Flattening stone

[Artur]

Greetings knife community !
I want to ask you I need to buy a flattening stone.
For a 1k stone and a 3k stone.
I don't want Atoma it's a bit expensive
I'll send you pictures of the one I want to buy.
And please tell me how this stone is worse than Atoma?

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

You will get different opinions on stone flattening.

I'm a believer in keeping your stones flat. Your 1k will dish faster than the 3k but it will as well.

That flattening stone will get you started. There's two problems with those types stones: 1) they are often a fair bit smaller than the sharpening stone so that can cause inconsistency and 2) they also wear so eventually they won't be able to flatten without themselves being flattened.

But again, to get started, it should be fine.

 

[spaceconvoy]

Agree with everything above. If you want something cheaper than an atoma, pick up a basic diamond flattening plate from ebay. Should be able to find one for around €30 or less. It might rust more than an atoma and won't last as long for sharpening but will be fine for a long while if you just use it to flatten stones. The important part is being backed by solid metal so it stays flat itself, otherwise you'll be spending more money in the long run

 

[heldentenor]

In my experience, I can’t recommend buying fixing stones like this. They abrade, and loose particles will get enmeshed with your stones/slurry and cause unwanted scratches. They also abrade unevenly.

Get a DMT XXC plate for flattening if you don’t want to spring for the pricier Atoma. You will not regret it.

 

[Artur]

In my experience, I can’t recommend buying fixing stones like this. They abrade, and loose particles will get enmeshed with your stones/slurry and cause unwanted scratches. They also abrade unevenly.

Get a DMT XXC plate for flattening if you don’t want to spring for the pricier Atoma. You will not regret it.

Is the DmT Xxc more expensive than the Atoma or am I looking at the wrong stone?

 

[Kawa]

Greetings knife community !
I want to ask you I need to buy a flattening stone.
For a 1k stone and a 3k stone.
I don't want Atoma it's a bit expensive
I'll send you pictures of the one I want to buy.
And please tell me how this stone is worse than Atoma?View attachment 260066

Exactly this one suited me for over 10 years. I does its job, for coarse stones and for very fine stones.
Yes, diamond is faster, but also leaves deeper scrathes and is more expensive.
Just like sharpening, use this stone in different directions, flip it (north/south, not top/bottom ofcoarse), flip the stone, make and 8-figure in between, and you will be fine. It remains flat this way, also because you use it on all of your stones.
I use the back of it the round of the sharp edges of my stones.

Do not get the coarse version of this (60-80 gritt?), that one simply scratches and does nog abrade.

 

[KenjiF]

You could do sic powder and a glass plate… prob cheaper. Sandpaper and a flat surface will also work but not super efficient in long run…

 

[Legion74]

You could do sic powder and a glass plate… prob cheaper. Sandpaper and a flat surface will also work but not super efficient in long run…

In my experience SIC is good for very hard stones, and removing material quickly, but it has a tendency to convex the stones in the corners. Also, particles can sometimes get lodged in synth water stones. I still use my atoma for true flattening, after removing any serious dish with SIC powder.

 

[Seemore]

In my experience SIC is good for very hard stones, and removing material quickly, but it has a tendency to convex the stones in the corners. Also, particles can sometimes get lodged in synth water stones. I still use my atoma for true flattening, after removing any serious dish with SIC powder.

Any problem with rounded corners on a sharpening stone?

 

[Jovidah]

Get the Atoma. I bought these cheap flattening stones first and they suck. You'll just end up buying these and buying an Atoma later... might as well go to the Atoma straight away.

 

[Legion74]

Any problem with rounded corners on a sharpening stone?

When I say corners, I mean a fair way into the surface of the stone. As in a SIC lapped stone is often a little convex and not flat across the whole surface.

If I get a dished vintage stone I'll start with 60 grit SIC to remove material and get it mostly flat, then switch to the Atoma for the last bit. Unless its something like a translucent Akansas, or hard Washita, Idwal, etc, in which case I use wet dry paper on a known flat surface, to avoid wearing out the Atoma.

 

[OkayMode]

Get the Atoma. I bought these cheap flattening stones first and they suck. You'll just end up buying these and buying an Atoma later... might as well go to the Atoma straight away.

I was going to say this.

@Artur I bought the Naniwa stone first because the Atoma was expensive, and I hated it.

It’s very slow, it drops grit on your stones, it dishes and wears out, and in my experience you had to use a lot of pressure.

On the plus side, once I eventually bought an Atoma, it was such an improvement that it made me realise that it’s worth every penny!

If you DM me your address, I’ll send you my old Naniwa to try for yourself before making a purchase if you cover shipping.

 

[Artur]

I'll buy the Atoma instead )
Thanks for the opportunity !
Is the Atoma 140 or 400 ?

 

[Nemo]

I'll buy the Atoma instead )
Thanks for the opportunity !
Is the Atoma 140 or 400 ?

Atoma is the easiest method. It's worth the extra spend IMO.

If you can get the one with a handle, it's much easier to use.

If you only get one, get the 140. A 400 is probably slightly better for fine stones but a 140 will still work fine.

 

[rickbern]

I'll buy the Atoma instead )
Thanks for the opportunity !
Is the Atoma 140 or 400 ?

Bingo!

Artur, you came to the right conclusion.

 

[Jovidah]

Personally I went for the 140, with the reasoning that on the finer stones I can just follow up the Atoma with one of my coarser stones.
Whether that reasoning is sound is up for debate, but it hasn't caused any problems for me so far.

 

[KasumiJLA]

140 is more versatile and you'll be able to make minor repairs if you need to. You can also purchase only the 400 replacement plate and stick it under your 140! You will have everything you need for a long time that way

 

[Beerzebub]

Atoma prices can vary quite a bit so it's a good idea to shop around. In my case ordering from overseas is cheaper than domestic (stores like Kurashige Tools or Miura Knives).