Silicon Carbide Powder Honing and Lapping Plate Leather Strop Diamond Paste Honing Compound Honing Oil Tormek Grinder Don’t let using a jig become a habit for normal sharpening, though. It’s very embarrassing. That would be like using a wheelchair to keep your shoes from wearing out: your shoes will look great but eventually you won’t be able to get around without it. Sooo embarrassing. However, do remember that every blade is unique and what works for one katana may not work for another. It's important to get to know your blade and adjust your techniques accordingly. This is part of the beauty of owning a katana - each one has its own personality, its own needs, and its own story to tell. Common Mistakes to Avoid

In general I don't use a nagura stone these days, except to remove high spots on the stone when I am in the middle of working. The Nagura Stones from Naniwa are optional small stones that are used for preparing a slurry on water stones before sharpening. If you prefer to prepare a slurry on your water stone before sharpening, then using nagura stones can enhance the sharpening experience, helping you get the most out of your water stones. Naniwa Nagura work particularly well the the Naniwa Super Stones but they can be used with any water stones. Easy to UseJapanese Honing Guide Other honing guides Whetstone Holder Stone Pond Drawknife Sharpener Flattening Stones FULL POLISH” correct description: To polish a sword after a complete analyses of the sword. The good points and the bad points have to be considered before a sword is placed on a stone. After evaluating the sword a professional polisher will choose at what stone he may want to start at. In many cases, a polisher can start with the Binsu stone or Kaise stone or Nagura stone (For more information please look at “Foundation Polish”). The Arato stone is very aggressive and should be avoided as much as possible. In this way he will remove as little steel as possible. Even starting at a later stone, the work will be very hard, so this sword is still receiving a full polish. After the foundation work the sword will be finish to reveal all the points necessary in a high level polish. Sharpening a katana is a meticulous process that requires a steady hand and an understanding of the blade's structure. The goal is to remove the minimum amount of material necessary to sharpen a katana and restore the edge. This is achieved by maintaining a consistent angle between the blade and the stone, applying even pressure, and sharpening the entire blade, not just the edge.

The heart of the sharpening process lies in the application of the sharpening stone. Traditional Japanese water stones, soaked in water until bubbles cease to rise, are the go-to choice for this task. Starting with the edges of the coarse stone, lay the blade flat on the stone and then tilt it slightly until you find the correct angle. This correct angle, typically between 15 and 20 degrees for a katana, is crucial for achieving a razor-sharp edge. With artificial waterstones, which are far more common these days, there is of course no contamination that needs to be removed and most people use flattening plates of some sort to keep their stones flat. If you use a diamond stone for flattening and you just let the stone dry with the slurry from flattening on it and you have lots of slurry. In that sense the nagura is obsolete.A Nagura stone is a small waterstone, the word "nagura" means "correcting" in Japanese. The stone is used to condition waterstones during use. For natural waterstones their use is to wear away hard particles or contamination in the waterstone, and to selectively allow flattening by being rubbed on a high spots on the stone. Another usage is to create slurry. Sharpening a katana is only part of the battle. Once your blade is sharpened, it's important to take care of it to maintain its edge and preserve its overall condition. This involves cleaning the blade after sharpening, storing it correctly, and performing regular maintenance. I've asked a lot of questions of this sub lately And every time you guys have given me extremely insightful answers.