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Jnats: Ikarashi, Green Aoto

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Asteger

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Two good naturals for sale, both of which I bought from JNS.

1) Ikarashi/Igarashi - Very cool stone, great feel, fast and great results. These were mined near Sanjo, Japan, until the early 1960s when the mine was closed, and then the stock must have sat around for years. Use this instead of a 1-2k synthetic, and Maxim says it's the only stone he'd recommend in this range for razors as well, I think because they're considered hard enough and also uniform and consistent enough to trust. They are, however, not too hard and so are excellent and feel great with knives. One of my favs: it glows blue if you soak it a bit first, though does not require soaking at all. I wouldn't be selling except that I was finally able to find a huge one of the same stock as a replacement in Japan. I think this is also an example of how, quality-wise, you can get a much better deal with good coarser naturals in comparison to the expensive finishers that everyone opts for; you can even finish a knife on this stone if you want, too. There are some cheaper white Ikarashi you see in Japan, but this stock appears bluer and comes from JNS or Japan (if you can find it) unlapped; I've lapped both sides already with Atomas (there's a small JNS charge for this) and you can also use either side. Price is $170 with shipping & PP fees included (int'l okay). Original listing: http://www.japanesenaturalstones.com/ikarashi/

2) 'Green Aoto' or green Atagoyama akapin - These are sold out at JNS and there's no more stock available. Also, while it seems a few red aoto have appeared on BST, I haven't noticed any other greens for sale except when another member was able to upgrade to a larger one and sell off his smaller stone, so people seem to hang on to their greens more than the reds. Maxim recommended this particular stone when I asked him to find a larger one for me. It turned out to be a bit thicker than most at 208 x 75 x 40mm, it has very uniform shape with nice skin on the bottom, and is among the greener 'green aoto' in colour. A nice-looking stone, and the sides are lacquered too. I'm selling just because I have a couple other stones that I can use in its place and I hope to free up some $ to get others and try new things. Only a small reduction off the new price with this one as it's as good as new and no one else is selling theirs. Price is $230 with shipping & PP fees included (int'l okay). Original listing for this particular stone: http://www.japanesenaturalstones.com/1-green-aoto/ (First photo shows two black things on the stone. This is only lint from when Maxim was taking the pictures.)
 
Dang... I'm second for the green aoto if it is not sold.
 
Almost instant response: Green aoto already sold, Ikarashi still available
 
How is that ikarashi lapped nad eveverything if so Ill tak it
 
Yes - lapped and in fine condition. PM-ing you.
 
Man! Congrats to the new owner of that Aoto. Something like that is a 'unicorn' stone for me
 
Yeah damn that was fast on aoto. I may have to try to blue.

To anyone thinking of ikarashi. I have and I like. Not the fastest, but you get a nice bite from it.
 
CoqaVin - Tried PMing you again, but your inbox is full.

Yeah damn that was fast on aoto. I may have to try to blue. To anyone thinking of ikarashi. I have and I like. Not the fastest, but you get a nice bite from it.

I disagree a bit about the Ikarashi, which I think is a pretty fast stone. If you mean compared to synthetics, then synthetics are probably faster. But compared to other Jnats of a similar coarseness, it's considered fast. (Faster than the white, I believe, Amakusa 'Binsui' which some people have.) Anyway, unless you're constantly sharpening, several knives a day maybe, I think speed is over-rated. No one wants slow stones, but stones are good when they're fast enough.
 
Congrats on the green Aoto. I have a green and red from JNS and highly recomend both. Specially the green.
 
You're right. The ikarashi is great in terms of speed and low coarseness for jnat. I also like it for its quality (clean looking stone) and consistency (very even sharpening marks). GLWS, I'd buy it if I didn't already have one.
 
Yeah damn that was fast on aoto. I may have to try to blue.

To anyone thinking of ikarashi. I have and I like. Not the fastest, but you get a nice bite from it.

The blue aotos that I've tried are quite different from the green aoto. The green aoto is smoother and finer than the "common" blue aoto. It's also a little bit harder.

Ikarashi is definitely one of the best middle grit naturals I've tried.
 
Both the Ikarashi and Green Aoto are now SOLD. Thanks to all.

What is the thickness now that it has been lapped?

Haven't shipped it yet, and so just checked for you: 48mm. Not sure of its original thickness, as I got this a while ago. However, of course the thickness depends on how much you lap. The original shape is sort of octagonal and if you lap all the way on both sides so that it just becomes flat and rectangular, then it should be 40mm which is still a nice thickness. I lapped it down more on one side, where I sharpened, while still leaving the corners rounded a bit, and on the bottom I lapped less, enough to make it stable basically.

You're right. The ikarashi is great in terms of speed and low coarseness for jnat. I also like it for its quality (clean looking stone) and consistency (very even sharpening marks). GLWS, I'd buy it if I didn't already have one.

Definitely. The two I have are very clean and consistent. I wrote above that I think that, while the fine finishers are the ones that demand the high prices for Jnats, you can get great quality:price with a stone like this.

The blue aotos that I've tried are quite different from the green aoto. The green aoto is smoother and finer than the "common" blue aoto. It's also a little bit harder. I karashi is definitely one of the best middle grit naturals I've tried.

Vinster knows his stuff!
 
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