In Shop Blog, Techniques

We may receive a commission when you use our affiliate links. However, this does not impact our recommendations.

Q & A: Soaking Stones

 

Q:

I just bought a 6,000-grit Japanese
waterstone mounted on a wooden base.
Can I soak it like my other stones? Also,
what’s the purpose of a Nagura stone?

A:

Your 6,000-grit waterstone absorbs
water quickly and doesn’t need to be kept
in water. Just lay the stone in a shallow pan
of water for 5 to 10 minutes before use.

Traditionally, Nagura stones were
used to flatten and clean up the surface
of natural-finish stones. With synthetic
stones, their chief benefit is in quickly
creating a paste on the stone’s surface.
The paste serves as a final polish and is
usually made up of finely ground particles
created by the sharpening process
itself. Because the 6,000-grit stone is
so hard, developing the paste simply
by sharpening can take some time.

This story originally appeared in American Woodworker December 1999, issue #77.



December 1999, issue #77


Purchase this back issue.

 


Product Recommendations

Here are some supplies and tools we find essential in our everyday work around the shop. We may receive a commission from sales referred by our links; however, we have carefully selected these products for their usefulness and quality.

Recommended Posts

Start typing and press Enter to search