# Flattening stone??



## Prize78 (Apr 18, 2015)

Hi all.

I have a 1k and 6k stone from Maksim at JNS and love them. I was however wondering about a flattening stone. Because, these stones are very hard and wear slowly, but i'm guessing that, surely the time will come where they will begin to dish. They haven't yet, but i suppose it's coming at some point?

Has anybody got any recommendations? I read good things about the Atoma diamond plates, which look good (although about the same price as another good stone?!)
Is there anything else i should be looking out for?
Also, I'm in the UK, so as much as i'd like to try JKI, the import duty will probably cost me as much again!

Thanks in advance.


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## Asteger (Apr 18, 2015)

Check into getting your Atoma from Japan (Tools from Japan, perhaps). Maybe the seller could send with a lower listed value so that you avoid paying lots of customs fees? 

There are also cheaper non-diamond flatteners, such as from Naniwa. Maybe available in the EU? 

In the meantime, I'd suggest rubbing the 2 stones you have together after each sharpening, which is a way of maintaining both at the same time. In the old days of course, no one had any of these fancy diamond things for this.


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## limpet (Apr 18, 2015)

I say do yourself a favor and get the Atoma 140 from the get go. Sure it's expensive, but my opinion is that keeping your stones flat is *very important*, so it's worth it. I have a bunch of JNS stones, among them the 6k, and I flatten them before each sharpening session using the Atoma 140. 

I don't wait for the stone to dish significantly, I don't want to think about "is it dished now or...?", I just flatten them continously. This means less flattening more often.  Usually the stone surface is marked or a bit dirty from the last sharpening session and I just scrub that away. If the stone has become dished, I notice that it takes longer cleaning the center of the stone. Actually, you may think your stones are flat now, but maybe they aren't?

Anyways, If you buy the Atoma or any other diamond plate, remember to do the flattening in the sink, rinsing the plate often. If you don't, the sharpening particles from the stone may start to eat away the steel plate holding the diamonds.


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## _PixelNinja (Apr 18, 2015)

Considering your situation, I'd also advise going directly for the ATOMA 140. I got mine from Tools From Japan since Stuart had the best price at the time.


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## icanhaschzbrgr (Apr 18, 2015)

_PixelNinja said:


> Considering your situation, I'd also advise going directly for the ATOMA 140. I got mine from Tools From Japan since Stuart had the best price at the time.


Metalmaster sells them on Ebay at a slightly better price


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## _PixelNinja (Apr 18, 2015)

That's good to know. When I purchased mine, I paid 70 including shipping, whereas Metalmaster was selling them for approx. 12 more. Thanks for the heads up.


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## berko (Apr 18, 2015)

there is no customs on sharpening stones in germany, only vat.


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## Prize78 (Apr 18, 2015)

Thanks for the responses folks. Think i'll most probably end up with an Atoma. But, is the Naniwa 220 flattening stone no good (a fraction of the price).


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## Asteger (Apr 18, 2015)

Nothing wrong with a normal flattener at all. However, an Atoma is the standard and much nicer to use. It will always be flat (a non-diamond flattener may also dish and need flattening), the Atoma can be used to thin/sharpen too, and does very well shaping stones (chamfering, working with naturals, etc). It's also a great tool. For example, I recently chose a new mortar (+ pestle) because the mortar was the best on offer for me, even if it had an uneven base that wobbled. No problem of course, I thought, as within a moment at home it would be plenty flat and even despite being quite hard granite.


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## chinacats (Apr 18, 2015)

Asteger said:


> Nothing wrong with a normal flattener at all. However, an Atoma is the standard and much nicer to use. It will always be flat (a non-diamond flattener *will* dish and need flattening), the Atoma can be used to thin/sharpen too, and does very well shaping stones (chamfering, working with naturals, etc). It's also a great tool. For example, I recently chose a new mortar (+ pestle) because the mortar was the best on offer for me, even if it had an uneven base that wobbled. No problem of course, I thought, as within a moment at home it would be plenty flat and even despite being quite hard granite.



