# Cleaning Atoma Plate



## FORT (Jul 27, 2017)

I have an Atoma plate, boight it recently to flatten some abused stones and to bring some house knives back to life.

It has worked great but I find that I can't get all the particles from lapping out of it. Especially from my Naniwa green brick 2000.

Anyone had this same problem?


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## nevrknow (Jul 27, 2017)

I use mine under running water. No problems. Tried it that way yet?


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## FORT (Jul 27, 2017)

You mean the water is running over the plate while lapping? I haven't had it like that, I sharpen on a table I don't think I could set up like that. Does your plate come totally clean?


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## Nemo (Jul 27, 2017)

I just run mine under water when I'm done. Or when it clogs up, whichever comes first.


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## ThEoRy (Jul 28, 2017)

Scrub it with a fingernail brush under running water.


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## Ucmd (Jul 28, 2017)

ThEoRy said:


> Scrub it with a fingernail brush under running water.



What is fingernail brush.


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## TB_London (Jul 28, 2017)

Pencil erasers work well


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## Nemo (Jul 28, 2017)

Ucmd said:


> What is fingernail brush.



Something like this I think:

http://www.nailery.com.au/images/source/Nail_Brush_II._resized.jpg


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## K813zra (Jul 28, 2017)

I use a brush meant for cleaning baby bottles because I got it for 25 cents...It works well but maybe I think that finger nail brush would be more comfortable to use. Anyway, I find that I need a brush to clean my plates when flattening muddier natural stones because water just won't take everything off.


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## nevrknow (Jul 28, 2017)

FORT said:


> You mean the water is running over the plate while lapping? I haven't had it like that, I sharpen on a table I don't think I could set up like that. Does your plate come totally clean?



Exactly. I lap mine under running water and it never clogs. Maybe that's unusual for some but works great for me.


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## K813zra (Jul 28, 2017)

nevrknow said:


> Exactly. I lap mine under running water and it never clogs. Maybe that's unusual for some but works great for me.



Do you have a farmhouse sink? I do so this works for me but I can see a lot of people not having the room to do this in their sink.


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## bennyprofane (Jul 29, 2017)

I also lap under running water and then use brush under running water to remove the remains.


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## shipbuilder (Jul 31, 2017)

I have a farmhouse sink but have plenty of room to clean stones. While I don't lap under water, I use plenty of it on both the stone and plate while doing so. And I have never had problems with the Atoma plates (140, 400 and 1200) coming clean with running water and a few quick swipes of the fingers for stubborn areas. I also use a Shapton Glass Diamond Lapping Plate for SG stones; there I have to sometimes take a mushroom brush to remove crud in the corners, but its design is such that a little build-up doesn't seem to impact its effectiveness.
Tom


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## ThEoRy (Jul 31, 2017)

Ucmd said:


> What is fingernail brush.





Nemo said:


> Something like this I think:
> 
> http://www.nailery.com.au/images/source/Nail_Brush_II._resized.jpg



Yeah any small short bristle brush will do. A fingernail brush is easily available and cheap. Works perfectly for scrubbing between diamonds.


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## Keith Sinclair (Jul 31, 2017)

Fingernail brush with raised handle so your skin does not touch diamonds. If doing thinning may use a little barkeepers friend with the brush.


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## loong (Aug 1, 2017)

I wash my 120 grid DMT plate every time after lapping. Never get clogged.


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## bennyprofane (Aug 1, 2017)

Also, I don't think you should be doing it dry.

Here is a video on how to do it:

[video=youtube;ZFahNJEkTGg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFahNJEkTGg[/video]


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## zetieum (Aug 1, 2017)

I use an old tooth brush along with soap.


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## Razor (Aug 6, 2017)

I can't imagine lapping a stone without running water. It would clog quickly and make the flattening process very challenging. I use my Atoma underwater on Jnats, Coticules and Chosera synths with no issues.


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