# Best way to flatten stones?



## TheOneHawk (Aug 25, 2014)

I have a bester 500, 1200 and a Rika 5k. Would an atoma diamond plate work for all three and if so what grit? What other ways are viable to sharpen stones?


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## Pensacola Tiger (Aug 25, 2014)

An Atoma 140 is your best solution. It's more expensive than a DMT, but does a better job because it has less stiction.

You can also use drywall screen, wet/dry sandpaper on a flat surface (heavy glass, ceramic tile or granite), or even a concrete block.


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## TheOneHawk (Aug 25, 2014)

Price isn't an issue. Can I use the atoma 140 on all three stones without an issue?


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## Pensacola Tiger (Aug 25, 2014)

TheOneHawk said:


> Price isn't an issue. Can I use the atoma 140 on all three stones without an issue?



Yes. I have a Gesshin 400, 2000 and 6000 that I flatten with my Atoma 140.


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## Ruso (Aug 25, 2014)

I just bought a cinder block to make mayor flattening on few stones. I will let you know how it works. It does appeal to mean to wear out a diamond plate to remove few millimeters of the stone.


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## skiajl6297 (Aug 25, 2014)

Had good luck so far with the DMT lapping plate for both synthetics and jnats. Particularly helpful with keeping razor stones dead flat.


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## Matus (Aug 25, 2014)

Pensacola Tiger said:


> Yes. I have a Gesshin 400, 2000 and 6000 that I flatten with my Atoma 140.



I have the same stones - I use the diamond plate from JKI (which I bought along with the stones). It has structured surface which helps to remove the stone dust during flattening. It also cost about half of Atoma. JKI also has oversized version which would be perfect IMO as none of these flattening diamond plates have any sort of handle which does not make the process unnecessarily easy and an oversized plate would offer more space to actually hold it.


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## mark76 (Aug 25, 2014)

It's better to finish the flattening of high grit waterstones with a high grit diamond plate. I wrote a blog post on the what and why: http://moleculepolishing.wordpress....ld-i-use-to-flatten-my-high-grit-waterstones/


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## JBroida (Aug 25, 2014)

mark76 said:


> It's better to finish the flattening of high grit waterstones with a high grit diamond plate. I wrote a blog post on the what and why: http://moleculepolishing.wordpress....ld-i-use-to-flatten-my-high-grit-waterstones/



for what its worth, your experiment misses a few critical points... coarser stone finishes provide significantly better tactile feedback, greater cutting speed, and hold water better. You are correct in your understanding that smoother stone surfaces create smoother edges with a more consistent polish though. However, in my experience (and as part of my personal preference), the value of having something faster cutting, with better tactile feedback outweighs the slight improvement in the edge and polish that would otherwise be had. The only exceptions i feel are important to note are for things you intend to shave with and for planes and some chisels, depending on the kind of work you are looking to do.


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## Zwiefel (Aug 25, 2014)

I think this was why you recommended to me to skip the nagura with my 8k Kitayama, right?



JBroida said:


> for what its worth, your experiment misses a few critical points... coarser stone finishes provide significantly better tactile feedback, greater cutting speed, and hold water better. You are correct in your understanding that smoother stone surfaces create smoother edges with a more consistent polish though. However, in my experience (and as part of my personal preference), the value of having something faster cutting, with better tactile feedback outweighs the slight improvement in the edge and polish that would otherwise be had. The only exceptions i feel are important to note are for things you intend to shave with and for planes and some chisels, depending on the kind of work you are looking to do.


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## JBroida (Aug 25, 2014)

yeah... i think i recall explaining this to you while you were here. Either way is really ok... you just need to understand what method offers you the best results for what you are looking for. If you want polish and a very smooth edge, make sure to create a very smooth and well finished stone surface. If you want tactile feedback, speed, and better water holding, use a coarse surface. The coarseness of the surface doesnt usually last long anyways, and the surface is usually smoothed out by the time i flatten next.


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## DaninMD (Aug 28, 2014)

i have always used a flat piece of granite tile 12"x12" that i bought from home depot for about $4. i then use full sheets of wet/dry paper. start will coarse and end with fine. i do all my stones at the same time typically. fast, cheap and works good. i only use the finer grit paper on finishing stones.


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## Derek Swanson (Aug 30, 2014)

Level concrete sidewalks with plenty of water works faster than any lapping plate you can buy.


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## droshi (Aug 30, 2014)

I like my dmt extra coarse, but I don't have the more expensive diamond plates to compare to. One thing is that a finer dmt is nice to lap finer stones after using the dmt extra coarse, I'm not sure if it's necessary, but it seems to help making the fine stone surface nice and smooth.


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## menzaremba (Sep 10, 2014)

I absolutely love my Atoma 140. I had a naniwa flattening stone that dished in the first 3 months. The Atoma is fast and accurate, I use 3M sandpaper on the back to smooth the stones when I'm feeling sassy.


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## ThEoRy (Sep 10, 2014)

Double sided atoma 140/1200 ftw!


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## johnstoc (Sep 10, 2014)

+1 on the flattening plate from JKI. It's 1/4" or 3/8" steel so it's hefty, cuts/flattens very quickly. It's big enough to cover most of your stone, and should last a long time.

I've used a variety of DMT plates to flatten, they tend to stick and are not large enough to flatten well. Mine are about 6" long. I've also used a granite tile and wet/dry sandpaper, effective but the JKI plate is much preferred.


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## DaninMD (Sep 10, 2014)

i just flatted quite a few stones a couple days ago with my $3 granite tile and wet/dry sandpaper. nice thing is you buy it and never have to worry about flattening the flattening object, haha. its nice to be able to use different grits too, not locked into one grit and i can use finer grit on my finishing stones for a smoother finish.


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## andur (Sep 10, 2014)

Is the JKI plate you are talking about this one? 
http://www.japaneseknifeimports.com...ening-accessories/large-flattening-plate.html
How big is it?


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## Keith Sinclair (Sep 10, 2014)

If not worried about cost the Atoma 140 works well for leveling. It is important not to get carried away leveling your stone. I use a quick X cross pattern on the ends, then a couple laping strokes going over the edges of the stone that's it. Too much time with the plate will wear down your stone prematurely.


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## johnstoc (Sep 10, 2014)

This is the one I have. Listed as 205x70 mm and 830 grams. It's a hair smaller than my Gesshin 2k stone.

http://www.japaneseknifeimports.com...ing-accessories/diamond-flattening-plate.html


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## daveb (Sep 10, 2014)

I got this one from Jon, based largely on his recommendation. It replaced a DMT XXC that I've had forever. No regrets.

http://www.japaneseknifeimports.com...ing-accessories/diamond-flattening-plate.html


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## TheOneHawk (Sep 13, 2014)

I got an Atoma 140. Thanks a lot for all the recommendations, everyone, I love it.


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