Kasumi powder - does source matter?

[timebard]

I'm sure this has been discussed sometime in the past but I couldn't find a direct answer in search so asking you polishing experts. When using powders to finish a polishing progression, how big of a difference do different kinds of powder make?

Most powder for kasumi finishes is sold as uchi powder if the source is labeled. You also hear a little about suita powder. And then some folks just use powder from random synth stones. Has anyone experimented with different types of stone powder and found differences in results/consistency? I currently have several synth stones, an aoto, and a BBW - is it worth going out of my way to get uchi/suita powder or a koppa, or should I just harvest some from the stones I have and work with that?

 

[tostadas]

The type of powder makes a difference in the look and feel of the finish. You will have to experiment to figure out what works best for you. You could also very easily make your own powder from the stones you have. I used to use collected stone mud saved from sharpening, but found that when polishing with mud that contains carbon steel, it can sometimes "embed" itself into soft cladding. And if not removed, I've had my stainless cladding knives start to develop sorta patina after polishing with those used muds.

That reminds me, I bought a bottle of hitohira suita powder at one point that I don't really use. If you're interested, hit me up and I can try to find it.

 

[timebard]

The type of powder makes a difference in the look and feel of the finish. You will have to experiment to figure out what works best for you. You could also very easily make your own powder from the stones you have. I used to use collected stone mud saved from sharpening, but found that when polishing with mud that contains carbon steel, it can sometimes "embed" itself into soft cladding. And if not removed, I've had my stainless cladding knives start to develop sorta patina after polishing with those used muds.

That reminds me, I bought a bottle of hitohira suita powder at one point that I don't really use. If you're interested, hit me up and I can try to find it.

Thanks for the offer, DMed you.

Your observation of carbon steel swarf/mud causing reactivity in stainless steel is kinda wild. I've only ever used mud from the same knife for polishing so never observed that before, but it makes sense I suppose.

 

[tostadas]

Your observation of carbon steel swarf/mud causing reactivity in stainless steel is kinda wild. I've only ever used mud from the same knife for polishing so never observed that before, but it makes sense I suppose.

I didn't mean to say that the stainless itself became reactive, but perhaps some of the iron dust sticks and patinas. I've used bkf to clean knives that had that issue and it went away. But it's annoying for example if I etch a stainless clad knife, I usually don't want to remove the etch while cleaning the cladding.

 

[Skylar303]

When I reuse mud from sharpening I use a earth magnet to get the swarf out.

 

[MowgFace]

When I reuse mud from sharpening I use a earth magnet to get the swarf out.

Thats a clever idea! Stolen

 

[refcast]

From, barclid, pumice works well. Ive used the fine and medium from dharma

 

[timebard]

Finally coming back to this...

I got some micromesh pads in the mail today and decided to compare results with three different stone powder(/mud) sources on my current refinishing project, a Wat Pro 270. I started with mud from a Gesshin 6k, then powder from my Belgian Blue, then Suita powder from the very generous @tostadas. Note that I didn't do any pre-sanding and didn't have any Filtz/etc handy, both of which definitely would have helped. I applied these with 6k and 8k pads.

Starting condition (opposite side but was pretty similar):

6k mud (note some patina still coming through near the higane)

BB powder:

Suita powder:

The Suita powder was noticably coarser than the Belgian powder - I think I should have done something to refine it further first. Nevertheless it provided a nice, reasonably refined hairline-type finish, some contrast, and brought out the lamination line a bit.

I'm not exactly impressed with the result but it feels like a good learning experience and a small step in the right direction from the original media blasted finish.

I have a small uchi on the way that I'm looking forward to adding into the mix soon. I'm going to look into using a mortar and pestle or something to crush the Suita powder a bit more, and maybe also try Suita -> BBW instead of the opposite. Oh and using filtz when Amazon finally gets it to me.

 

[tostadas]

Finally coming back to this...

I got some micromesh pads in the mail today and decided to compare results with three different stone powder(/mud) sources on my current refinishing project, a Wat Pro 270. I started with mud from a Gesshin 6k, then powder from my Belgian Blue, then Suita powder from the very generous @tostadas. Note that I didn't do any pre-sanding and didn't have any Filtz/etc handy, both of which definitely would have helped. I applied these with 6k and 8k pads.

Starting condition (opposite side but was pretty similar):
View attachment 218907

6k mud (note some patina still coming through near the higane)
View attachment 218906

BB powder:
View attachment 218905

Suita powder:
View attachment 218904

The Suita powder was noticably coarser than the Belgian powder - I think I should have done something to refine it further first. Nevertheless it provided a nice, reasonably refined hairline-type finish, some contrast, and brought out the lamination line a bit.

View attachment 218911

I'm not exactly impressed with the result but it feels like a good learning experience and a small step in the right direction from the original media blasted finish.

I have a small uchi on the way that I'm looking forward to adding into the mix soon. I'm going to look into using a mortar and pestle or something to crush the Suita powder a bit more, and maybe also try Suita -> BBW instead of the opposite. Oh and using filtz when Amazon finally gets it to me.

It's definitely an improvement from the initial condition.

Something to note about powder, especially fine ones, is that they are extremely slow at removing any material. For this reason, the base finish matters a lot. I'd recommend starting with something much lower, in the 1-2k grit range for stone mud, or around 800-1500grit range for sandpaper. It will significantly speed up the uniformity of your fine stone powders.

You probably also know already, but water usage has an effect too. Just one more factor you'll need to play around with.

 

[jedy617]

stonepowder and micromesh is a game changer for me

 

[deltaplex]

Finally coming back to this...

I got some micromesh pads in the mail today and decided to compare results with three different stone powder(/mud) sources on my current refinishing project, a Wat Pro 270. I started with mud from a Gesshin 6k, then powder from my Belgian Blue, then Suita powder from the very generous @tostadas. Note that I didn't do any pre-sanding and didn't have any Filtz/etc handy, both of which definitely would have helped. I applied these with 6k and 8k pads.

Starting condition (opposite side but was pretty similar):
View attachment 218907

6k mud (note some patina still coming through near the higane)
View attachment 218906

BB powder:
View attachment 218905

Suita powder:
View attachment 218904

The Suita powder was noticably coarser than the Belgian powder - I think I should have done something to refine it further first. Nevertheless it provided a nice, reasonably refined hairline-type finish, some contrast, and brought out the lamination line a bit.

View attachment 218911

I'm not exactly impressed with the result but it feels like a good learning experience and a small step in the right direction from the original media blasted finish.

I have a small uchi on the way that I'm looking forward to adding into the mix soon. I'm going to look into using a mortar and pestle or something to crush the Suita powder a bit more, and maybe also try Suita -> BBW instead of the opposite. Oh and using filtz when Amazon finally gets it to me.

This is Stainless clad?

 

[timebard]

This is Stainless clad?

Ironclad - snagged one of the old stock ones MTC had a while back.

 

[ared715]

Cool project! Thanks for sharing! Hope the uchi yields you some cool results too!