Thread: Natural finisher from Montenegro

Davor I think you and I need to figure out a way to meet. Perhaps I'll come to Zagreb at some point.. the daytime job takes me around quite a bit. I cannot relate to your experience, because I don't have ANY synthetic hones beyound 1K [emoji1]

So my experiments with this stone are based purely on natural naguras and so far I've used tomo (the same kind), botan, tsushima, yellow lake and thuringian slurry stones. As you say, the stone is very hard, so it allows me to use almost all naguras available.. the stone (base) will almost always be harder.

I need to get myself some synthetics it seems.. at least I'll get that 8K synthetic nagura (the King one I think) very soon, so that should help some I guess.

Originally Posted by Srdjan

Davor I think you and I need to figure out a way to meet. Perhaps I'll come to Zagreb at some point.. the daytime job takes me around quite a bit. I cannot relate to your experience, because I don't have ANY synthetic hones beyound 1K [emoji1]

So my experiments with this stone are based purely on natural naguras and so far I've used tomo (the same kind), botan, tsushima, yellow lake and thuringian slurry stones. As you say, the stone is very hard, so it allows me to use almost all naguras available.. the stone (base) will almost always be harder.

I need to get myself some synthetics it seems.. at least I'll get that 8K synthetic nagura (the King one I think) very soon, so that should help some I guess.

If you visit Zagreb please don't hesitate to call me.

To "revitalize" this post, my good friend Srdjan shipped me two of these stones a few weeks back, and it took a while for them to arrive.
I tested the stone yesterday with a razor with a slurry stone progression and today with a medium quality knife, to test its speed.
The stone could very well pass for a Jnat if the color was darker with an iron containing minerals "skin". It's very very hard, and the stone asks you to use a slurry stone progression. It also feels good, nice feeling while honing. I also got a slurry stone, but with the hardness of this type of stone, it's difficult to raise slurry with it.
It's also quite a slow stone, one of the slowest and gentlest I have seen on steel. You can use it as the perfect base stone and any slurry stone/nagura will work, with the edge getting the characteristics of the slurry stone entirely. Raising slurry even with the atoma 400 takes some time, and the slurry of the stone itself does not contain a lot of cutting particles. Today I used a medium quality knife, <55RC hardness, and honed it with the slurry of the stone. It took a lot of time for the slurry to change color.
All in all, I like this stone very much, very versatile, and you can use it for progression with slurry stones after bevel setting with great results. I have yet to shave with its edge, but the stone is great.
Here are a few photos I took when I received it and start honing

Good to hear from you Vasili, I'm happy if you're happy!

Like every person so far, you're struggling with the slurry and you're right, this is a very hard stone! Sometimes I have to rub the edge of the slurry stone against the base, but I make sure it's nice and rounded, so that it doesn't break off and that helps a lot. There is also another thing that will help raise slurry. Essentially, you need to roughen the surface of the slurry stone. If you take some large grit SiC, rough sandpaper, or some fine gravel you could rub the slurry stone on that. It will create deeper scratches, which will then release particles when rubbed on the base stone easily. When the slurry stone is smooth, there is almost no way to use it, so the message is, make sure it's a little rough. Again, you have to be careful and not let larger chunks break off.

Now, I am really surprised to hear that even Atoma 400 struggles. I don't own one, so I can't really comment... just curious, how much pressure you using? Are you holding both stones in your hands, or is one sat on the table?

I also rise slurry with Atoma400. Nice post Vaslis I agree with everything. I have to try this stone as base and use Tomo nagura I have, maybe with Coticule slurry also. Will inform you about results.

Originally Posted by Srdjan

Good to hear from you Vasili, I'm happy if you're happy!

Like every person so far, you're struggling with the slurry and you're right, this is a very hard stone! Sometimes I have to rub the edge of the slurry stone against the base, but I make sure it's nice and rounded, so that it doesn't break off and that helps a lot. There is also another thing that will help raise slurry. Essentially, you need to roughen the surface of the slurry stone. If you take some large grit SiC, rough sandpaper, or some fine gravel you could rub the slurry stone on that. It will create deeper scratches, which will then release particles when rubbed on the base stone easily. When the slurry stone is smooth, there is almost no way to use it, so the message is, make sure it's a little rough. Again, you have to be careful and not let larger chunks break off.

Now, I am really surprised to hear that even Atoma 400 struggles. I don't own one, so I can't really comment... just curious, how much pressure you using? Are you holding both stones in your hands, or is one sat on the table?

The slurry from this stone does not contain a lot of cutting particles, mo matter how thick the slurry is, but that's not a real problem. The first time I used it, without even knowing its cutting power I used a coticule slurry stone on it, and worked nicely. With it's own slurry, I think it's too slow to be used for anything else than finishing. I also think that it's impossible to overhone a blade on this stone. 500 passes on this stone is like 10 on a coticule.
As for the atoma, it does not struggle, it's this stone that does not release slurry. I was using the 1/3rd of the plate and was rubbing with it the stone higher, in the middle, and lower, I didn't want to lose any slurry, but there is no standard method for this thing, you can do it any way you want. I wasn't also using any pressure, the weight of the plate basically, and it has a 1/3rd of the weight of a DMT or that type of diamond plates. It's always a good idea not to use pressure on any diamond plate, it will last longer.

Very interesting. I have one as well. Also from Srdjan. And honestly your experience doesn't sound like mine. But I have been binge buying hones for the past few months so I haven't used it too much.

I have to try it out again but I think that mine had decent cutting pover. And I wasn't struggling as much as you are to make a slurry. Maybe yours comes from a harder strata?

I have a couple of razors to sharpen today so I'll do one of them on the montenegro and report back.

I do like my Montenegro stone.

That's a pretty stone. If it's a slow cutter, why do you think that is? Do you think it's an abrasive maybe similar to the hindostan hones, but finer? (those are slow for their particle size).

I've got stones from fast to slow, but the slowest I have is a green chinese agate. It's almost as if the abrasive itself feels soft. If a razor is brought to it in a good state, though, it can make it blindingly sharp with some patience.

Vasilis, would love to hear what you think of the shave so please report back.