Thread: To slurry or not to slurry

I've seen where people use slurry stones, when is this apporiate? I have a chineese 12k. Does that need the slurry stone?

a slurry stone would speed the process of honing on a c-nat then finish on water

Agreed. The C nat, Phig or Chinese 12k are generally considered to be a slow finisher. Raising a slurry will help speed up the process. Normally, You use a slurry when you start honing, water down as you go, and finish with plain water.....
Generally speaking....

I think if you try slurries on stones like the cnat you will be very pleased with results as well as the feel you get from them. I am a firm believer that when hones feel good, we generally hone better. So much of the learning curve involves things feeling right as the razor moves along.

Slurries can help to get performance out of your stone because the swarf(metal particles) are not clogging the stone. This allows the stone to perform better for longer periods of time during a honing session. They can be over done so try light ones at first and feel your way and your learning curve will take over.

Originally Posted by weirdbob

I've seen where people use slurry stones, when is this apporiate? I have a chineese 12k. Does that need the slurry stone?

I hope I am not taking your question too literally but assuming you want to raise a slurry (which is a good idea with a c-nat) you don't need a slurry stone per se. If you lap with a dmt that will raise a slurry just fine. Having said that c-nats are so cheap I use an 8X2 to raise a slurry on my 8X3.

I cut up a 6 x 2 to make slurry stones for my PHIG, however, it isn't really necessary IME - just the slurry off the DMT will work fine.
Do yourself a favour and have a look at gssixguns 'one stone honing' videos on YouTube - they are great to learn from.
Hang on and enjoy the ride

Originally Posted by weirdbob

I've seen where people use slurry stones, when is this apporiate? I have a chineese 12k. Does that need the slurry stone?

That is a great question. The thicker the slurry, the faster and rougher you hone. Although it is a 12k grit, you can get different performances based on the thickness of the slurry. What I do with my 12k is I raise a slurry then I continue to dilute it as I hone.
remember that the consistency of the slurry depends on what you are trying to achieve. for polishing go with no slurry, for a touchup go with a thick slurry and work your way thin.
my $0.02