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Atoma 1200 For Lapping

Would this be sufficient enough to lap a coti, Escher, and Jnat? I’m debating on whether to get a 600 or 1200.
 
I have a 1200 that I use to keep my jnat and coti flat. They were flat from before so it’s more like maintenance. 1200 will be pretty slow for really out of true stones, 600 will be better but might leave deep scratches.
 
I have a 1200 that I use to keep my jnat and coti flat. They were flat from before so it’s more like maintenance. 1200 will be pretty slow for really out of true stones, 600 will be better but might leave deep scratches.

The 1200 will be good enough for synthetic stones?
 
The 1200 will stick more than the 600.
For synthetics I would use the 600. You can use it for everything and if you have a few stones you want finer just use w/d 1000.
 
I'd err on the side of 600 here. It shouldn't scratch too deep - I use a slightly worn 400 on slates and jnats and it's perfect. And you can always touch stuff up after lapping one stone on another.
 
Would this be sufficient enough to lap a coti, Escher, and Jnat? I’m debating on whether to get a 600 or 1200.
I use a atoma 400 with good results. I just use a suitable nagura stone to smooth out the surface afterwards. The depth of the scratches also depends on the amount of pressure used during lapping. A coarser plate might not leave deeper scratches, but can be more efficient if needed.
 
1200 atoma isn't made for heavy lapping. Maintenance is another story. Hard stones that are way off will kill your 400 atoma if used enough. Maintenance? Sure. Heavy lapping? No. Unless you don't mind burning the.thing up.
 
600 gets my vote. It will stop scratching as it gets some wear, use it to flatten some chisels or something first. After a 1200 wears in, it will take a long long time to flatten anything on it.
 
I use a worn down Atoma 400 plate for lapping and then finish off with a nagura or 1200 but the 1200 as stated sticks so most of the time I use the 1200 to generate slurry.
 
I use an Atoma 400 for general flattening. Use the 1200 afterward if needed for a smoother finish. A 1200 will get damaged pretty rapidly by any slurry buildup, so if you do try to use one for flattening, be absolutely sure to keep it cleared of slurry by using under running water and frequent separation of the plate and the stone to rinse away excess slurry.

If you have a major out of flat condition and very hard stone, better to do the rough flattening on a block of cement with sand or loose SiC grit to save wear on your lapping plate or diamond plate. I have been doing some lately on my surface grinder with a diamond wheel... That actually works pretty darn well.
 
I always used SIC powder dry... now I'm wondering if maybe that's why I got such horrific gouges left by it. Lol.


As for me, I have a 220 DMT I used 5+ years, then got a $30 knockoff 160 grit version once the DMT started to show its age (after hundreds if not thousands of stones). Those two have kept me going with a vintage hone addiction (lapped 50+ arks, 200+ Coti's, 300+ thuris, 100+ synths, etc, etc, etc) for 10+ years.

The difference with the DMT vs the knockoff? Knockoff had a raised corner (looked like it'd been dropped on the corner) I had to grind off on arrival. And also the plating started to peel from the sides (not the surface) after 2-3 years as water had gotten under it and formed rust. The DMT shows no wear other than being much less aggressive than originally (laps as fine as 600+ wet/dry these days).

I've never tried an Atoma, but most people who have seem to prefer them to DMT's.
 
I have the Atoma 400, then got a stick on 1200 and placed it on the backside so my Atoma is 400 and 1200.
If you are lapping Arkansas stones they will kill the Atoma's, that's why I use Sic grit to do the grunt work on the arks as they are very hard.

atoma 400.jpg
atoma 1200.jpg
atoma 400-1200.jpg



@SliceOfLife its better to use water


 
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I like the Atoma plates better only for lapping. They don't stick as tightly to the item being lapped due to that interrupted surface. I do not like the Atomas for knife or razor use, again due to that interrupted surface. Prefer the continuously plated surface on the DMTs for that.
 
I use a worn/broken in 400 to finish lap everything except Arks and similar types. Even a new 400 is good enough for most stones to be honest - Eschers, Coticules, all fine on the 400. When I used DMT plates I lapped them with a 325x plate. With many years and blades of back and forth use and comparison, I've found that high, or higher, polish doesn't help me achieve better results.
I lap Arks and similar on SIC - that stuff leaves marks, even if I go all the way to 1000 grit powder. Diamond plates do the same but Arks kill them so I use SIC instead. Finish lapping with w/d neutralizes those issues and a 600x w/d surface on my finishing Ark gets me right where I want to be.
I find the 1200 Atoma didn't give me anything I don't get from a 400, and it can actually start to 'over polish' on some stones. One other issue is that doesn't stand up to lapping as well as the lower grit option. I don't know that someone with a couple of stones will ever notice that though.
Main thing is, the working surface left by the 400 serves well across the board. If I decide I want more polish, I go to w/d - mostly that's with Arks though. I have a 1200 here, not even sure where it is to be honest, I hardly ever use it. The 400x plates are in the sink daily though.
 
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