I have taken advantage of Rob Porcaro’s expertise and generosity a couple of times (here and here) in the past and do so again today with impunity. Rob has three recent posts on his Heartwood blog that may be of interest to you, the sharpening literati.
The first is about his love affair with his new Naniwa Chosera finishing stone — and who can blame him? The Chosera stones are well respected and somewhat famous for their excellent “feel”.
In his next entry he explores the mysteries of the nagura, a small, soft stone used to dress a waterstone and generate a slurry on the surface. As with so many sharpening tools and techniques the use of the nagura can be controversial (see page 73 of your copy of The Perfect Edge). Rob’s questions and answers go a long way to explain the fine points of final honing using a nagura stone.
In Rob’s most recent of the three posts he explores the ins and outs of using a 1200x diamond “stone” as a nagura. I think Rob’s on to something here. Maybe it’s time for Atoma and DMT to pay attention.
Thanks for sharing this with us, Rob. Good work!
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