Hello everyone! It's been a while.
I've been in Japan for about a year and a half now, and while I haven't had much time for woodworking yet, I've bought a few tools and sharpening stones and am keen on making time.
As I'm a fan of natural stones, I decided to try a few inexpensive Japanese Natural Stones to learn on. And, I have to say, I'm kind of impressed even with the cheap ones! However, I realized that I definitely have much to learn, which is why I'm here.
So, without further adue, a few questions / problems I've had:
1) Do I need to pre-soak Jnats?
I'm not a fan of any stone that requires presoaking, because I may want to go to a park and work, for example. It appears that my cheap stones work just fine without presoaking, though one is a bit thirsty and I have to add water intermittently.
2) Do I need to seal them?
How necessary is it to seal the sides of the stone, as I see some doing? Does this depend on the type of the stone? Do some people use their stones without sealing them?
3) Rust! Rust! Rust!
Okay, so, I've used almost exclusively oilstones in the past and avoided waterstones because I have one recurring problem: rust! Despite being careful (I think), I still often find rust developing on my blade soon after sharpening with (and wiping off the) water. Sometimes, the rust even forms while I'm still in the middle of sharpening! I try to wipe the blade off quickly and wipe it with oil afterwards, but anything made of carbon steel just seems to be very intent on rusting, sometimes even after only a few minutes of sharpening, How do you folks who use water deal with this?
Those are my three main questions; the rest, such as how much slurry or water to use / not use, I think I will get the hang of in time.
One side question though, and perhaps the most difficult thing with Jnats is knowing what is what in the first place. I haven't found a lot of good information on the different kinds of stones out there. I'm currently looking for a good but inexpensive coarse or middle stone: something capable of refreshing an edge quickly, and finely enough for coarse work or for moving straight on to a finish stone. If anyone can point me in the right direction, that would be great