cause serious problems. However, after 10-15 such sharpenings, the razor will work worse and worse. Why? Explanations will be required.

Electrical tape and other layers are used to prevent damage to the blade of the razor by abrasive materials. This measure ensures that the razor looks aesthetically pleasing, there are no rough edges left on it, and it remains mirror clean. But using such devices, you violate the geometry of the tool. It is already made so that anyone can sharpen it without resorting to the use of other materials and tools other than stones.

When you use duct tape, you change the angle of sharpening. He's getting dumber. Accordingly, the razor itself becomes duller and duller each time, despite the fact that you use a microscope to control its condition and other tricks. Therefore, we strongly do not recommend using electrical tape. Using low-quality abrasive materials It is quite difficult for a beginner to buy stones for straight razors and not make the wrong choice. If you purchase a cheap, low-quality stone, you risk not only not achieving the desired result, but also ruining your razor. Such products are sold at every turn at prices ranging from 20 to 200 rubles. As a rule, they are made in China.

Determining if an abrasive stone is not right for you is not easy. First, look at the price tag. A good tool cannot be too cheap. Once purchased, test the stone on something less gentle than a straight razor. Take a kitchen knife and try sharpening it. If during the process grains break off from the stone or they are located on it in small clusters, then it can be thrown away, “buying your mind” in this way.

What is so bad about chipping grains? They can be simply fatal to the cutting edge! When they break off, they begin to roll between the surface of the stone and the cutting edge. This leads to blade damage and serious chipping. Naturally, this negatively affects the severity.

Level the stones!

It is very rare to find a perfectly smooth stone that will become true friend your straight razor. Therefore, any stone, whether it’s just from a package or an old one you inherited from your great-grandfather, should be leveled before use. The exception would be DMT grade stones. But even among such products there are crooked goods that need finishing. Finishing is a rather complex process. It can be done using another stone of a smaller section or special tools. In this matter, it is better not to take unnecessary risks and contact a specialist.

Cleaning before use

During storage, stones become covered with dust. Dust particles, although small, serve as an additional abrasive that interferes with work. Wipe away all debris from the stone with your hand, both before use and during work. Rinse and moisten water stones in a timely manner to achieve maximum results.

If you take care of the stones for sharpening straight razors, which you can buy in our certified online store, then your tool will delight you every day with its sharpness and efficiency. Don't make common mistakes and don't stop improving!

The Glorious Past and Elite Present of the Straight Razor

Many of our readers ask us how to sharpen a straight razor, how difficult it is, and how does sharpening this truly rare tool these days differ from sharpening a knife? In this article we decided to answer all these questions.

So, before we talk about the basic technological techniques for sharpening a razor, a few words about what a razor itself is and what it is used with.

Until recently, the straight razor was the only tool of its kind with which, until the mid-20th century, a man could get rid of facial hair. With the active development of the cosmetology industry and the widespread distribution of safety razors, the straight razor is gradually leaving the market and losing its former position. The art of shaving with such a complex tool, together with the art of sharpening it, is gradually becoming a part of history and disappearing from everyday use. This was probably due to the acceleration of the pace of life in society - when modern people no longer had enough time to shave and periodically sharpen their razors.

Since then, the use, and even more so the sharpening of a straight razor, has become the lot of the elite, a kind of hobby and an element of a lifestyle - leisurely, stylish and measured. And, of course, the number of experts who could tell and sharpen a straight razor correctly has greatly diminished.

Anatomy of sharpening: skins, belts and stones

So, sharpening a straight razor is not at all the same as sharpening a regular knife - primarily due to the specifics and purpose of this thin tool. The cross-section of a razor blade is characterized by rather sharp concave slopes, which widen towards the cutting edge in order to converge into the thinnest blade. This design allows you to make the blade as sharp as possible, and at the same time shave hair most effectively without damaging the skin. Moreover, if the knife is allowed to be sharpened slightly roughly, and the sharpener sometimes stops on a stone with a grit of 1000# - so the knife’s cut turns out to be quite aggressive, with a good and high-quality cut - then such sharpening is unacceptable for a straight razor - after all, the main thing here, despite The name of the tool is human safety.