Sorry, had to fix that for you...nothing worse than a flattener that isn't flat.


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## limpet (Apr 18, 2015)

As Asteger said, the Atoma will stay flat which is great so you don't have to worry about flattening your flattening stone, and also you can use it for sharpening as well. You said you already had a 1k and 6k and the Atoma costs as much as another good stone. Well if I were you, the next stone I would buy would be... an Atoma 140!  *What I'm trying to say here, don't see the flattening stone as extra overhead, see it as an essential tool equally important as your stones.*

Really, I don't understand people buying flattening stones instead of diamond plates, except for the price then I guess. Diamond plates will stay flat, they are fast and they are less cumbersome to use. And Atoma with its special grid of diamond clusters is excellent for flattening waterstones since the mud from the stone goes between the clusters, reducing suction. It's simply made for continous flattening, the way I use it. It makes flattening no big deal. How much money is your time worth?

Alright, I realize that maybe I'm pushing a bit hard here, but I have seen nothing but good reviews when it comes to Atoma plates.


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## Asteger (Apr 18, 2015)

chinacats said:


> Sorry, had to fix that for you...nothing worse than a flattener that isn't flat.



 True! Still, respect for older-style flatteners as well. It's very easy with Atoma, they're great tools and my 140 (have a 400 too) is maybe my most single-used sharpening item. But you can still get by without them and doing so is kind of instructive too.


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## chinacats (Apr 18, 2015)

I use Jon's diamond flattening plate, have used it quite a bit on synthetics as well as naturals and it is holding up very well. Pricewise, it's about half of the atoma and I can't see the Atoma lasting twice as long or working any better/quicker. :2cents:


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## Asteger (Apr 18, 2015)

Sounds good, but I think it all depends where you buy and if you have to buy from US sellers or not. Just checked prices and $65 for another diamond is the same as the normal Y7,500 or so for a 140 Atoma in Japan including aluminium plate, and beyond that you'll have the shipping charge from Jpn or the tax & shipping charges in the US if buying there. As for the OP, best going with the Jpn option I imagine (Tools from Japan or MM or Ratuken or Amazon JP, etc).


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## aaamax (Apr 29, 2015)

hate to admit it, but I've had great luck with wet/ dry sand paper on glass. Pencil stripes on stones then just go to town. What might be the draw backs? Can't imagine that it is taking off too much material.
Curious what u guys think.


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## Pensacola Tiger (Apr 29, 2015)

aaamax said:


> hate to admit it, but I've had great luck with wet/ dry sand paper on glass. Pencil stripes on stones then just go to town. What might be the draw backs? Can't imagine that it is taking off too much material.
> Curious what u guys think.



How much does the wet/dry cost? How many stones can you flatten with a sheet? How often do you flatten?

If the math shows it's cheaper than an Atoma, then go for it. I calculated that I was using about $5 of wet/dry a month, so in two years the Atoma paid for itself. 

Rick


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## _PixelNinja (Apr 29, 2015)

chinacats said:


> I use Jon's diamond flattening plate, have used it quite a bit on synthetics as well as naturals and it is holding up very well. Pricewise, it's about half of the atoma and I can't see the Atoma lasting twice as long or working any better/quicker. :2cents:



It's a great option if you are in the US. For a lot of us in the EU, once you take into account the shipping and importing fees, sadly it does not work out being cheaper than ordering an ATOMA from Japan.


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## Keith Sinclair (Apr 30, 2015)

You can clean your diamond plates with Bar Keepers Friend and a fingernail brush with a handle. This will clear the spaces in the Atoma . The plate pays for itself as a stone flattener, quick thinning very dull knives, repairing chips & broken tips.

I use a heavy DMT Extra coarse to level my stones. Use X pattern on ends of stone cross strokes remove material quickly. Then couple lapping entire length of stone going over the edges. Also bevel edges at 45% Diamond plate works well for all these steps.


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