Buying equipment and cleaning stones (Ideas for Guide)

[Erythen]

Hello,
I'm putting together two guides about Go equipment and wanted impute on what you might want to see included.

The first is a simple guide (with pictures) on how to clean Go Stones with a particular emphasis on Slate and Shell. Is there anything in particular you'd like to see me add to the article?

The second is a much larger and more detailed guide (again with pictures) about purchasing quality Go equipment and how to avoid scams (of ignorance or intent) on Ebay and Yahoo Auctions Japan. I want to cover everything from bowls and boards to the different varieties of stones. Grades, sizes, care of and so on. Any angles of interest you think should be included?

Thank you

[tchan001]

Cleaning go stones:
What should we use to clean go stones in general?
What should we use to clean the really old go stones with the brown grime if we purchase such stones used?
What type of wax is recommended for use after the cleaning?
It seems some sites recommend using white powder ibotaro wax after cleaning? Is that the best and if so where to source it? And is there a special form of ibotaro wax we should look for or just ibotaro wax in general?

Purchasing equipment (go boards):
Please explain the different type of woods used in making go boards according to their value as just wood type (not cut) and how we should recognize each wood type.
Please explain how much more we should expect to pay for the different cuts of the same wood type.
Please explain how we should look for go boards which are properly dried so they are less prone to warping and cracking.
How do we value a go board if the ends are painted and we can't distinguish the grain?
How do we distinguish between boards made in Japan and Korea? Are there special features which make boards from one country worth more than the other?
How do we value an old go boards with calligraphy from famous players from the modern and ancient past?

Purchasing equipment (go bowls):
Please explain the different types of woods used in making go bowls according to their value as just wood type (not cut) and how we should recognize each wood type.
Please explain the value of the different cuts used to make go bowls and what we should look for.
Please explain the value of the beautiful knots (moku) and how much more we are expected to pay for such compared with normal wood grain of the same wood. Also please let us know which woods have beautiful knots made into go bowls.
Please explain the various type of makie lacquer artwork we can expect to see on the market and a general guide as to how such artwork adds value to the go bowls. Specifically the value of the different type of makie techniques if we disregard the value of the artwork as artwork itself is very subjective.
How do we care for go bowls with makie artwork?

Purchasing equipment (go stones)
In purchasing slate and shell, what is the best way to distinguish the origin of the shell? Domestic Japanese vs. Mexican
How do we know the origin of the shell in "old" stones which are covered with brown grime and can only be viewed on the internet?
How do we distinguish the shell stones made from giant clams and what is their value compared with the other types of clam shell stones?
How do we value stones made from agate or jade (nephrite and jadeite)?
How do we look for the ideal thickness of go stones for our personal use?
If we are purchasing as a collector, how much more valuable is a set of slate and domestic Japanese shell go stones with a certificate from the manufacturer compared with the same set without the certificate.

[sybob]

I think such a guide would be very welcome, Erythen.
But perhaps less extensive than as suggested by tchan001: then you would have to come up some sort of an encyclopedia (?).