Thread: Okudo Karasu

Originally Posted by livio

Thank you, is a big difference btw Atoma 1200 and DMT 1200?

I find that the Atoma creates less suction than the DMT. Also after 5 years of using the Atoma I have never had a diamond fall out during any normal slurry raising actions. The action needed to raise a light slurry puts very little pressure of the individual diamonds as the burden is distributed evenly over the whole diamond plate surface.

If I am not mistaken I believe that Onimaur55 is suggesting that using a DMT to flatten or raise a slurry on a very hard stone will wear out the DMT, not wear out the stone.

The idea that using a diamond plate to raise a light slurry will quickly wear out a stone, well I know that over time it would, yes. I have flattened literally 100s of stones with the Atoma 400 plate, and I am a stronger man for it, and I am using as fresh a plate as I have, bearing down with my full body weight under running water. It is such a chore that I have to take breaks and even walk away from it for a few minutes. It takes so much time and effort to just lap out a 0.05mm divot, I cannot see myself actually wearing out a 20mm thick hard awasedo razor hone in a lifetime of normal slurry raising. Softer stones, yes, they do wear out faster and under an Atoma you can get that divot out in maybe 2/3rds the time, but really hard stones like razor users have, it would be a slow process to deminish a stone.

About your HHT tests. After you strop, try your HHT and then go back to the stone and do a series of lighter pressure strokes like weight of the razor ones, maybe 10 or 15 per side and then strop again. This second honing after the initial stropping can make a big difference.

I have found (and I always count strokes) that if you add more honing strokes on one side of the blade than the other the foil edge can favor one side of the blade. And if you are not light handed towards the end of the honing session you can end with that edge laying over and favoring one side or the other. Stropping should remove the foil and that is why the HHT can improve, but going back for a few more strokes after the first strop can help to make sure that the false edge is gone.


Alx