the grandiose synth kasumi thread

[Blank Blades.]

here is an attempt with the 8k cerax. tried working up mud on the stone with only the blade, tried diamond slurry, tried naniwa nagura slurry, tried cerax nagura slurry etc. and this is the best i can get it. not much contrast and no way of getting rid of the silver scratches.

View attachment 114926

View attachment 114927

I run into that problem a lot of times with my king 4000, and kitayama 8000. So frustrating.

 

[inferno]

ok guys i found a synth i really like. the suehiro traditional green g8. 8k silicon carbide!

its smoother than the cerax 8k. and it does not leave any scratches. no ****! it feels a bit less "bitey" when sharpening stuff though.
medium/low muddiness, but it does release a bit quite quickly. hard feeling stone.

so the first pics are of a carbon blade. and you can see scratches in the finish, but those are from the 8k cerax, i just didn't work the blade long enough on the stone to remove them. on the SS blade you can see the scratch free finish. well as scratch free as its going to get anyway.

the pics are cool but in reality it produces and even better finish! really hard to capture especially hand held in available light. its a very fine haze on the edge. almost like a jnat. and yet has a polished deep dark cladding on carbon/iron.

all dry.

 

[Pie]

Second ever attempt at polishing.. confirmed that I have a looooot to learn. Naniwa Pro 400

 

[Blank Blades.]

Second ever attempt at polishing.. confirmed that I have a looooot to learn. Naniwa Pro 400

Dont we all?

 

[Pie]

1k Naniwa pro. Who would have thought consistent pressure = consistent results

 

[Blank Blades.]

I messed around with a couple of my new stones. The shapton 1k, and the rika 5k. I thought I would show some pictures, along with some comparisons.

Shapton 1k, it's a bit on the coarse side. A bit unforgiving for polishing, very easy to leave a streaky finish.

King 1.2k, more even and just a bit finer.

Rika 5k, the picture looks a lot better than in real life, it leaves a bunch of ugly scratches. I'm new to this stone, so there could be a trick to it.

Kitayama 8k. I feel like the picture is a fairly good representation of how it looks in real life. There are small scratches, though they are fairly uniform.

 

[user 16756]

while Im looking at synths, does anyone have an opinion on what the best/their favorite synth for pre-polish work is? Im guessing it'll be a bit softer/muddier such that it'd do a very consistent finish, but Im open to suggestions. normally for this job I'd use an aizu but Ive been inspired by @inferno here and want to try either the morihei karasu or that suehiro so I might as well chuck another stone in there.

that morihei 1000 looks impressive fwiw

 

[GorillaGrunt]

I haven’t used the ones marketed specifically as synthetic alternatives to naturals, jinzo Aoto, Gesshin synthetic natural, etc. and maybe the korin ones I think I remember? But id love to see what those do.

I feel a bit silly that it took me long to figure this out, but all the Gesshin stones I’ve tried leave great contrast for synths. S&g 320, 400 soaker, Maido 2000, s&g 3000 ... which now I’m realizing is kind of a duh because Jon is a polisher and custom specs his stones.

 

[Pie]

It’s getting... slightly better. On one side only, the other side is another story

Mazaki white #2 iron(?) clad I believe. Results from kitayama 8k again.

the tip and heel are killing me, can’t seem to get good contact on the convexed part at the tip of the knife

The little scratches from the kitayama are kinda bugging me. Dead even off Naniwa pro 1k but not quite soft/smooth enough.

 

[Blank Blades.]

while Im looking at synths, does anyone have an opinion on what the best/their favorite synth for pre-polish work is? Im guessing it'll be a bit softer/muddier such that it'd do a very consistent finish, but Im open to suggestions. normally for this job I'd use an aizu but Ive been inspired by @inferno here and want to try either the morihei karasu or that suehiro so I might as well chuck another stone in there.

that morihei 1000 looks impressive fwiw

Yeah go soft. Really it doesn't even have to be a completely uniform finish for prepolishing in my experience, the most important thing is you get out the scratches from the coarser grits, and leave tiny scratches that are easily polished out. So in my eyes something that doesn't want to leave a super consistent finish (at least in looks) but works quickly like the shapton 1k is just fine.

