# Unimpressed with the 8k "snow white"



## TheDudeAbides (Jul 20, 2016)

So, I got the "original" snow white in the mail today, gave it a spin, and I have to say that. Not impressed by how fast this thing loads up. It performs really well, but it takes too much work to keep the performance going during my session. Does anyone have any tips that may help, or may be able to recommend a similar stone for my progression that may be similar performing, but maybe a tad on the muddy side? I'm kind of considering the Gesshin or a Hideriyama, but not sure. Progression right now is 800,3000 Choseras (originals)

Pardon.brevity and typos, posting from bed on my phone as I cannot sleep


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## Badgertooth (Jul 20, 2016)

Takenoko has completely replaced my Snow White. That said, I recently blew the cobwebs away on it and lapped the hell out of it with a DMT and things improved dramatically.


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## krx927 (Jul 20, 2016)

As final polisher I never use my Snow White so much that it would clog... Only a few passes after my middle stone.

Why do you have a need to grind so much on your final stone?


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## Badgertooth (Jul 20, 2016)

I do more than a few passes and it loads up, gets glassy and skiddy and it performs a tonne better with slurry


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## TheDudeAbides (Jul 20, 2016)

Badgertooth said:


> Takenoko has completely replaced my Snow White. That said, I recently blew the cobwebs away on it and lapped the hell out of it with a DMT and things improved dramatically.



I might have to give it a good lapping then, you as much touch a knife to this thing and it clogs. Thanks for the advice.


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## TheDudeAbides (Jul 20, 2016)

krx927 said:


> As final polisher I never use my Snow White so much that it would clog... Only a few passes after my middle stone.
> 
> Why do you have a need to grind so much on your final stone?



Where did I say that I'm grinding, or in any other way overdoing it?


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## TheDudeAbides (Jul 20, 2016)

Badgertooth said:


> I do more than a few passes and it loads up, gets glassy and skiddy and it performs a tonne better with slurry



That's the thing, I can't get it to build slurry unless I take a plate to it first


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## chinacats (Jul 20, 2016)

If the stone is new, sometimes you need to work your way into it before you get to the 'good' kind of like getting to fresh steel on the edge of a new knife.


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## spoiledbroth (Jul 20, 2016)

chinacats said:


> If the stone is new, sometimes you need to work your way into it before you get to the 'good' kind of like getting to fresh steel on the edge of a new knife.



Yeah this! Takes a week or two of use to realize it's full potential (any new stone)


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## Mucho Bocho (Jul 20, 2016)

spoiledbroth said:


> Yeah this! Takes a week or two of use to realize it's full potential (any new stone)



Not sure I'd go this far. One thing to consider, be sure the edges of the stone are rounded. As long as you've created an even and consistent edge, anything from 1K and above should be very light and quick. The Takenoko has become my final stone, but only as a strop. I've been recommending this stone for years and still impresses me. So quick, nice feedback, stays flat and is not too hard. Splash and go too, cauz that's my style.


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## TheDudeAbides (Jul 20, 2016)

chinacats said:


> If the stone is new, sometimes you need to work your way into it before you get to the 'good' kind of like getting to fresh steel on the edge of a new knife.



Thanks china, just got home, fixing to go to town lapping it and then will test it out and let you know


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## psfred (Jul 20, 2016)

Synthetic stones are pressed and then either cured or fired depending on the binder, so it should not be a surprise that the surface and maybe a millimeter or so of the outside will be different than the rest of the stone. Lapping a new stone flat usually takes care of this issue, although Bester/Beston stones can also have a deeper "skin", and can also vary a bit more than stones with non-vitrified binder as they are fired in large batches -- the outside stones in the rack can be harder than the inside ones because they get hotter.

If a fine grit stone is loading up with metal, either it needs to have a hard surface lapped off, or it needs more soaking or more water -- or possibly a slurry raised with a nagura of some sort. The water is supposed to float the metal off to prevent loading up, after all. Some splash and go stones require more that a splash of water and benefit from maybe 5 or 10 minutes of water standing on the surface or soaking before they remain wet enough to keep the swarf from packing up and glazing the stone.

I believe it should only take a few passes to do whatever a fine grit stone is going to do, they are not intended to remove much metal, just to polish up the apex and cutting bevel. If it takes a long time and many passes to get the finish and edge you want, you probably need to think about more time on the previous stones, or finer grit in the previous stone or stone. I never use more than about ten strokes on fine stones -- if it's not where I want it by then, I needed to do more preparation on lower grit stones. I figure that the edge is established at 1200 grit, anything higher than that is just to refine the edge and to remove scratches, I don't want to remove significant metal on finer stones.

Peter


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## TheDudeAbides (Jul 21, 2016)

Peter, thanks for the amazing response. 

So, I lapped the hell.out of this thing, and it did improve dramatically. I found that during this evening's session, that the stone as much slicker and had a better tactile response after it soaked while I went through a normal progression. On some AS, V2, and S110V steel. I did not take a Nagura to it (I am open to recommendations), so i built literally no slurry. I think I'm going to order a Hideriyama for shits and gigs since it seems like it may be a bit more "fun", then I can reserve the snow white for those quicker touchup jobs which I think is where it may excell.

Could someone recommend a good Nagura for this thing?


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## Doug (Jul 21, 2016)

The Snow White 8000 is a magnesium bonded stone so it should not be soaked for long periods of time. Even though I've used it as a splash and go, after 6 months I noticed fine cracks forming on the surface. Not so white now.
It still works the same as when new and doesn't seem like it will fall apart. Kinda funky for a high end stone.


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