Thread: Atoma vs DMT

hi JimmyHAD,

Do you have a link to So's site?

thanks

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

I was interested in one a few years ago. I guess I saw So's article on his site. A + 1 on So being the most knowledgeable on j-nats etcetera. Anyway, at the time I was looking at them they were a lot more expensive than a dmt and when I found out they had a removable top and an aluminum base that turned me off. At least that is what I seem to remember from back then. I prefer generating slurry with the same type rock as the hone to doing it with a diamond plate. I once read that you can end up with residue from the plate .... i.e. diamond in the slurry. I don't know if that is accurate but coticule slurry stones for coticules, eschers for eschers is working for me.

So's site is Japan Tool. The Atoma part is:

Japan Tool - Synthetic Sharpening Stones - Atoma Diamond Sharpener

Other places sell the Atomas too, such as Tools From Japan.

James.

I also prefer to use a piece of the same stone (tomonagura) if available. This would be for circumstances where you do not have a piece of the original hone, and want slurry generated from the host hone, or Honzan?

I've heard stories where diamonds become embedded in hones, etc...I chock that up to faulty construction of the plate. That's part of the reason DMT just came out with a plate specifically for lapping. It's supposed to be constructed better, and has better adhesion of the diamonds, but it's too course for slurry making, great for lapping. I haven't had any trouble in that respect with my dmt's. I guess it's personal preference then?

If I had to choose a diamond plate, than Atoma all the way. Obviously a tomonagura is best if you fear that some diamonds will contaminate your slurry, but I never had this issue with mine.

I like the Atoma too and have only had the diamonds fall out when grinding an axe head at too obtuse an angle to where the blade dug into the diamond sheet. Here is a video of how to change the diamond sheet while reusing the plate.
Atoma diamond sheet replacement. - YouTube