Thread: slurry mash up?

When used, slurry can be made in various ways. With synthetic and natural hones, slurry is often produced by abrading the top surface of the hone using diamond plate or piece of stone that is harder than the primary hone. Such a stone is called a nagura. In this instance, the slurry contains mostly particles from the base hone.

Slurry can also be produced by using a nagura that is similar to the primary hone. This is called a tomo nagura with tomo signifying "same". In this case, the slurry contains particles both from the base stone and the nagura.

The third way is to use a very hard base stone and use a set of naguras that are softer than the base hone and vary in grit level. In this instances most of the particles in the slurry come from the nagura stones rather than the base hone. This system allows a single base hone to be used to accomplish all honing tasks from setting bevels to final polishing of the edge depending upon the nagura being used.

Another variable has to do with the characteristics of the abrasive particles in the slurry. Some particles are friable. That means that as you hone on the slurry, the pressure of the blade moving through the slurry breaks the slurry down into finer particles. In that instance, a single slurry can be used for a variety of honing tasks. Other slurries contain particles that are highly resistant to breakdown.