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OK I know this will completey expose my noobiness, but I still have trouble grasping the concept of slurry when honing. I looked at the thread showing the microscopic edges after honing and couldn't understand what it meant by "with slurry" and "no slurry"
Can someone please elaborate?
Thanks
Slurry is just a suspension of abrasive particles and water. By rubbing a smaller slurry stone on the sharpening stone, you release small particles. This helps the stone cut faster by having more abrasive in contact with the edge. Most artificial stones are used without creating a slurry.
Yep, the slurry is just the stone's grit that has been released by the honing action or by rubbing another stone on top of the original one.
What the slurry actually does depends on the type of stone. The Coticule and Thuringian stones abrade faster with a slurry, as do man-made hones, because there is more abrasive in contact with the steel. Japanese stones tend to polish better with a slurry because the grit particles break down into ever smaller pieces that make the stone seem finer than when used with just water as a lubricant.
More than you needed to know, probably, but it can't hurt.
True - it can't hurt to have too much info. And in that spirit, I have noticed that on some stones too much slurry can actually be detrimental. Still trying to figure out why but there are theories.
James.
Slurry looks like dirty, muddy water.