Thread: My GDLP has issues...........................

Originally Posted by kelbro

I have seen similar results with my DMT 8" Coarse. DMT's question/response was 'Will it still scratch a glass surface? Yes? Then there are still diamonds and it is still doing its job.' Well, it does still scratch glass but it does not cut as fast as it did before.

Hopefully Shapton's response is better.

I think that all lapping plates undergo a "break in" period, all of my DMTs have, and they lose some of their initial cutting strength because the inconsistencies in the diamond surface (extreme peaks) have been smoothed out. I have used my DMT 8C to lap everything; natural stones, ceramic hones, regular manmade waterstones, barber hones, Rc 66 steel, carbide, and probably more items I can't remember, and haven't noticed a significant decrease in performance after the initial break in.

But as with any product, faulty specimens are bound to occur.

I do agree though that they should have been more supportive of you as a customer, they probably figure it's cheap enough to be replaced when worn out, but that's not a very good business stance.

lapping the lapper is a subject we don't speak of in polite society. Every lapping plate will fall out of tolerance as it is used, I think. I'll tryto talk my machinist wife into checking my dmt.

My diasharp lost a few tiny patches when I first started with it. Nothing like what you have there Chris.

The natural stones should be no problem. Somehow I feel barber hones will come up in your discussions. I don't know much about barber hones but they seem way hard- the wear in the center vs. uniform wear across does not help

A diamond stone should just get finer and finer, not strip away imho. The 120 disk predates the glass by several years so it's not as if it was developed for resurfacing gd lp.

Originally Posted by kelbro

I have seen similar results with my DMT 8" Coarse. DMT's question/response was 'Will it still scratch a glass surface? Yes? Then there are still diamonds and it is still doing its job.' Well, it does still scratch glass but it does not cut as fast as it did before.

Hopefully Shapton's response is better.

I just wanted to throw in that I had a bad initial experience with my first DMT. Don't know why, but it lost a patch of abrasive and I was not happy. They took it back gladly and replaced it. I had a great customer service experience with DMT. Anyway, since then I have come to expect a change in the plates over time, but I have not had the same problem again. Sorry this is slightly

Originally Posted by Philadelph

I just wanted to throw in that I had a bad initial experience with my first DMT. Don't know why, but it lost a patch of abrasive and I was not happy. They took it back gladly and replaced it. I had a great customer service experience with DMT. Anyway, since then I have come to expect a change in the plates over time, but I have not had the same problem again. Sorry this is slightly

I too had a problem with a new DMT D8E 1200 grit. There was a small cluster of raised metal that must have been a factory defect. Razor edges did not like that raised area and it remained after "breaking in the hone". I also had an excellent response from DMT. They promptly sent out a replacement D8E and included a really neat cleaning kit for my trouble. Also , but hey, I created this thread so.....

Chris L

Dear Customer,

We hereby wish to inform you that upon your failure to properly lap the the lapping plate for lapping the lapping plate that you should use to lap the GDLP, all warranty is voided.

Sincerely,

the general bogus manager.



I sympathize with your situation, Chris. Hope it gets resolved soon.

Bart.

Originally Posted by kevint

Somehow I feel barber hones will come up in your discussions. I don't know much about barber hones but they seem way hard- the wear in the center vs. uniform wear across does not help

I would have no problem with the GDLP instructions stating and it being common knowledge (disseminated on the Shapton website for example) that ONLY Shapton Ceramic on Glass stones should be lapped on the GDLP. Although the instructions state that the GDLP was designed to be used with the Ceramic on Glass stones, it does NOT say you can't use it to lap other stones or that you can't use it to lap certain types of stones even if those certain types of stones are higher in grit than 500.

IF the GDLP could only be used to lap the Shapton Ceramic on Glass stones, I would consider it to be less versatile and at a high price point, I would think of it differently than I do now.

Chris L

Originally Posted by Chris L

I would have no problem with the GDLP instructions stating and it being common knowledge (disseminated on the Shapton website for example) that ONLY Shapton Ceramic on Glass stones should be lapped on the GDLP. Although the instructions state that the GDLP was designed to be used with the Ceramic on Glass stones, it does NOT say you can't use it to lap other stones or that you can't use it to lap certain types of stones even if those certain types of stones are higher in grit than 500.

IF the GDLP could only be used to lap the Shapton Ceramic on Glass stones, I would consider it to be less versatile and at a high price point, I would think of it differently than I do now.

Chris L

Considering what I've done with (or rather, to) my 55$ DMT8C, it would be terribly disappointing if the DGLP couldn't handle coticules and barber hones.
It doesn't cut as fast anymore as when I originally got it, but it still laps stones without any problem.
Even that log splitting axe that I am sharpening doesn't really harm it.

I think some wear is given with any lapping plate or stone by the nature of the action involved with lapping. Unfortunate that so much degradation happened, hopefully it gets resolved well.

I also have noticed my D8C has a bald spot in one corner now, I think partly due to me not knowing that the glass side of the shapton stones wasn't the side to hone on ... the DMT did, however, completely flatten the glass bottoms of my shapton ceramic on glass stones when I lapped them, unwittingly.

Ok guys, here's an update:

Harrelson Stanley called me after receiving my GDLP today.

He's going to soak it and lap some ceramic stones on it this weekend to check its performance. According to him, the initial observation is that the stone looks as it should after being broken in as it has.

He's also going to most likely take a ceramic disc to it to lap the GDLP. I told him I was concerned that this would alter the flatness. He explained and stressed that the Shapton .5 micron flatness claim is the flatness of the FLOAT GLASS substrate and not the lapping surface given the fact that each diamond will be slightly different than the other.

I've always used very light pressure with my lapping plates, DMT or Shapton letting/expecting the diamonds do the work. Harrelson said that when he laps on the GDLP he (direct quote here) "puts his shoulders into it". He says that using the GDLP, he can true even severely used ceramic on glass stones in less than 30 seconds. He is going to mail my photos to Shapton in Japan for viewing. Harrelson says his understanding of the GDLP manufacturing process is that the edges of the stone do have a higher concentration of diamonds than the middle or "field" (his reference) of the GDLP has.

Harrelson said he has a beverage cooler that he keeps filled with water, and usually has about 10 GDLPs soaking and submerged continually in that water with no ill effects to the GDLP. He does this to prevent slurry from hardening on the GDLP surface.

He also said that hot water will not harm the GDLP. He said he's actually contemplated putting his GDLP in the dishwasher but has not done it yet, and he stressed that he doesn't think that Shapton would endorse such a practice, but given that the hot water in a dishwasher wouldn't melt glass, diamonds, nickel or rubber, it most likely would not harm the GDLP.

That's the current update for now.

Chris L

30 seconds?!?!

That'd be impressive to see, slurry would be flying all over the place!

So the surface does not have a guarnteed flatness, then, only the backing material? Seems like a strange way of measuring flatness.

Glad to hear he is taking a personal interest in your case though, hope it turns out well.