When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
All the stones I list will have been tested on a minimum of two razors, & at least one kitchen knife. Hardness and fineness of a stone can be very subjective as it is not an exact science. I give my personal opinion from experience of honing on many different stones over many years.
My acquisition of Jnats generally come from reputable Japan sellers. If a mine is mentioned in the listing that is information that came from the reputable seller. But without an authentic kanji stamp there are no guarantees what mine a particular stone came from. If the stone had a kanji stamp prior to being lapped off, I will include the photo that was taken before lapping.
I personally don\'t put much stock in what mine a stone was extracted from as the stone itself, and its qualities are all that matter. But I will do my best to add any information about a stone that I am aware of and share my personal thoughts on the stone.
This listing is for the Japanese natural whetstone shown in the photos.
Here we have a small koppa sized Akapin Japanese natural whetstone. Akapin stones are generally on the softer side, but this one is on the harder side. I have to use a nagura or diamond plate to raise a slurry on it. It is big enough to use as a small handheld base stone for smaller knives and razors, or it can be used as a large sized nagura on a larger base stone.
It is a fairly fast stone with ample cutting speed. The picture with the black slurry swarf is from sharpening a knife on it for a couple of minutes. It is a really good stone for doing the middle work on straight razors but can also finish a razor with proper technique. The best edge I got from using it as a finisher on a razor was ending in water only for about 10 laps with very light pressure. The stone also did a very nice job on the edge of my kiridashi, as well as my small kitchen knife.
The stone has been clear sealed on the sides and bottom. The surfaced has chamfered edges and was lapped. The custom-made box shown in the photos is included. It has a moisture resistant acrylic coating that will also aid in longevity.
Dimensions of this stone:
Max length: 127 mm
Max width: 53 mm
Max thickness: 22 mm
Weight: 330 grams
The listing comes with free domestic shipping. All stones will be packaged and protected in a way that insures they will arrive in good order.
