Thread: Switching Slurries on Coti's/BBW's

I was wondering if anyone has experimented with this. I, from time to time have started a yellow slurry on a bbw to increase it's cutting power. I have also use the blue slurry on the yellow, then yellow slurry, then water..Sorry, I messed up earlier...Normally, I keep my host hone and slurry the same. Except, With Coticule, it just seemed natural to do. Anyone else?

I'm not really a slurry user, although I do have a coticule/BBW slurry stone. I'm soon to receive a nagura from OLD_SCHOOL for my nakayama, which is basically a little piece of a finishing stone. I actually wondered about trying the nakayama nagura on my little escher. I know it would be mixing stone types, but I'm sure the slurry from the nakayama nagura would be finer than just an escher slurry, so I can't see it hurting. It was just a thought that I had earlier and your thread reminded me.

Originally Posted by zib

I, from time to time have started a purple slurry on a Coticule just to give it an extra boost while honing.

What effect did you see? I was always under the impression that the garnets are the same size in both, but that the concentration is greater in the yellow. I would imagine that yellow slurry would be more aggressive, not the other way around. Isn't this why Bart was using milky yellow slurry for bevels and not the BBW?

If you use dissimilar stones for slurry as opposed to the hone and you use a harder slurry stone you will wear you hone and most of the slurry will be from the slurry stone which might defeat the purpose of using the hone in the first place. Usually the slurry stone is the same as the hone or is softer. Very often with Japanese Natural Stones the slurry stone (nagura) is softer-way softer, almost like chalk.

This is what I was wondering, Since both the BBW and Coticule are similar, but different grits, would using a yellow slurry on a bbw increase it's cuttin power....

Sorry. I meant, Using a Yellow or Coticule Slurry on a BBW, not the other way around...

Originally Posted by RayG

What effect did you see? I was always under the impression that the garnets are the same size in both, but that the concentration is greater in the yellow. I would imagine that yellow slurry would be more aggressive, not the other way around. Isn't this why Bart was using milky yellow slurry for bevels and not the BBW?

Yes, I messed up Ray, re read it...I meant the other way around. I got confused...I would think, and I'm not 100% sure on this. I'm going to the source and checking with Rob, since Bart's not here, but I would think that the garnet's would be larger or smaller, depending on Grit.I am no expert, by any means. I dont' think it's the concentration of garnet that change the grit on these stones, but I will find out....

Bart said that the garnets in the blue are larger than the garnets in the yellow IIRC. I also recall someone (not sure who) posting that they used a yellow slurry stone on a blue because they only had the yellow/slate slurry stone. I don't know that it hurt or helped.

I do recall mparker posting that a nagura is not a slurry stone and that it wouldn't be a good idea to use it as one. With stones that I don't have a slurry stone for I use a DMT 3" 325 credit card sized continuous plate. Works well for me.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Bart said that the garnets in the blue are larger than the garnets in the yellow IIRC. I also recall someone (not sure who) posting that they used a yellow slurry stone on a blue because they only had the yellow/slate slurry stone. I don't know that it hurt or helped.

I do recall mparker posting that a nagura is not a slurry stone and that it wouldn't be a good idea to use it as one. With stones that I don't have a slurry stone for I use a DMT 3" 325 credit card sized continuous plate. Works well for me.

That's a good idea, those small DMT's. Larger Garnet's in the blue make sense, if you think about it. I mean, it works, I got great edges by doing that. The thing is, I seldomly stop at a coticule, I'll go on to a Shapton, or Nakayama, sometimes, I'll stop at the Naniwa, also a great finisher....

Naguras are pretty much sold exclusively as slurry stones.

You know when your talking hones with garnets there are many factors to consider. There's the type of garnet, the type of xtl, the size of the xtl and how readily the stone comprising the hone gives up the garnets.

nagura is an upper middle stone. Both a harder and softer one are used by nihonto togi -a very good one of sword polishing size is worth thousand(s) of dollars.

A block of chalk rubbed on a hard, fine razor finish hone is unlikely to help with what we want to do. the same or similar stone or diamond does