JNats

I've been using JNats for several years and I'm still on the lower end of the learning curve. I like the results I'm getting on several of my JNats but I'm still flying in the blind. Anyone know of a good tutorial on using JNats? Video, blog, or article?

One of the big differences is the wire edge, for all practical purposes, on the finishing stone, it ain't there. When you feel the edge you can't feel anything but smooth, when you look at the edge with a loupe there is nothing looking back at you and the bevel has a beautiful matte finish with scratches that are invisible to a 10X loupe. When put to wood the cutter works as well or better (ease of push and surface left) than the same cutter sharpened on Arkansas stones and stropped. BTW, stropping seems to degrade the edge but of that I'm not sure.

Anyway, if you have knowledge or thoughts please share.

ken

I would drop a line to Brian Holcombe.
He's deep into the lore of fine Japanese irons pared with stones both natural and synthetic.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/...se-whetstones/

Ken,

I am glad to share some thoughts on Jnats. No real knowledge just some experimentation. For some reason rubbing the steel on the magic rock to make the wood shiny is one of the great delights.

I have also found that after the finishing stone there is no wire edge. What I find most interesting is the difference in feel on my hard finishing stone depending on which Nagura stone I use. I have three that I have experimented with. An atoma 1000 which leaves a very fast cutting surface as judged by how quickly black swarf appears. The second is a medium spyderco ceramic stone. I find this leaves a smooth and pleasant feeling sharpening surface that is probably a bit slower than with the diamond. Finally a natural kuro nagura which seems to balance the faster material removal and the smoothness. If there is a difference in the edge I can’t really tell. With all three methods and with plain water the edge is a thing of beauty and cutting elegance though.

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Originally Posted by Michael Todrin

Ken,

I am glad to share some thoughts on Jnats. No real knowledge just some experimentation. For some reason rubbing the steel on the magic rock to make the wood shiny is one of the great delights.

I have also found that after the finishing stone there is no wire edge. What I find most interesting is the difference in feel on my hard finishing stone depending on which Nagura stone I use. I have three that I have experimented with. An atoma 1000 which leaves a very fast cutting surface as judged by how quickly black swarf appears. The second is a medium spyderco ceramic stone. I find this leaves a smooth and pleasant feeling sharpening surface that is probably a bit slower than with the diamond. Finally a natural kuro nagura which seems to balance the faster material removal and the smoothness. If there is a difference in the edge I can’t really tell. With all three methods and with plain water the edge is a thing of beauty and cutting elegance though.

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Thanks Michael,

Do you soak before use? Most of the time I do and then use a fine nagura to work the ends and edges. I hadn't thought about using a Spyderco to flatten, I'll give it a go the next time.

ken

Ken,

My hard finishing stone does not require anything more than a little water on top. I do have a softer stone that is a little less fine that I spray with water and wait a minute or two and spray again before using. I don't soak either. Do you have a stone that likes soaking? How long do you let it soak for?

Let me know how you like the spyderco as a nagura.

Michael

Michael

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Originally Posted by ken hatch

Thanks Michael,

Do you soak before use? Most of the time I do and then use a fine nagura to work the ends and edges. I hadn't thought about using a Spyderco to flatten, I'll give it a go the next time.

ken

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Ken - I don't soak any of my Jnats, and i don't think I'd advise anyone else to either. Water infiltration can cause the sedimentary layers in the stone to separate. Have you sealed the back & edges of your stones with some sort of waterproof film finish?

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Originally Posted by brian zawatsky

Ken - I don't soak any of my Jnats, and i don't think I'd advise anyone else to either. Water infiltration can cause the sedimentary layers in the stone to separate. Have you sealed the back & edges of your stones with some sort of waterproof film finish?

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Brian,

Thanks, I wish there were more reliable information on their use because they are different from Ark stones as well as synthetic stones. I know every stone is different but it is things like burr, no burr, what about stropping, how hard (level) a stone gives the best edge, and so on, Mostly for the last few years I've been self learning through trial, error and a bit of money. That said, even a klutz like myself can stumble into some wonderful cutting edges.

All my stones are sealed with Cashew Lacquer. I guess I miss typed, a better way to put it is I dunk the stone during use, I do not let the stones sit in water. That's what I settled on doing, all but the hardest stones seem to work better that way. BTW, I have seen recommendation to soak, again reliable info would be nice and would shorten the learning curve a bunch.

ken

Yeah good info is tough to come by, and most of it seems to result from forehead-slapping moments after having spent a bunch of money lol. I’ve bought some winners and some losers, but have been pretty fortunate to land on some pretty decent stones.
Re: the burr, I’ve found that’s true of some stones and not others. I can raise a very small but distinct wire edge with my favorite suita, but with the harder stones the burr is really difficult to detect. In those cases, I just finish up by alternating between a handful of strokes on back & bevel 4 or 5 times, ending on the back. Works for me. I think the key is to be 100% sure that your bevel is totally flat and your previous stone raised a burr before going to the hard finishing stone, this way you don’t have to rely on a burr to know you’re polishing all the way to the edge.

You probably know this, but you can make pretty much any stone cut faster/more aggressively by raising a slurry with a diamond plate or nagura stone before starting in on it. On some harder stones it’s absolutely necessary. I’ve never used a ceramic plate or nagura on my Jnats, and I probably wouldn’t try. I’d be too worried about ceramic particles getting lodged in the surface and messing up an expensive stone.

Water management also plays a role with how different stones cut. Some like a lot of water, some cut better with only a little bit. I’ve found it can be frustrating at times, but when you get in the groove Jnats really can make sharpening enjoyable. Or at least not terrible lol