Let's start with the fact that sharpening a straight razor can be done in three ways: sharpening on stones, sharpening on sandpaper, and sharpening or straightening on a belt with various abrasives. Each of these methods has its pros and cons. Sharpening on sandpaper is the easiest and cheapest way. All you need is sandpaper of various grain sizes, water, a solid base and glass to create a completely flat surface. However, in stores today it is difficult to find skins whose grain size is less than 2,000 - 2,500 thousand. And for a straight razor, this grain size is quite small. Therefore, having sharpened the razor on the sandpaper, you will no longer have to sharpen it with a belt.

Theoretically, the razor can be edited on any sufficiently velvety leather belt with regular GOI paste applied to it. However, it is certainly better to use specially sold belts for straightening razors. Working with the belt is simple and does not require special skills, allowing you to quickly finish the razor. However, professionals say that sharpening on a belt is much less effective than sharpening on stones. The blade will be less sharp and the cutting edge less durable. As a result, a person who often sharpens his razor on a belt will have to do this regularly - once every 2-5 days, until the razor requires a new sharpening on the skins.

The most reliable, correct and durable method of sharpening a straight razor is still sharpening with stones. It is in this way that all instruments are usually sharpened in sharpening workshops, of which there are very, very few left throughout Russia. However, this method is at the same time the most difficult - as it requires large quantity practices. For those who are just starting to learn how to sharpen a straight razor, experts warn: most likely your first experiments will be unsuccessful. And only after some time you will get good enough at it.

In addition to the fact that the method of sharpening with stones is the most effective and most complex, it is also the most expensive, since high-quality stones are quite expensive today, and for a full sharpening cycle - such as to turn a dull razor into a sharp one enough for a comfortable shave, you will need the entire range of stones ranging from 300#-400# to 10000#-12000#. However, they allow you to achieve the maximum possible from the razor.

Time to Collect Stones: Stone Sharpening Basics

So, before sharpening your razor, you need to make sure the blade is clean and free of rust. If there is rust, it must be removed before sharpening.

Before you start sharpening your razor, there is one very important thing to understand. important rule. The blade is always placed flat on the stone, so that both the back and the cutting edge always touch the abrasive. This is incredibly important for the reason that in cross-section the blade of a straight razor is a blade with concave slopes - a kind of reverse lens - where the protruding parts are the cutting edge and the back of the razor. The position of the blade flat on the stone guarantees a constant sharpening angle along the entire length of the cutting edge and the longest possible use of the razor. If, during sharpening, you give the blade an additional tilt - either with your hands or with a piece of electrical tape glued to the back - this can permanently ruin the razor, or at least put it in a state where it can take a very, very long time to fix it: due to Unnecessary tilting will change the original angle, making it more obtuse (and therefore less sharp), and can ultimately lead to damage to the instrument.

Let us repeat once again: when sharpening a razor blade, the cutting edge is ground parallel to the back - that is, the blade lies FLAT on the stone. Only high-class professionals who want to preserve patterns or inscriptions on the backs of particularly expensive straight razor models can set a small angle at their own risk when sharpening a straight razor.

In addition, there is one more important point. The sharpening of the razor should be uniform along the entire length of the cutting edge. Therefore, professionals advise either buying stones that match the width of the blade, or sharpening them crosswise. That is, when sharpening, guide the razor not directly across the stone, but somewhat obliquely, so that the entire blade is used in one stroke.

Let's get started!

After we have understood these simple but very important points, we begin to sharpen the razor.

Sharpening a razor on stones can be divided into three stages.

The first is working with coarse-grained stones to reduce the cutting edge, remove excess steel, and rough sharpening

The second is a gradual transition to medium- and fine-grained stones, softer sharpening

The third stage is finishing, grinding on the finest-grained stones, and also testing for razor sharpness.

At the first stage, when working with coarse-grained stones, it is permissible to move the blade in both directions, that is, both forward with the tip and backward - this will speed up the process of initial rough sharpening. However, it is worth considering that when changing the abrasive to a new one, an incredibly important action will be to remove the burrs that inevitably form during such sharpening. Therefore, the last 20-40 strokes on each rough stone should be blade forward only. Subsequently, on average and small stones Only this technique will be possible: sliding flat across the stone with the blade forward, with crosswise movements.

It should also be said about the pressure exerted on the razor blade when sharpening. When sharpened on a rough stone it should be quite noticeable. However, the coarser the stone you use (provided good quality abrasive), the less effort should be applied. Ultimately, your best effort should be to simply let the blade rest on the stone under its own weight - and sometimes lift it slightly so that it just barely touches the plane of the stone.

