La Lune Amakusa Combo 200 x 60mm W Double Sided Bout Med / Fine

A natural combo stone made with French and Japanese stones. The fine La Lune stone is a naturally occurring slate from the French Ardennes with an approximately 5-8K finish paired with a white Amakusa (volcanic tuff) from Kyushu that cuts around 800-1000 grit. 

The La Lune stone will cut at approximately 5K with a rich slurry generated with the bout, or slurry stone cut from the same stone (same idea as tomo nagura), as the slurry is worn with use and thinned with more water to eventually using only water on the stone surface the approximate finish is around 8K. It has a tiny bit toothier feel than a synthetic stone of the same 5-8K finish and looks a little different than a Japanese honyama of a comparable grit in that the scratches of La Lune seem to be a tad more angular. 

The La Lune brand was an old French sharpening stone brand which was famous but production ceased, it was revived in 2021 by Nicolas Rollin who is cutting these great stones again. 

We did our experiments with water and are inclined towards it, but this stone can be used with either oil or glycerin which can produce a brighter looking finish. The stone does not absorb oil or glycerin and can be washed clean with soapy water if desired. 

These Ardennes slates have been used for quarrying natural stones for many hundreds of years and even with the advent of modern synthetic stones they are still relevant for creating nuanced razor keen edges. 

This grit estimates are based on entirely subjective judgment of comparing the cutting speed and scratch pattern of natural and synthetic Japanese stones, being natural stones they cannot be graded in the same way as synthetic stones which use a measurable industrial grit.

200 X 60 X 25mm