Thread: Checking stone for flatness?

Originally Posted by KenWeir

Yeah I recently ordered one of those norton flattener stones. Hoping it'll cut faster than my dmt, even if I have to lap it semi-frequently

I've had 2 Nortons so far.

The first one I completely wrecked trying to flatten some old Arkies. Basically turned it into a bowl in spite of my best effort to use the entire surface. This was before I discovered the DMT or made the connection that a flattening stone could be soft enough to get out of flat. That said...I'd rather wreck a $30 Norton stone on an Arkansas hone than a $60 DMT.

The Norton hone does do better lapping Arkies than a worn DMT. Slurry is your friend in that endeavor. I find the key is 100 laps on the Arkie, 10-20 on the DMT to keep the Norton flat enough to get the job done. Saves wear on the DMT, use that for heavy razor grinding and stones that don't suck out loud to flatten.

It also gets better after breaking in. Right out of the box it leaves some pretty deep scratches in everything. My Current Norton flattener cuts pretty good without making deep scratches. It's also about as flat as my DMT can make it.

For most endeavors I side with folks that like a well worn DMT. For things that are liable to tear through/finish off a DMT, or cost $50 or more in sand paper to flatten, there's the Norton flattening stone. Fortunately those hard naturals don't need regular flattening and burnishing.

I can see that! The Norton flattener is great on the lawnmower blade too!

In my opinion, and from my understanding, the Norton flattening hone is only meant to be used for synthetic water hones. I certainly would not use one for an Arkansas hone.

Originally Posted by Utopian

In my opinion, and from my understanding, the Norton flattening hone is only meant to be used for synthetic water hones. I certainly would not use one for an Arkansas hone.

I'm sure that's what they're designed and intended for. But like everything else, theoretical intended use and actual application may or may not coincide. Basically when working on my 12"x3" Arkansas stone, I found my DMT slowing down drastically. To the point if I didn't stop, the hone was going to be utterly worthless and probably long before that large stone got flat. I tried the Norton out of sheer desperation rather than buy another DMT just to tear it up on a large Arkie, and found it cuts about as well as a DMT with the added benefit of having more cutting material underneath the surface stuff the Arkie was dulling out. But at the end of the day I ran out of steam before I fully flattened that large stone. Oversized Translucent 1, me 0. Maybe one day I'll get that SOB...

Originally Posted by sharptonn

I can see that! The Norton flattener is great on the lawnmower blade too!

I prefer my grandfather's trick for those. 5 minutes with a metal file and good to go.

Yeah, Trying to smooth an old dished Arkie begins at the sidewalk!

Originally Posted by Marshal

I prefer my grandfather's trick for those. 5 minutes with a metal file and good to go.

Same difference, I suppose!

Originally Posted by sharptonn

Yeah, Trying to smooth an old dished Arkie begins at the sidewalk!

It actually wasn't old and dished, that's what gets me! The thing looked unused, but the surface was raised along the center all the way down the hone on both sides. I'm not sure if the original owner wore out their EZE-LAP diamond plate on it and goofed up in the process, or if it just came a little wonky from the mine. But that thing is a fighter.

I'm tempted to buy a throw away DMT just to finish it off, but then I'll have to sand out the scratches and burnish it.

May be the above advise on the WD sandpaper on a flat surface is how to begin?

Personally, high along the center sounds intriguing to me?
Looks as if someone was dragging the blade off both sides of the hone?....Knives!

I AM a 'center of the hone' Type!

It's size is the operative issue in that endeavoer. It's too long for the pan I used to use with my sand paper flattening endeavors. Loose grit SIC powder sounds promising if I can find a large enough piece of glass that I wouldn't mind wrecking.

That, should be easy enough!