 

[Blank Blades.]

It’s getting... slightly better. On one side only, the other side is another story
View attachment 122377

Mazaki white #2 iron(?) clad I believe. Results from kitayama 8k again.

the tip and heel are killing me, can’t seem to get good contact on the convexed part at the tip of the knife

View attachment 122375View attachment 122376
The little scratches from the kitayama are kinda bugging me. Dead even off Naniwa pro 1k but not quite soft/smooth enough.

Yeah I know that feeling. In my experience the kitayama likes to scratch if you don't keep it very wet. I think the grit starts to conglomerate when you get a thick slurry leaving deeper scratches on some parts.

 

[user 16756]

Yeah go soft. Really it doesn't even have to be a completely uniform finish for prepolishing in my experience, the most important thing is you get out the scratches from the coarser grits, and leave tiny scratches that are easily polished out. So in my eyes something that doesn't want to leave a super consistent finish (at least in looks) but works quickly like the shapton 1k is just fine.

ah, fair enough.

I actually just had a Cerax 1000 and Naniwa 3000 show up today and that really fills out my synths. Im hoping these can give me a bit more grunt to get to final polish.

 

[Blank Blades.]

ah, fair enough.

I actually just had a Cerax 1000 and Naniwa 3000 show up today and that really fills out my synths. Im hoping these can give me a bit more grunt to get to final polish.

Both should be fantastic for that I think.

 

[Pie]

Yeah I know that feeling. In my experience the kitayama likes to scratch if you don't keep it very wet. I think the grit starts to conglomerate when you get a thick slurry leaving deeper scratches on some parts.

I was working with some super heavy slurry (on top of being lazy and not lapping first) and hearing a lot of chattering once the mud came up. Will continue to work. I love the complexity and little nuances that make this stone tick. Keeps me up at night sometimes, but damn is it ever fun.

while Im looking at synths, does anyone have an opinion on what the best/their favorite synth for pre-polish work is? Im guessing it'll be a bit softer/muddier such that it'd do a very consistent finish, but Im open to suggestions. normally for this job I'd use an aizu but Ive been inspired by @inferno here and want to try either the morihei karasu or that suehiro so I might as well chuck another stone in there.

that morihei 1000 looks impressive fwiw

NP1k gave me the most uniform smooth mud (lots of it) and therefore Kasumi, yet, 3k not so much (due to complete noob status I believe). From there I move to SS5 and 12k or 8k for just the core steel. I found anything higher than 1k starts to chatter and get kind of sticky. Probably due to technique as well.

 

[esoo]

Since I'm nowhere near good enough to follow the convex on the blade, I did this (taken as an idea from something similar from Tosho's Instagram).

King 250/1K combi stone + 325 grit diamond plate + a bunch of dry rubbing equaled a pile of 1K dust on a piece of parchment paper. Wet the blade and a 4K Micromesh pad with Windex. Go to town on the blade with heel to tip strokes.

Not too bad if I do say so myself. I probably should've started with 250 powder to take out the factory scratches, but quite pleased with the result.

The back side where I was running out of the stone powder (edit to add - I'm a lefty - this is the back side to me):

Total time was 40 minutes. Lot better than anything I tried with sandpaper.

 

[Bigbbaillie]

Shapton pro 2k -> morihei 4k
Also could acheive comparable finish with Chosera 3k on TF stainless.
Was able to get a really bright finish on core albeit with a few visible scratches.

 

[Qapla']

Moderators, please delete.

 

[inferno]

ah, fair enough.

I actually just had a Cerax 1000 and Naniwa 3000 show up today and that really fills out my synths. Im hoping these can give me a bit more grunt to get to final polish.

should have gotten a shapton 1k and a suehiro 3k imo those are some kick ass kasumi stones imo

 

[user 16756]

should have gotten a shapton 1k and a suehiro 3k imo those are some kick ass kasumi stones imo

I was really impressed with the results people got with the Naniwa as a pre-polisher, and I just chucked the Cerax in my cart since the vendor had it

if my primary goal was final polish I would have gone with one of the two finishers you suggested, which are on my list, but I already have a bazillion naturals, so this made more sense as the first thing to grab.