By the way, about the plane: You need to be very careful that the stone on which you sharpen your razor is as smooth as possible. So that there are no bumps, depressions, or abrasive chips on it. For the same reason, it is necessary to thoroughly rinse the razor blade before changing the stone, and not soak the stones in the same container - getting larger grains of abrasive sand on a finer-grained stone can lead to very ugly scratches on the blade and ruin the entire sharpening.

In addition, it is also important to remember that the razor does not like sudden changes in grain size. That is, when changing a stone from a coarser-grained one to a fine-grained one, it is worth maintaining such an interval so that the grid values ​​on the next stone do not exceed twice the value of the previous one. The smaller the transitions between stones, the better results you will achieve.

Quality control: methods for checking razor sharpness

After completing the sharpening process, you need to check how well the blade is sharpened. Of course, it is impossible to determine this visually without conducting tests. Therefore, cutting hair is considered one of the safest and most revealing checks. The test process occurs as follows: The razor blade is fixed on the table with the cutting edge facing up. Then a hair is taken (any hair, from the head or body), and with a slow, gentle movement it is brought to the RK. At the same time, the hair is kept straight, no unnecessary sawing movements can be performed. The hair should only touch the blade. If the hair then splits into two parts, we can assume that sharpening is complete and you have achieved sufficient sharpness.

There is another test that can be used to check the sharpness of a razor - running a pad along the cutting edge thumb. However, for inexperienced sharpeners this experience is always quite traumatic and rarely passes without cuts. Therefore, we recommend that you beware of checking the sharpness of the razor in this way, at least at first.

Still have questions? Ask them in the comments to the article and we will be happy to answer them!

Natural Japanese whetstones, in Japanese ten-nen toishi, have gained a reputation as the finest whetstones in the world for sharpening cutting tools of all kinds. IN last years they have become especially popular among straight razor users. However, those wishing to purchase toishi were faced with a variety of names and differences in color of stones with the same name, which led to some disappointment and confusion.

The feeling of dissatisfaction with this situation led me to the idea of ​​writing a dictionary on the terminology associated with Japanese natural sharpening stones, and now it inspired me to write this guide. Over the past two years, I have spent a lot of time and a lot of money studying everything related to Japanese sharpening stones and I believe that this guide can help many avoid the same mistakes that I made.

Please don't forget that I am a beginner myself, there is still a lot that I have to learn on my own.

I hope this guide helps you!

A Beginner's Guide to Buying Japanese Natural Sharpening Stones

First and probably most importantly, remember when you decide to buy any natural stone, and not just Japanese, the only thing that matters is the properties of the stone. Neither the name of the stone, nor the color, nor the price matters. Unfortunately, most buyers are unable to test the properties of a stone before purchasing it. Next, you need to find a seller who will test the stone in use; it is advisable that the seller understands and uses straight razors himself. You can safely buy a stone if you are satisfied with the price and you trust the results of testing by the seller of the properties of the stone.

There are many factors on which the price of toishi depends.

1.Where the stone was mined.

2. The size of the stone and its shape.

3. Presence of inclusions (cleanliness).

4. “Special” signs.

5. Number of intermediaries.

The first is where the stone was mined. In principle, any toishi mined from Mount Atago, near the city of Kyoto, will be expensive, and toishi mined on the eastern slope of Mount Atago will cost more than any other stones. Toishi mined on the western slope of Mount Atago, or mined in Takashima in Shiga Prefecture, will cost less. Toishi mined on the eastern slope of Mount Atago are indeed very good; this price pattern has developed mainly due to the high demand for stones and the reputation of the best stones.

The high reputation of the toisha mined on the eastern slope of Mount Atago is quite justified from the point of view of sharpening razors, for geological reasons, since the eastern stones are harder, and the hardness of the stone is very important when sharpening razors.

2. The second factor that determines the price of a toysha is size. Toishis are available in several standard sizes.

1.Large (OBAN) 250x100x35mm (largest size)

2. Long (Shakucho) 218x78x35mm

3. Size30 (30gata) 205x75x30mm

4. Size 40 (40gata) 205x75x25mm

5. Size 60 (60gata) 195x70x25mm

6. Size 80 (80gata) 180x63x20mm

7. Shaving size 136x82x20mm

Of course, the more toishi, the more expensive it is. There are also non-standard stones that are not correct, not rectangular shape. Large, irregularly shaped stones are called “genersecs,” which means rough or raw stones. Such stones are sometimes cut into smaller rectangles, and sometimes left as is. "Genseki" are comparatively cheaper than standard rectangular toishi, approximately the same in size, but not much. Small rectangular stones are called "coppas" and typically have about the same (or less) surface area, about the same as a razor-size stone, and are generally much cheaper.

