Recent content by catalystman80

I dabbled with this idea when I started sharpening more high alloyed steels such as S90V, 110V, maxamet, etc. I was having a hard time using my Shaptons to cut them to the keenness of my liking, so I tried pasting CBN emulsion of comparable particle size to each stone (eg 1 micron CBN to...

I don't pay much attention to the thickness of the leather, but for my outdoor/hunting knives, I use the flesh side loaded with run of the mill stropping compound (e.g. chromium oxide). The natural give of the suede side makes it a breeze to strop convexed edges. For knives with a bit more...

I used to solely use my Atoma 400 for flattening anything above 600 grit, but now I also use the 140 and 1200. Can't beat 140 in speed of removal, but I do find that I like to finish at least with the 400 to smooth out some deep scratches you can get. Even the 400 can leave some deeper...

great gesture sharing the wealth! on a side note as others mentioned, 5k pro is not the most well liked stone in the lineup. I do think it gives the least (and somewhat weird) feedback. But the end result is actually a pretty good and polished edge. I use other stones in the 5/6k range for...

Gotcha, yeah I normally use 1200 for final lapping (or for raising slurry for straights honing when I don’t feel like doing the Mikawa/Tomo route) unless I decide to smooth it out further with a nagura, so I’d personally prefer a less aggressive but finer finishing 1200 :) Maybe I’ll have to...

I suppose it’s one thing to be aggressive (assuming you mean in cutting performance), and another thing with the finish. How do the finish compare, does the lesser aggressive one at least leave a finer finish? I’d venture to guess whatever it is may be more due to either batch variance or...

+1 A little off topic but unless Maxim said directly to you not to use Diamond for flattening/lapping, you may be misinterpreting whatever you read. If I recall correctly, the only time Maxim advised on forums and his own website against using diamond stones was for raising slurry to sharpen...

I have a set of these (600, 1k, 3k, and 6k), and though I love them, I don't often use them as I find them to be highly specialized. If your typical application is anywhere from a typical/traditional Hitachi steels (white/blue) to VG10, AUS-8 etc., it's really a waste of money as plenty of...

I've been playing around with this scenario myself for the past several months, and both an Atoma plate and various naguras, as others above have mentioned, will work. As usual, YMMV depending on your application, conditions, etc. Couple of points to consider. 1. Both an Atoma plate and a...

I have a full set of DMT 8" (from XXC to XXF) and ATOMA 140, 400, and 1200. I've had the DMTs longer, and have used the coarser ends of the lineup to flatten my synthetics for 2-3 years. I think they both have pros and cons, but none of them are compelling enough to say one is better than the...

I think everyone asks this question when they start out. I myself when starting some years ago was obsessive about keeping my stones flat. The logic was to at least control one variable. But once I actually learned how to obtain desirable edges on a consistent basis with even bevel along the...

Thanks for the input guys, I ordered a mobile husky work bench that I'm also planning to use as a straight razor honing station in my home office (thinking I'll mount an magnifying lamp :D ). I'll still do my knife sharpening in the kitchen, but I don't make much mess when doing my straights :)...

LOL....I can see how that would be the case with your collection :D. I've been keeping them on a top shelf of one of my bookshelves in my home office. So safe enough both from any potential mechanical damage or temperature fluctuations :). Trying to think ahead for when my kid starts tearing up...

Cool thread. I've been on the naturals train for only about three months now, but have spent more money on sharpening tools in the past three months than I had during the previous 8 years of free hand sharpening LOL. I was lucky to have a great member from this forum reach out to me, answer...

Hey guys, For those JNAT owners, how do you store your naturals? Was wondering if anyone knew someone in the states who can make good custom Kiri boxes at a reasonable price (~50 USD), or whether anyone has a better and/or more economical suggestions (doesn’t have to be Kiri box). Primary...