New Arrivals

[steven c newman]

A box showed up up the front porch...seems I was gifted a "Door Prize"

After getting through all the Bubble Wrap, and set them down on the table..
New Arrivals, out of the box.jpg
Hand held Phone Camera...
On the underside of each..
New Arrivals, Instructions.jpg
A "Manual" ...in Japanese, of course...

Green label..
New Arrivals, Green label.jpg
And the "Gold" label
New Arrivals, Gold label.jpg

Will have to learn how to use these, I guess...

[steven c newman]

Well, seems they included a stone to level the other stones with...

There water stones, or Oil Stones? As I can not read Japanese.

So...what exactly do I have here....?

[Paul F Franklin]

Others here are more knowledgeable than me, but that won't stop me from offering my $.02....

They are ceramic stones. Usually water is used as a lubricant and to clean the swarf. They generally don't need to be soaked, except perhaps for the coarser stones. Lee Valley says if a spray of water is quickly absorbed, then the stone will benefit from being soaked before use, but if the water just sits on the surface, then they are ready to go.

[Rafael Herrera]

Who would have thought? Steven starting yet another sharpening thread.

Now you need to make a sharpening station with a water pond and everything.

[steven c newman]

Haven't USED them yet.....trying to learn HOW to use them...as I am used to Oil Stones, at the moment...

When the instructions are in Japanese....makes the learning curve a bit steep....have not taken them out of the wrappings, yet...

[Jimmy Harris]

Water is the safe choice, if you don't know. You can use water on oil stones. In fact, I've been using water on one of my Arkansas stones for decades. It'll clog a little quicker with water instead of oil since water is thinner. But it'll cut faster. You'll just have to flatten it more often to expose new abrasive material. I'll often wash it with soap and water and run a strong magnet over it to help keep it unclogged in between flattenings. And I use water on this stone, because it's the one I take camping and fishing, where water is always available, and oil is not. Being a natural Arkansas stone, it's a little more durable than most water stones. So it's not the best practice, but it's still an effective one.

As noted, you can splash some water into your stone to see if it needs to soak. If it soaks the water almost immediately, then it's probably a soaking stone. If the water pools up, then it's a splash and go.. Prolonged exposure to water can weaken a stone and cause it to crack and wear faster, so the safest method is to treat all stones like a splash and go water stone if you don't know. The only reason to soak a stone is so the stone doesn't keep absorbing water as you work it, and you're not constantly rewetting it. So you don't need to soak a waterstone for performance or for the benefit of the stone, but rather for the convenience of the person using it. And after you've used it a bit, you'll figure out what kind of stone it is.

One thing to watch out for is, it's easy to switch a stone from water to oil. But switching from oil to water can be a challenge. So unless you know for a fact that it's an oil stone, then start with water. And if it clogs up quickly, then that might mean it's an oil stone.

Also some people prefer other lubricants for their whetstones. Keroses is a common one. Alcohol is sometimes used. since they're both thinner than water, they will cut faster. But sometimes solvents can damage the stone, so they're best avoided unless you know for sure that they're safe to use.

Though, if you have a modern smartphone, you can usually take a picture of the manual and translate the text to English. It's usually pretty rough, but you can probably get the gist. Or go to their website. Since the box as English on it, they probably have an English language website. And if not, many browsers have the option to translate text these days.

[Rafael Herrera]

This may get you started. See the video description for details on this type of stone.
(These are type which made me switch to oilstones, soaking and frequent flattening.)

https://youtu.be/7gvjoND6ziI

[steven c newman]

Have yet to even open either package, yet...as I am not currently in need of any sharpening being done...However, after the current Project is completed, I usually spent about a week, getting dull tools sharp...cleaned up...and put away...

I will keep an eye on this thread...and ask questions as I go along....and the bald patch on my left forearm grows it's hair back....

Currently, I have 2 oil stones I use....so "Splash & Go" will take some getting used to...

[John C Cox]

Any chance you can contact the folks who sent them and ask what they are - brand/series? That's where I would start. From there, check the manufacturer's website. That will pin down whether they're "soakers" or "splash and go."

[Rafael Herrera]

That's why I pointed out the video, they're described as soakers, not splash and go. A little research doesn't take too much time.

[steven c newman]

Does this help?
suehiro-toishi.com

Ceramix Whetstone...CERAX.....CR-2800 and CR 4800

[steven c newman]

Appears to be a "soaking stone" fill the tray with water, allow to soak for 10 minutes, then use...we'll see how this goes....

[John C Cox]

I would do some research on the Suehiro Cerax series. Do they need to be stored wet or can they dry out? Some soakers crack when they dry out and others turn to mush if you store them wet.

Also... Be prepared to flatten reasonably often. It doesn't take much when you keep up with it.