Thread: Jnat finishing

Perhaps polar would have been better wording. Either way I learned a lot in this thread. Before this I thought the mirror finish was what was needed to get a good shave.

I also finish with very thin slurry tinged water, using a well-worn Atoma 1200. Take a look at the image and you can see how worn it is. It won't scratch the hone no matter how hard you press, and it doesn't generate slurry fast. I'm in the process of curating a couple more to take its place as it's approaching the end of its useful life. I think Alex Gilmore is the only one with one worn more than this one.

If your plate isn't well worn, the slurry initially doesn't feel as smooth but like Onimaru55 I can tell little if any difference in the final result. With my worn plate, I can tell no difference. That's not to say that some natural naguras won't produce a better result, but it won't be because of the slurry "size", and ones that would beat this plate are uncommon.

Cheers, Steve

Originally Posted by onimaru55

How much slurry you make & how hard you press & how worn your diamond plate is will all make a difference to your honing results. What I call a final slurry most would call clear water. I know Jimbo has a similar Asagi to me & works his the same. I'm also sure I've posted enough of my cosmetically polished edges using Atoma "slurry" that are not scratched or chipped. The particle size theory may well be a moot point if the tools are handled correctly.

Glenn I tried your mud to dust on my stone, but I didn't get great results. Now I'm left to wonder if it was the operator, the stone, or both lol. I going to be spending a lot of time with my Koppa the next few weeks I'm thinking. The dmt slurry edge seems better than Tomo to me. I have been going Tomo slurry then dmt slurry which might be edge overkill but I have not had any over honing issues yet.

Originally Posted by aa1192

Glenn I tried your mud to dust on my stone, but I didn't get great results. Now I'm left to wonder if it was the operator, the stone, or both lol. I going to be spending a lot of time with my Koppa the next few weeks I'm thinking. The dmt slurry edge seems better than Tomo to me. I have been going Tomo slurry then dmt slurry which might be edge overkill but I have not had any over honing issues yet.

Wish I could take credit for the "Mud to Dust" but I saw it on a Shushi Knife honing vid back when I was using only a Norton 4/8 and used it to get the most outta my Norton 8k
I have tried it on about every stone since, some successfully, some with abject failure..

Just so long as you adjust only one thing at a time as you experiment, then you can narrow down to the results that work best for you, after all that is what really counts..

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Wish I could take credit for the "Mud to Dust" but I saw it on a Shushi Knife honing vid back when I was using only a Norton 4/8 and used it to get the most outta my Norton 8k
I have tried it on about every stone since, some successfully, some with abject failure..

Just so long as you adjust only one thing at a time as you experiment, then you can narrow down to the results that work best for you, after all that is what really counts..

How did it work out with the Norton? From watching your vids I am assuming you're using mostly the damp to dry on the Norton 8k now? I think the Jnat edges I have gotten so far are the best I have ever had. I just got an Escher the same day and only tested it a little, but so far I would say I prefer the Jnat. Too many stones at times to give them all the energy they deserve. I guess I should dedicate a month to truly master each hone and experiment; though that may not even be enough time. My ADHD doesn't help either...

Originally Posted by aa1192

How did it work out with the Norton? From watching your vids I am assuming you're using mostly the damp to dry on the Norton 8k now? I think the Jnat edges I have gotten so far are the best I have ever had. I just got an Escher the same day and only tested it a little, but so far I would say I prefer the Jnat. Too many stones at times to give them all the energy they deserve. I guess I should dedicate a month to truly master each hone and experiment; though that may not even be enough time. My ADHD doesn't help either...

A month to truly master a stone is unrealistic imo.

Originally Posted by bill3152

A month to truly master a stone is unrealistic imo.

i have jnats from 2 years ago that im just starting to figure out.. hone and shave shave and hone

I think the term 'master' is an appropriate one for this goal. I feel like I am working through my first repetitions of the exercise, just trying to get the 'snap'.

I tried having right off the Shuobu today, with some residual mejiro dust/dried on powder. Smooth edge but still not sharp enough, and left some irritation. Turns out this W&B is rather seriously warped.

I remain undaunted.

Iwasaki's method of CrO on felt then back to the stone with water only for a light touch up is an option I recommend but the edge has to be sharp in the first place..