Thread: The journy for DMT...

Hello everybody,

I decided it's time to stop lapping my stones with other stones + getting a coarse stone for chipped knifes & razors...
So what better way to go than diamond...?

So I did my research and ended up with more questions...
I'm on a budget - 75$ including shipment, which makes it about 30-35$ for the stone.
The main purpose will be lapping, but then I read on the DMT site that it's not recommended to lap with anything but the dia-flat. So I looked at that, saw it costs over 200$ and figured I'd rather start shaving with a DE or send my knifes and razors to a professional.

So I have 3 main questions:
1. Can I lap with the dia-sharp or the non-continuous model? I lap very rarely.. 1 stone every 1-2 months...
2. which one should I get..? The non-continuous one is much chipper - but will it work..?
3. Which grit? I have a 1K, 4K (Kings) and two Irish slates, ~8K and ~12K. As for the sharpening purposes, it'll use only to restore chipped blades, mainly kitchen knifes and eBay SRs..

Thank you!

Originally Posted by Haim

Hello everybody,

I decided it's time to stop lapping my stones with other stones + getting a coarse stone for chipped knifes & razors...
So what better way to go than diamond...?

So I did my research and ended up with more questions...
I'm on a budget - 75$ including shipment, which makes it about 30-35$ for the stone.
The main purpose will be lapping, but then I read on the DMT site that it's not recommended to lap with anything but the dia-flat. So I looked at that, saw it costs over 200$ and figured I'd rather start shaving with a DE or send my knifes and razors to a professional.

So I have 3 main questions:
1. Can I lap with the dia-sharp or the non-continuous model? I lap very rarely.. 1 stone every 1-2 months...
2. which one should I get..? The non-continuous one is much chipper - but will it work..?
3. Which grit? I have a 1K, 4K (Kings) and two Irish slates, ~8K and ~12K. As for the sharpening purposes, it'll use only to restore chipped blades, mainly kitchen knifes and eBay SRs..

Thank you!

Buy a BBW and some wet/dry sandpaper and you're good to go.

Originally Posted by ShaveWares

Buy a BBW and some wet/dry sandpaper and you're good to go.

Why the BBW..? As a lapping plate?

I tried the sand-paper thing, and it just won't do... a single film will lap a single stone, without the ability to round the edges. so in the long run, it's expensive (a shipment to Israel is ridiculously pricey) and not that good... also - it's very messy.. I can't just lap over the sink...

Try wet/dry sand paper at a lower grit. Start at 400 and work your way up if thats what you want. Works well I have never had a problem doing it this way.

.the DMT 325 will do all the lapping you need, tried and tested, once you knock down the high particles it has been lapping for the majority. We know what the website says, but look around its being used by a bunch for just that. Tc

Some stones, wet and dry paper does funny things (shapton included in that, I get odd loading after lapping them with wet and dry).

The duosharp stone can be used to lap stones without a problem. It will eventually get tired, but it will take a long time if you resist honing a bunch of steel things on it.

The diasharp is sometimes not flat. For some reason, they can make the plastic core duo really flat, but not the metal diasharp.

Go with the DMT 325,, it will accomplish the tasks your listed & last for a long time.

Just to echo what everyone else has said, I've got a DMT 325. Burnt it in real quick with a chisel just to knock the high diamonds away, and it's been my lapping stone ever since. I don't know what the difference is between this and a diasharp lapping plate is, but I'm fairly confident it isn't worth the price difference since this works, and faster than any other method Ive tried to date. Beats the Norton lapping stone and sand paper by a country mile.

Originally Posted by Haim

Hello everybody,

I decided it's time to stop lapping my stones with other stones + getting a coarse stone for chipped knifes & razors...
So what better way to go than diamond...?


The main purpose will be lapping, but then I read on the DMT site that it's not recommended to lap with anything but the dia-flat. So I looked at that, saw it costs over 200$ and figured I'd rather start shaving with a DE or send my knifes and razors to a professional.

8 to 10 years ago, before there was a dia-flat, the D8C 325 was what most guys used for lapping. Some guys tried doing waterstones with the 600, the 1200 DMTs and wore the diamonds off the substrate in short order. So DMT started getting returns and complaints.

Then for awhile they put in their FAQ that no plate with a grit higher than 325 should be used for lapping, and that under running water. (that is how I've done it all along) They recommended the DMT XX 120 over the 325, and said they would not warranty plates used for flattening waterstones of a higher grit than 325.

Time went by and they came out with the $200.00 dia-flat. I'm sure they're recommending them because they want to sell them. A D8C 325 is plenty good for waterstones, and nice for tuning up the edges on my kitchen knives.

Originally Posted by Haim

Why the BBW..? As a lapping plate?

I tried the sand-paper thing, and it just won't do... a single film will lap a single stone, without the ability to round the edges. so in the long run, it's expensive (a shipment to Israel is ridiculously pricey) and not that good... also - it's very messy.. I can't just lap over the sink...

Meant to say, use the sandpaper for lapping the BBW and use the BBW for one-stone honing.