Thread: Nakayama Maruka

Probably you are right, Job. Cheers.

Originally Posted by Vasilis

I know more about atoma diamond plates than DMTs, but from what I do know and have seen more than a few times, it's not a good idea to use a DMT or Eze-Lap fine grade plates for slurry making. Both companies explicitly say not to do that, and a lot of people have seen why. It's much easier to have particles dislodged and becoming part of the slurry. And that happens in a faster rate if there is already slurry and you are trying to generate more. Anything finer than the 325 grit is not a safe choice for slurry making, even the 325 can give you problems. And, you also have to wear the plate a little, because in its early stages, a lot of particles are in relatively loose position, and will be removed from the surface of the plate when they have the chance.
As for the atoma plates, they are different, and can be used from 120 to 1200 without any problems, and don't require to be well worn either, although it wouldn't hurt.

I have 2 Atoma 1200 plates. Either way if they do anything other than visibly polish my Jnat I don't wanna use them

But the point is to use them to create a very fine slurry consisting of particles coming from the original hone. This in turn is used to polish the bevel on your razor.

Originally Posted by sstomcat

But the point is to use them to create a very fine slurry consisting of particles coming from the original hone. This in turn is used to polish the bevel on your razor.

Yes but not at the expense of scratching or roughing up my Nakayamas surface

If you produce slurry, you produce scratches.

I don't care for the diamond plate to make visible scratches, so the one I use with all the diamonds missing in the center does not. But it does produce some at some level, otherwise it would not generate slurry and neither would a tomo nagura.

I only use a diamond slurry plate for that use, it's mellowed out and when it's suitable for generating slurry, I want it to last as long as posiible in this capacity so it is not used for anything else.

Everyone has to do what they're comfortable with so YMMV.

Cheers, Steve

Originally Posted by onimaru55

2 reasons a DMT will scratch the stone.
1. It has high spots. These will create irregular patterning (See pic with obvious circled areas)
2. The stone is not "well" worn.

A well worn DMT C will leave a virtual mirror finish on a stone even finer than the 1200 Atoma surfaced stone pictured below.

Whats a DMT C?? thanks

Originally Posted by JOB15

I have 2 Atoma 1200 plates. Either way if they do anything other than visibly polish my Jnat I don't wanna use them

The wear from an atoma 1200 will be about two microns, even less. By this rate, how long do you estimate your stone to last, every time you raise slurry? We are not talking about translucent Arkansas stones. Jnats have a specific particle size no matter how you want them to release it. And even if you were to produce a 10 or 20 micron sized particles from a coarse diamond plate, they would brake to their actual size, about 2-3micron fast. I expect most of you to know that the looks don't matter too much on hones, among other things. Having a mirror polished surface and trying to keep it this way no matter what is not what honing is about.

PS: C stands for Coarse

Originally Posted by Vasilis

The wear from an atoma 1200 will be about two microns, even less. By this rate, how long do you estimate your stone to last, every time you raise slurry? We are not talking about translucent Arkansas stones. Jnats have a specific particle size no matter how you want them to release it. And even if you were to produce a 10 or 20 micron sized particles from a coarse diamond plate, they would brake to their actual size, about 2-3micron fast. I expect most of you to know that the looks don't matter too much on hones, among other things. Having a mirror polished surface and trying to keep it this way no matter what is not what honing is about.

PS: C stands for Coarse

I've been lead to believe that a mirrored finish is whats best for honing on a Jnat.

The fact that my hone is releasing a lot more slurry with a Nagura , after DMT usage , means that the surface has been roughed up and that cant be good. Or at least I think it cant be good.
When I use a pure white chalk nagura , I expect white slurry not brown slurry.


Maybe the fact that my stone produces dark brown slurry makes these things more obvious?

OK back to the topic of Marukas, is color like dull yellow, light green, bands of brown/red or grey a tell tale sign of quality? or purely aesthetics driving prices?
I know that yellowish Kittas are in highest demand, and they do look good specially those that are uniform and homogenous, over the mundane greyish Asagi Marukas, but is there more to it than the looks?

Originally Posted by JOB15

I have always assumed that it works like this:
The seller acquires his stones from Japan or where ever. He/She having knowledge of these stones, tests them and decides , this one is about a 4 and this one is very hard its a definite 5+ and so on.. So I don't think its a scientific process .

Spot on! About the same way certain grit sizes are attributed on SRP to Eschers, coticules and barber hones. We use the stone a couple of times and guesstimate