Swarf vs Slurry

[duke762]

Technically speaking, in manufacturing, swarf is metal particles. Tunings from a lathe, milling or other cutting methods. Swarf can actually be quite large. I've saved buckets of copper swarf for recycling. Also referred to as chips or shavings. It is just very coarse swarf.

Slurry, as Gamma said. is abrasive paste that is generated or naturally occurring during the use a softer stone. On a freshly resurfaced Trans Ark you may see black swarf. This is metal particles not containing slurry because the stone doesn't really break down much if any.

Slurry will produce swarf and be contaminated by it. Does swarfy slurry make a difference? Probably not for the best. Too much swarf could change the cutting action of the slurry.

Swarf indicates that the stone is working well. Swarf is metal that frequently gets mixed with the slurry on softer stones whether by choice or with the break down of softer stones.

Swarf is metal, slurry is stone based. They occur together but have totally different make ups. Spell check goes haywire with the word swarf....

 

[J B Addis]

Thinking about this subject, I had a realization that lead to some questions. I believe it can be considered axiomatic that slurry is primarily responsible for creating a kasumi finish on steel, both by the effect of loose abrasive cutting less deeply into the jigane, and by the rolling effect of the individual grains of abrasive creating a different surface texture than the long scratches of an immobile abrasive in substrate.

On some hard dense stones of varying grit, natural and synth, which do not autoslurry to any perceptible degree and generally leave a bright finish on the steel, heavy sharpening of laminated blades results in a thick emulsion of swarf on the stone. Sometimes, uncharacteristically for the stone, the blade will begin to show a kasumi haze to some degree, often with the jigane having the appearance of having been sharpened on a stone of higher grit than the one in actual use.

This leads me to wonder: The swarf from the hagane is somewhat harder than the jigane, so could it be that it's having enough of an abrasive effect to cause the kasumi I'm observing? The second thing this leads me to wonder is whether a metal powder harder than the jigane but softer than the hagane on a nonabrasive substrate could be used to create a super dense, dark finish on the jigane without scratching the hagane, after polishing the hagane to an extremely bright finish? Could be fun for creating ultra high contrast.

 

[cotedupy]

Thinking about this subject, I had a realization that lead to some questions. I believe it can be considered axiomatic that slurry is primarily responsible for creating a kasumi finish on steel, both by the effect of loose abrasive cutting less deeply into the jigane, and by the rolling effect of the individual grains of abrasive creating a different surface texture than the long scratches of an immobile abrasive in substrate.

On some hard dense stones of varying grit, natural and synth, which do not autoslurry to any perceptible degree and generally leave a bright finish on the steel, heavy sharpening of laminated blades results in a thick emulsion of swarf on the stone. Sometimes, uncharacteristically for the stone, the blade will begin to show a kasumi haze to some degree, often with the jigane having the appearance of having been sharpened on a stone of higher grit than the one in actual use.

This leads me to wonder: The swarf from the hagane is somewhat harder than the jigane, so could it be that it's having enough of an abrasive effect to cause the kasumi I'm observing? The second thing this leads me to wonder is whether a metal powder harder than the jigane but softer than the hagane on a nonabrasive substrate could be used to create a super dense, dark finish on the jigane without scratching the hagane, after polishing the hagane to an extremely bright finish? Could be fun for creating ultra high contrast.

Well there's a splendidly detailed / niche set of observations on the subject. Though I do fear you might be losing some people with a lot of what you're talking about here.

Not me though - I'm in this thread for the long haul! Will reply properly in a bit with some thoughts. I noticed something quite interesting and unexpected the other day when thinning a knife, that relates directly to some of what you've said above...

 

[alx gilmore]

Well there's a splendidly detailed / niche set of observations on the subject. Though I do fear you might be losing some people with a lot of what you're talking about here.

Not me though - I'm in this thread for the long haul! Will reply properly in a bit with some thoughts. I noticed something quite interesting and unexpected the other day when thinning a knife, that relates directly to some of what you've said above...

Are there any photos out there from a light colored or white Arkansas slurry that is black, naturally occurring?

Alx

 

[cotedupy]

Are there any photos out there from a light colored or white Arkansas slurry that is black, naturally occurring?

Alx

Not afaik. Ime - novaculite slurry, even from dark coloured stones is; white, grey, or sometimes very light green (Idwals and Charnleys).