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Aizu Large 24 Type #80146A24

Aizu Large 24 Type #80146A24

$280.00 USD
$280.00 USD
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dimensions

193mm x 67mm x 57mm
Weight: 1653g

This  is an Aizu-to (会津砥). It is a highly sought after medium-to-fine grit hone originating from Minami-Aizu, Fukushima Prefecture. It is comparable by feel to  approx. ~1200–3000 grit synthetics , making it an outstanding bridge stone (Chu-to / Medium Finisher) between coarse bevel-setting and final polishing on ultra-fine Awasedo hones.

Key Characteristics of Aizu Stones:

Grit & Cutting Speed: Fast-cutting for a natural stone. It cleans up coarse scratch patterns quickly while refining the edge to a sharp, toothy ~3,000 grit finish.

Hardness: Lv. 3-3.5

Slurry & Tactile Feedback: Works up a It produces a soft, creamy slurry when used with a nagura. It provides a tactile, non-slick feel that gives high control over bevel angles. Leaves a beautiful, misty kasumi finish on clad knives (bringing out contrast between soft iron cladding and hard steel core).

care instructions

1. Preparation & Water Management
Splash-and-Go Only: Never soak your natural finishing stone in a water bath. Prolonged submersion softens the natural binders and risks cracking or delamination along natural mineral lines.
Surface Wetting: Mist or splash clean water onto the working face just before sharpening. Add water sparingly throughout your session to maintain a slick working surface.
Bench Placement: Place the stone on a non-slip rubber base or a dedicated wooden stone holder with gentle clamping pressure.
2. Slurry Generation & Sharpening
Soft to Medium Stones (Hardness 2.5–3.5): These stones naturally release their own slurry under light blade pressure. Let the auto-generated mud do the work; do not wash it away mid-session.
b Use a diamond plate (such as an Atoma 1200), a clean Tomo Nagura, or a Mikawa Nagura to raise a thin, milky slurry in 5 to 10 light circular passes before laying your blade flat.
Pressure & Technique: Maintain light, even pressure. Allow the semi-rounded silica particles in the slurry to break down naturally—this self-refining action creates the signature toothy edge and cloudy kasumi finish.
Slurry Thickness: If the mud becomes too sticky or pasty, add a few drops of water. If it is too thin, work the stone lightly to concentrate the abrasive particles.
3. Cleaning, Drying & Long-Term Care
Rinse Clean: When finished, gently rinse off steel swarf and residual slurry using room-temperature tap water. Do not use dish soap, detergents, or hot water.
Air Dry Indirectly: Wipe the stone dry with a clean towel and allow it to dry completely at room temperature, away from direct sunlight, heating vents, fans, or freeze-thaw cycles.
Storage: Store the completely dry stone flat on a shelf in a climate-controlled room. Avoid enclosing a damp stone in an airtight plastic box.
Edge Lapping: Keep the working surface flat by lightly dressing it with a fine diamond plate (Atoma 1200 or 400) under running water when dish patterns begin to form. Chamfer the outer top perimeter edges lightly to prevent edge chipping during blade passes.

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