For comparison.

The price for a size 40 Nakayama Maruka stone can range from 20,000 yen to 100,000 yen or more. A Nakayama Maruka stone worth 20,000 yen will differ from the same stone costing 100,000 yen, for example, in that there will be cracks on the surface of the stone, or the stone will have broken corners, or small inclusions. However, a 20,000 yen toishi will have the same sharpening qualities as a 100,000 yen toishi. The price for a Nakayama Maruka Koppa stone will start at 6,000 yen and this toishi will have the same sharpening properties as a size 40 stone.

The third factor, which can significantly affect the price and sharpening quality, is the presence of inclusions. There are two main types of inclusions: lines, stripes called suji, spots, which are sometimes called "hari" or "ishi", and sometimes "suna-ya" or sand eyes. Basically, these are inclusions of other minerals whose hardness is higher than the hardness of the rest of the stone. Stones are called “live” if such inclusions are in that part of the stone that when sharpening they can be touched by a razor; such stones should be avoided. Stones are called “dead” if inclusions are in that part of the stone that cannot be touched by a razor when sharpening; such stones can be purchased. However, in both cases, the presence of inclusions leads to a drop in price.

The fourth factor is special features that can affect the price of a stone are things such as color variations, especially for stones such as "karasu" or "nashiji". These stones are rare and highly prized, although general opinion Toishi sellers and users in Japan, color shades have no effect on the actual sharpening quality.

And finally, the price always increases depending on the number of intermediaries, since each of them receives their share of the profit. So, the further you are from Kyoto, the more expensive the stone will be. It's just something to remember.

Signs of razor stone

If you have the opportunity to personally choose a stone, then before you buy it, you need to pay attention to the following signs; this will give you the opportunity to choose the best stone without delving into the hundreds of toishi offered to you. So, what you need to pay attention to:

1.Stone hardness

2. Consistency or texture. This is a key sign

3. No small inclusions

4. Pay attention to the presence of cracks

5. Forget the names of the stones

1. To sharpen razors, it is better to purchase a harder stone, the harder the better. The following reasons. First, as a result of sharpening the razor, the cutting edge turns out to be very, very thin and fragile. The softer the stone, the more of its own suspension is formed on the surface of the stone; loose abrasive particles can damage the thin cutting edge. The razor will, of course, shave, but the cutting edge will not be as sharp as you would like to get in the end. The second reason for favoring harder stones, which is not directly related to sharpening razors, is the wear resistance of the toysha. A hard stone will hold the working plane better and, accordingly, will require grinding in the surface less often. This is purely a practical consideration.

How to test a stone for hardness? To do this, just apply a little water to the surface of the stone. If water remains on the surface of the stone and is not absorbed for a sufficiently long time, then the stone is hard. If the water is quickly absorbed, then it is a soft stone. If you lightly tap a stone, for example with a pencil, the sound produced by a harder stone will be louder; if the stone is soft, the sound will be correspondingly duller.

2. By “consistency” we should understand the “texture” of the stone, the uniformity of the hardness of the stone. It can be difficult to determine visually or tactilely, but there are still some clues. The first clue is the color; if the surface of the stone is very varied in color, then it is likely that the texture of the stone is not uniform. The second clue is the "reflection" test. If the working surface of the stone is well lapped and polished, and you look at this surface from a certain angle, the surface will shine or become highly reflective. Distortions in the reflection indicate areas of the stone surface with a different texture.

You should avoid purchasing toishi on the working surface of which there are large areas of non-uniform texture, which is expressed in such color variations in shades as “yake” (brown, dark brown), “nashiji” or “kan” (color variations similar to the growth rings of wood ). The presence of small areas with a different texture on the working plane of the stone is a phenomenon.

3. This is obvious, if there is a large area of ​​inclusions on the working surface of the stone, in addition to abrasive, then there is a serious sign of heterogeneity. Good rule When assessing the presence of inclusions, a glare test is used, which makes it possible to detect black or dark brown inclusions on the surface of the stone. They reflect more light than the rest of the stone. When sharpening, you cannot work in such areas. This is especially true for Suji.

