Thread: DMT 325 or 600 for lapping coticules?

Yes, it is adequately flat.

I got a combo Trent from SRD 300/1,000. I have used the 300 on my Escher, Jnat and even my Ark black. The 300 does the heavy lifting and maybe 5-10 extremely light weight of the Trent with the 1,000 really gives a beautiful surface on the stones. It worked wonders on the Ark which I was really reluctant to try. It needed much less burnishing after the 1,000.

Originally Posted by Utopian

A lapping/refreshing plate is a convenience but not a necessity for natural hones in my opinion.

After my last experience with my PHIG I'm not entirely sure I agree with this statement. It took an hour with the DMT to get the surface flat. By contrast, my Norton lapping stone barely scratched it.

Originally Posted by Marshal

After my last experience with my PHIG I'm not entirely sure I agree with this statement. It took an hour with the DMT to get the surface flat. By contrast, my Norton lapping stone barely scratched it.

The Norton lapping hone never should be used on a natural hone.

The reason that I said that the lapping plate is a convenience and not a necessity for a natural hone such as a Chinese hone is because they are so hard, it is unlikely that you will ever need to lap it again in your lifetime. Some sandpaper or SiC grit is perfectly adequate for that one time operation.

I have a lot of DMT plates but I have recently started using the $10 3-pack of diamond plates from Harbor Freight for lapping. Works great and no risk of destroying my good stones.

The only reason I tried it was Don at SRD said it would work without damaging the plate. He was right, saved me a lot of time on the Jnat, Escher and the Ark. The Ark was Dan's so it was flat to begin with but it cut down the burnishing time considerably and really smoothed out the surface.

Originally Posted by Utopian

The Norton lapping hone never should be used on a natural hone.

The reason that I said that the lapping plate is a convenience and not a necessity for a natural hone such as a Chinese hone is because they are so hard, it is unlikely that you will ever need to lap it again in your lifetime. Some sandpaper or SiC grit is perfectly adequate for that one time operation.

On the Norton plate - agreed, I was experimenting because the side I was lapping at the time was in the rough - as found in nature. So everything that norton plate touched got lapped away.

I guess you're right, that thing is so God forsaken hard I doubt seriously I'll ever manage to wear a dish in it such that it will need to be re-lapped.

Originally Posted by jkatzman

I got a combo Trent from SRD 300/1,000. I have used the 300 on my Escher, Jnat and even my Ark black. The 300 does the heavy lifting and maybe 5-10 extremely light weight of the Trent with the 1,000 really gives a beautiful surface on the stones. It worked wonders on the Ark which I was really reluctant to try. It needed much less burnishing after the 1,000.

sorry to derail the thread—jkatz, I'm picking up a black arkansas soon—the "trend 300/1000" was all you used to lap the black ark!? I'm all in. WHERE can i find it?

I got my black ark from Dan's and it was flat. I used the 300/1000 to do the preliminary burnishing. I was told by Don at SRD the Trent can be used to lap the black ark but I didn't need to do it. I don't know how it will work if the stone needs some serious flattening. It is well worth the extra money you pay for a Dan's to get it flattened. Even with the Trent, I had to do about 200 laps with an old razor to really burnish the stone. I will say however it is smooth as glass and really does make a difference on finishing a razor. Just takes a lot more time then my Escher or Jnat. I also found WD-40 works wonders on the stone when honing.

Originally Posted by J743

sorry to derail the thread—jkatz, I'm picking up a black arkansas soon—the "trend 300/1000" was all you used to lap the black ark!? I'm all in. WHERE can i find it?

FYI Chef Knives To Go has a 400/1000 diamond plate. Much cheaper, and looks like it's actually a pretty decent quality plate. I might pick one up myself, I'm interested in a 1000 grit to save a little bit of green on sand paper. But the Trend can be found at Straight Razor Designs.