Thread: Okudo Karasu

Originally Posted by livio

I have a piece of translucent ark, hardest stone know to me.

Ok, check that you don't scratch up bigger particles but instead rub it gently to get a fine even slurry.
Hard to know how your stone is without trying it, I'll put on some coffee if you got time to bring it over!

Thank you, I would love some coffee, and I would love to visit Sweden, the stone is lapped up to 2k, and the ark don't scratch the surface. I will use it more without slurry,
to get an iddea what the stone can do. Even without slurry , in 2 min, the water became darker, maybe is the karasu strata. Why I can get HHT if the edge is better?

I've noticed the "HHT" phenomenon too off one or two of my Jnats (except for me it is not HHT, it is the arm hair waft). Straight off the stone, nothing. But after a very good stropping I do get good hair tests. I always thought it had something to do with the particles floating around in the water and kind of banging into the edge - I think they call it slurry dulling or something. But the particles are small and as I said a good stropping seems to remove any issue. What happens to yours after you strop it?

If you can afford it I would suggest that a good quality diamond plate in the 1K region is an excellent way to both make slurry on a hard Jnat and keep it lapped and clean. I use an Atoma 1.2K diamond plate for this purpose on all my harder Jnats. Yes, they cost more initially but they last a very long time and are of excellent quality for the money.

Good luck.

James.

Thank you James, I have a DMT 1200, but it won't scratch the surface? The best way is to have a piece of the own stone? Maybe I will make it a rectangle, and I can hace a slurry from the stone.After stropping still no HHT, but again shaving is very smooth, even ATG.

I cannot speak for the DMT, but my Atoma 1.2K leaves my stone nice and smooth with no noticeable scratches. If there are any they certainly do not impact on the edge imparted on my razors. This is the second Atoma I have used for this purpose and both have behaved identically in this respect. And although 2 is not a huge sample, it makes me feel that it is not a fluke with these diamond plates.

James.

I lapped on DMT 1200 and on wet and dry sandpaper 2K, there are no visible scratches.
I will buy a Atoma when my DMT is getting older.

Originally Posted by livio

I lapped on DMT 1200 and on wet and dry sandpaper 2K, there are no visible scratches.
I will buy a Atoma when my DMT is getting older.

I wouldn't use the DMT 1200 on any stone especially on a hard fast stone. It will wear out quickly.

I also think the possibility of mixing particles from the ark with the Jnat may not give you a true picture of its potential.

Here's a few things to experiment with: After 12 k I use nothing coarser than tenjyo nagura & then only a thin slurry. Mejiro or koma would be finer alternatives than tenjyo. A few laps on water to finish could be ideal. I don't bother with tomo but sometimes use my Atoma 1200 for an invisible slurry , 6-10 circles on the Jnat.

I would go with a tomo nagura but that is becourse it's traditional.
Diamond plates work fine to but will usually give you a coarser slurry.
The DMT 1200 will be fine for making a little slurry, what it won't like is heavy work like flatten your stone.
The diamonds are so small that the slurry will start to eat the substrate holding them to the plate.
It won't really scratch your stone at all and as soon you start to hone on it the surface will be even finer.

A good tomo nagura will give you a finer slurry to start with, some times good for a quick touch up or to end the nagura progression.
The DMT won't make it as fine but it will break down as you hone.

A little sodium carbonate in the water will make it more slippery and give you some rust protection while honing, carbon steel can rust fast!

How come you got a karasu?

Thank you very much for your help. I got the stone on Ebay, from 330 Mate, I know is a gamble with this seller, but I was thinking at 70$ can't go wrong. I just want to make the stone as rectangle as posible. It is 7x 2 1/2, almost ideal for razors.Is Karasu a good stone?