White #3 Steel and Natural Whetstones

Today, I worked on Honbaduke for a 270mm Yanagiba made of White #3 steel by Doi.
I had a natural finishing stone, Yokoyama, that had been sitting around for a while, so I decided to put it to use.
It’s a relatively soft stone, producing a mud that feels similar to a soft Aoto.

The slurry wasn’t like that of a finishing stone but more like Aoto, which left the blade with those distinctive Aoto-style patterns.
Since it’s a natural combination stone, that’s to be expected. Still, the grit felt fine, resulting in an incredibly smooth edge.
I avoided adding Itohiki intentionally and went straight into honing. It feels like the impressive sharpness comes from the synergy between Doi’s White #3 steel and the Yokoyama stone.
For practical use, though, adding Itohiki might be a good idea.

When aiming for a flat bevel, a step always forms near the tip’s curve.
Trying to remove that step often means losing the curve altogether.
The “margin” left to preserve the curve ends up as that step.
To eliminate it, you’d either need to glide smoothly in the slurry for a polishing finish or move the stone directly on the blade. Both options seem like the way forward.

For various reasons, I rounded off the Ago (heel) section. It helps prevent injuries, as that part can sometimes cut or even stab your hand.
It’s always tricky to predict the final finish, but there’s something undeniably special about natural stones. 🙂

• 2015-07-08