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

Howard,

You'll not get any argument from me about the amazing consistency of the Shapton hones, nor about their ability to remove steel quickly and efficiently and the grit consistency leaves remarkably smooth and even scratch patterns on tools sharpened on them. They are without a doubt the new thoroughbreds in the sharpening game. That said, lets not loose sight that these hones were designed for sharpening hand tools and not razors specifically and so the treatment they are meant to receive will be quite a bit harsher than what us straight razor honers could muster (well, unless we're really going at it with a 12/8 wedge I suppose). Razor honing was simply an afterthought by those with a rather severe case of HAD and who had money to burn...... guys like me I guess.

As for the GDLP, I'm still trying to figure out just how the fact that Shapton has coated the grooves with diamonds has any bearing on how well it works for flattening hones... seems to me it would only serve to increase the cost of the GDLP as those diamonds are completely useless to the user. As for the increased flatness the GDLP is supposed to achieve, I'm sure it can make a slight difference when honing a 1/2" deep and 2" wide bevel such as done when sharpening a Japanese plane blade but if one does the math, that accuracy is wasted on the minuscule bevel of a straight razor, never mind the fact that the flattening results depend in large part on a given operators skill in using a lapping system, rather than the actual tool used.

The stone holder and stone pond look wonderful but frankly I don't see how it can have an effect on the efficiency of the hone, but rather only the convenience to the user. My $13 stone holder holds the glass hones very securely and my honing bench is such that I can clean it with a hose if I wish so containing the swarf and cleaning water is of no consequence to *me*. Previous videos of Harrelson using the Shapton Pro stones showed a similar ingenuity, in holding the stones and dealing with their swarf/slurry etc. This does not mean I don't think the Shapton sourced holders and stone pond are not suitable, they are just not *required* to make full use of the hones and personally I'll chose to use my limited funds elsewhere and I'd like to point out that other need not feel they HAVE to have these things or else the hones won't work well for them. Ditto for the GDLP if they aren't working those huge bevels on traditional Japanese hand planes and the like. And I'm still unconvinced of the superiority of the GDLP over a DMT for flattening hones for the purpose of sharpening razors or for that matter most European style hand tools where the bevels are mostly smaller unless we're talking chisels where Japanese and Euro styles are very similar in the bevel size for a given width of chisel.

For those who have read this far, it is not my intention in any way, shape or form to discourage anyone from buying a GDLP (pending Chris L's resolution of course), a Shapton stone pond or stone holder etc. from either Howard's site or anyone else's as they are top notch gear. However, if you are one of us who are somewhat limited in how much you can spend on this hobby, I would humbly suggest you spend your limited funds on quality hones first and feel comfortable that you'll still get excellent results without the not exactly cheap extras. You may have to find a substitute for that stone pond, maybe settle for a less expensive stone holder and rely on that DMT 325 grit to flatten your hones but you'll still be shaving in style! For what it's worth, I'd have all those toys if only my pockets were a bit deeper. So until I win the lottery, I'll keep using what I have and I know I'm shaving just as comfortably as the next guy who does have all the extras.

Regards

Kaptain "Trying not to be a spendthrift..... yeah right...<sigh>" Zero

PS. I got a wicked nice edge on my A2 block plane blade the other day, using the Shapton glass hones... they cut that A2 steel like it was made from butter!

Great comments guys; Howard, thanks for weighing in; I appreciate your feedback as always.

I've been out of town and have yet to check my phone messages. I don't know if Harrelson has tried to contact me by phone (no email from him). I'll keep you posted. I am itching to lap some stones since not having my GDLP means I'm really in honing limbo.

I agree with Howard that many barber hones are hard almost bullet proof buggers. IIRC, I probably lapped 3-5 barber hones on the GDLP, and at least half of those were only finish lapping after the initial lapping was done with a 6x2 DMT coarse plate I've had for years. I'm very aggressive and heavy handed with that 6x2 since I don't need it for anything else, and if all diamonds disappear from that 6x2 I could care less. More aggressive than I've EVER considered being with the GDLP at any time. That 6x2 has easily withstood the abuse I've given it with no significant loss of performance.

Maybe it's best that the GDLP simply should NOT be used to lap any barber hones. If that's the case, I would argue that the GDLP could be regarded as delicate. I've already stated that I definitely believe it to be a precision tool. Oftentimes "delicate" and precision tools go hand in hand.

I'll keep you posted.

Chris L

very informative post by howard, well thought out and written, thank you howard for your exeriences with the shapton hones, i figured out why my 2000 wasnt setting a bevel, i had flattened it on a countertop on 400-600 grit wet paper, turns out that my countertop was not flat, i thought it was, i checked it with a starrett scale i have several and it was out by a good deal. i found a very flat surface to use and it cuts a lot better i ordered a 8 by 3 dmt before i caught it so ill use that after i break it in properly, with a cold chisel and some plane blades i have, try it on a junk blade to check the scratch pattern and go from there, in any case the 2000 shapton i have will remove the dmt scratches with ease so i can go on to my blue belgian, i like that stone a lot not fast but works well, my sister in law is going to belgium next month and she is going to pick me up a good couticle from there so that should be interesting as well, no one will steer her wrong as she has a high position in a major us company,

Chris, is there any news on your GDLP or have we discovered the secret to Harrelsons numerous lapping plates by his bench?

Regards

Kaptain "Just wondering out loud" Zero

You're psychic, Christian. I was just going to post an update today. Here's my update:

I've emailed Harrelson several times asking for an update. The first time was last Thursday or Friday. He emailed back from his phone saying he was on vacation through the Labor Day (national holiday) weekend and he'd get to my stone first thing on Tuesday (9/2/2008). I emailed him again on 9/3/2008 explaining that I'm dead in the water and unable to lap any of my stones and I needed this resolved ASAP. I have not heard anything from him yet.

Chris L

Glad I bought mine from Craftsman Studio. I would bet they would have taken care of it by now. The goodwill and enhancement to Shapton USA's reputation he would have gotten had he promptly replaced your GDLP would have been worth far more to him then the cost of the plate.

wow chris i cant believe he is just ignoreing this, what kind of a business person is he anyway not to see to a problem such as yours. crap is he terrible at pr. well im not too impressed with the 2000 i bought and doubt i would buy any more of them espicially after your almost $300 lapping plate experience. ill stick with naturals

Originally Posted by JimmyH-AD

Glad I bought mine from Craftsman Studio. I would bet they would have taken care of it by now. The goodwill and enhancement to Shapton USA's reputation he would have gotten had he promptly replaced your GDLP would have been worth far more to him then the cost of the plate.

I agree, Jimmy. Originally I bought the GDLP from Harrelson because they weren't out there yet at other retailers IIRC. I purchased all my other Shaptons at Craftsman Studio and their service and speed of shipping is top notch.

I'm in the sales and service industry myself. I could have hounded Harrelson with calls and emails long ago in this saga; 1) I didn't other than the innocuous emails because out of curiosity, I wanted to see what the service I was going to receive was going to be like. 2) I'm the customer with an issue. Crap service is the norm rather than the exception these days. In my business I always strive to resolve issues ASAP and commit to a high level of service. I shouldn't have to camp out on a doorstep to gain satisfactory resolution.

Chris L

Chris,
I emailed Harrelson about this DGLP issue and your stone is on his desk. I know he's been away with the family on vacation but should be getting back to you shortly.

Thanks Howard. I appreciate your help. I was away on business yesterday and today and I do have a voice message from Harrelson asking me to call him about my GDLP. We'll see what happens. I'll keep everyone posted.

Chris L