4. Pay attention to the presence of cracks. Sometimes the presence of cracks is quite acceptable; very thin cracks do not affect anything. But if you see cracks running across the entire working plane of the toysha and in a certain area they expand, then be very careful. A cracked toishi can be used, even if it is completely cracked, it can be glued together, so the only question is whether the cracks will interfere with sharpening or not.

5. Forget the names of the stones. Seriously, forget all these fancy toishi names and choose a stone based on a combination of characteristics, except if for some personal reason you want to buy a stone with a specific name (which in general is not bad at all, I completely understand it), just take a look at stone. Apart from the general meaninglessness of the names, there is almost no way to verify their authenticity, unless the stone is sold by some well-known stone distributor (Imanishi, Tanaka, Kimura, Hatekana, etc.). Fraud, of course, happens. But don’t always refuse the deal, the stone may be ideal for finishing, but if you are chasing a specific name, then you need complete confidence in the authenticity of the stone.

Names of layers: “Tomae”, “Aisa\gouza”, “Suita”, “Hatimae”, etc. They can provide a little help in choosing a stone - for example, stones from “Ais” are usually harder than “Suita”. "Suite" tends to work faster than other layers with a "Su" structure, etc. But the probability of a complete connection between the properties of the stone and the name of the formation is very low, so the names of the formations are of little help. It is necessary to remember that the stones of the Tomae formation are very widespread and are, as it were, “stones by default.” If the stone is not stamped with the name of the formation, it is almost certainly "Tomae".

A few words about the color “kiita”, “asagi”, “mizuiro” and so on, this is pure aesthetics and nothing else. Aesthetics is a psychological concept, but it does not affect the sharpening process.

Note: I did not say anything about the grain size, in other words, about the grit of the stones. For natural sharpening stones such an assessment is not acceptable. In any sense of the word, toishi cannot be classified as “thin” natural stones. For more information, read the article "hows-it-going".

And in conclusion. Analyze.

If you see a suspiciously cheap stone, remember all the objective reasons for the price drop - inclusions, small size, many cracks, etc. Some defects are not a problem. Small stone, but it can be sharpened, cracks can be sealed, and some inclusions can be removed. Just inspect the product carefully and remember: if it's too good to be true, it probably is.

Synthetic stones are often used to sharpen straight razors. These stones should hold their shape moderately, not give an abundant suspension, have a uniform grain, and not have dense lumps (agglomerates). The optimal size of the whetstone for sharpening straight razors is from 50x150mm, often the sizes are about 60*180 and 70*200mm.

Japanese sharpening stones from the following manufacturers (and their series) correspond to these characteristics: Super Stone, Cerax / NewCerax,

It is highly undesirable to use the following brands of stones: HATAMOTO, NAKATOMI and Taidea for sharpening straight razors.

To correct razor geometry, repair edges and rough sharpening, use grit from #400 to #600

Further sharpening usually has the following sequence:

#1000 ⇒ #3000 ⇒ #5000 or #6000 ⇒ #8000 ⇒ #10000 , and #8000 can be omitted from this order

Often in reviews of razor sharpening there are combined #3000/1000 and combined #3000/8000. and universal for both stainless steel and carbon steel razors, Super Stones work great with traditional carbon steel razors.

Very often, many practitioners move on from 3000 grit stones to further finishing on natural abrasive stones: “Gusevsky” (and) and other slates, . These stones have long been considered the best for finishing razors and are often called razor stones. Some people remain committed to using synthetic abrasive stones when finishing their razors. Everyone chooses for himself those methods of sharpening and finishing, the results and speed of work with which he is most satisfied. There is an opinion that natural abrasive stones allow you to achieve a more comfortable shave than artificial ones.

Working on Arkansas blades and when finishing the razor is used quite rarely, due to the fact that cutting after Arkansas blades is too aggressive and is more suitable for knives.

The minimum set of stones for sharpening razors includes the following grits #1000 ⇒ #3000 ⇒ #8000, then natural suitable stone or #10000 - #12000

Edge after Naniwa Super Stone with magnification X500, X2000, X3000

Do not forget that there must be stones for sharpening and finishing razors, and the finishing stones must have the appropriate roughness. The edges of the stones used for sharpening straight razors must have a radius (about 1 mm) so as not to damage the edge when applying the razor to the stone and when removing the razor from the stone. Just a slight misalignment is enough, and if there is no radius on the edge of the stone, you will get a microchip or jam that will be larger than the grain you are working on. In this case, you will have to go back a couple of steps and work with coarser abrasives to correct it.