Thread: How does one know when their DMT is worn out

Hi!

I have read some older threads about the subject but, wanted to see if SRP members could share their experiences regarding when it was time to change out their dmt plates. Thanks in advance!

take a Glass, Glass

Rub the bottom corner of it on several areas of the DMT if it scratches it you are good to go, just how good is something you have to decide from how aggressive it cuts the glass

Thanks gssixgun - you know in back of my congested mind I swear I have heard/ read that before!

I thought mine was wore out . It had tuned very dark and didn't want to clean my hones. It turns out it was only very dirty. I used comet with a little water to make a thin paste then rinsed and it turned out to be in pretty good shape. Mine is a DMT 325 i think.

Yup. Many have made this same discovery. Even if is worn out it will still be a good substrate for sandpaper.

The one I use to lap hones is really worn. I like this, personally.
It would be no good for anything else, but it imparts a nice surface on my synthetic hones.

I suppose this is why I recommend guys to get a 600 for flattening and maintenance duties on the synthetic hones.
Takes a LOT of beating on a 325 to get it optimal for the purpose.
YMMV

It simply takes a purchase to make the Atoma 400 optimal for the purpose.

Originally Posted by Utopian

It simply takes a purchase to make the Atoma 400 optimal for the purpose.

There you have it!

This is an interesting subject. Seems a 325 DMT is wholly recommended for flattening and maintenance of synthetic hones, yet is WAY too rough for the task until it has evened out to the smallest diamonds. Something smoother should be recommended to new guys using a diamond plate for this purpose?
A thought?

You are correct Sharptonn! I used my 325 dmt for sharpening several knives and tools before moving it to lapping duty and it was perfectly broken in. You are correct that a 600 grit would probably be better, but it might get loaded too quickly.

Originally Posted by sharptonn

There you have it!

This is an interesting subject. Seems a 325 DMT is wholly recommended for flattening and maintenance of synthetic hones, yet is WAY too rough for the task until it has evened out to the smallest diamonds. Something smoother should be recommended to new guys using a diamond plate for this purpose?
A thought?

The DMT 325 used to be the only thing any of us knew, so it was what was/is recommended. There are better options now. I will try to start a new thread about this soon with explanatory photos.