 

[Pie]

Barely qualifies/bad picture . Kitayama 8k on Takeda NAS. Contrast isn’t great, cladding is pretty light, subtle fogginess. Fingerprints 100% gone.

 

[kidsos]

King 300, Tanaka toishi 1000 and Kitayama 6000 on munetoshi petty

 

[4phantom]

Finally, after struggling with the NP 1k for so long have managed to get a decent/uniform polish off it!

 

[Knife2meatu]

I was really impressed with the results people got with the Naniwa as a pre-polisher, and I just chucked the Cerax in my cart since the vendor had it

if my primary goal was final polish I would have gone with one of the two finishers you suggested, which are on my list, but I already have a bazillion naturals, so this made more sense as the first thing to grab.

I feel the Cerax 1k is at least the equal of the Shapton Kuromaku 1k for cloudy cladding; I really wouldn't worry about that aspect. The Suehiro does form excessive mud to my liking with soft steel however, compared to the Shapton. I'd just use it until things fall into place, and not regret the choice one iota.

 

[user 16756]

I feel the Cerax 1k is at least the equal of the Shapton Kuromaku 1k for cloudy cladding; I really wouldn't worry about that aspect. The Suehiro does form excessive mud to my liking with soft steel however, compared to the Shapton. I'd just use it until things fall into place, and not regret the choice one iota.

Ive enjoyed both stones, fwiw. Still, my true love is jnats, so I dont forsee buying other synths at those grits until I need replacements. I do really like 1k for synths though it has made bridging to my naturals a bit easier.

 

[tostadas]

Since I'm nowhere near good enough to follow the convex on the blade, I did this (taken as an idea from something similar from Tosho's Instagram).

King 250/1K combi stone + 325 grit diamond plate + a bunch of dry rubbing equaled a pile of 1K dust on a piece of parchment paper. Wet the blade and a 4K Micromesh pad with Windex. Go to town on the blade with heel to tip strokes.

Not too bad if I do say so myself. I probably should've started with 250 powder to take out the factory scratches, but quite pleased with the result.

View attachment 122470

The back side where I was running out of the stone powder (edit to add - I'm a lefty - this is the back side to me):
View attachment 122471

Total time was 40 minutes. Lot better than anything I tried with sandpaper.

How much powder did you use?

 

[inferno]

I feel the Cerax 1k is at least the equal of the Shapton Kuromaku 1k for cloudy cladding; I really wouldn't worry about that aspect. The Suehiro does form excessive mud to my liking with soft steel however, compared to the Shapton. I'd just use it until things fall into place, and not regret the choice one iota.

i dont have the 1k cerax but i did have the ouka and the 8k cerax. and there is always these stray scratches you can't get rid off. the shapton pro 1k actually produces a completely even scratch free finish for me. but its a very coarse finish, too coarse for me. at 3-4k i feel its starting to become good/usable.

 

[esoo]

How much powder did you use?

Hard to say ultimately, as I was grinding it off the stone, and just figured "that was enough". I'd guess at a teaspoon per side. The hardest part was grinding to get the powder. The actually result was easy to get.

 

[Knife2meatu]

i dont have the 1k cerax but i did have the ouka and the 8k cerax. and there is always these stray scratches you can't get rid off. the shapton pro 1k actually produces a completely even scratch free finish for me. but its a very coarse finish, too coarse for me. at 3-4k i feel its starting to become good/usable.

That seems at odds with my own experience: I find the Shapton produces that kind of scratches -- you can just look at the picture I took earlier in this thread -- whereas the Cerax 1k has more of the even, 'bead blasted' look, closer to that produced by something like a King Deluxe.

As for the 3k Ouka, I haven't tried that one. But I know I've gotten virtually scratch free results off the 8k Cerax, although I've also sometimes been unable to pull it off, and gotten some amount of fine scratches.

I suspect the bright scratches are only sometimes due to the stones themselves; other times, I believe it may be contamination, either from flattening, cleaning, or just swarf from the blade itself.

I need a microscope, damnit ;p

 

[zizirex]

Morihei Hi 12000

I'll try to clean up better between the progression next time to remove the deeper scratch.

 

[4phantom]