Thread: Advice on lapping plates

That stuff lasts and lasts. You can get it dirt cheap from lapidary shops too.

https://www.amazon.com/Sk11-sided-Di.../dp/B003EIE8LC

This is the only plate I could find that was able to flatten hard natural stones (mostly Translucent and Charnley Forest) or synthetics (old SiC or AlO). And it's still usable after about 2 years and who knows how many stones.
I got mine from Japan and is dead flat (as much as I can tell), but as you can see there, not all of them are.

I also have this https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B015JMIP...v_ov_lig_dp_it
It's pretty flat and it will work for water stones used to sharpen knives and to sharpen knives. It won't work for anything harder for very long.

Coarse DMT Dia-sharp (325) won't be able to hold it's own for long in a scenario like this. I had 2 of them. Even for some repairs/sharpening they are problematic. There is some good part, they don't exactly die fast, they get finer and finer so they are usable for something.

The DMT DUO performed better. I've only used them from 220 to 1200 mesh. But not exactly flat after some time.

There are good lapping plates, but none cheap. Nano Hone makes some great stuff for example. NL-5 is perfect if you use Shapton Glass for razors or in general. They have something different for coarser needs, but I haven't used it so I can't comment. Both are available in Germany if you want to consider them for anything.

SiC flattening stones are to be used for water stones that are above their grit level and not for anything else. They just don't work. I ruined a couple doing tests.

Sandpaper is not very cost effective in many scenarios and not as effective as SiC powder in general for this kind of work. If for some light work, on water stones mainly, it's OK, for harder stuff it is just not worth the trouble. You will eventually do it, but with a huge amount of effort. I use sandpaper for various tasks when I have no better option.

SiC powder and a glass surface (or something that's really flat) is the easiest and fastest way to solve hard stones. I start at 50 and work my way up from there. It won't always be a walk in the park, even with this approach, but it's still the best. You might want to use some laminating sheets as well, with the glass. Make sure you get thick ones for lower grits. They do a great job speeding up the process. There are actually some big rolls of thick laminating self adhesive film, but I don't know how easy it is to find and carry and so on.

This is pretty much all the advice my knowledge allows me to give, even if I might have missed something. I've been reading the forum from time to time for who knows how long, but I never made an account until recently since I was looking to buy something. And maybe I would not have written at all, but this gave me a lot of trouble in the beginning and it can turn very fast into a completely unpleasant task. I wish I knew all this stuff then.

The CKTG 400/1000 works very well for lapping most stones and is priced right. Mine is flat.

I wore a DMT 325 out lapping some arkies and PHIGs. Still scratches glass, just no longer aggressive. Works well for kitchen knives now.

Originally Posted by petercp4e

Gonna have to do a little homework on this and try to find them.

Pete <:-}

Griffiths Shaving Goods has them

https://www.griffithshavinggoods.com...-honing-stones

Originally Posted by Euclid440

While I have not used that plate, I have use other inexpensive plates from eBay with no name, the CNTG, Ternd, DMT, Atoma, and EZLap.

They all work about equally well and last about the same, (years), as long as you take care of them. Keep clean, use with lots of water and do not use to lap hard natural stones like Arks and Chinese stones. Hard naturals will rip the diamonds from the substrate.

Dead flat does not matter. Flattish is good enough, the stone will ride on the high spots, and if it is out of flat it is only a few thousands. When lapping or honing you will not be riding on the exact same spot on each lap.

For about the same money you can get a 300/1000 grit diamond plate for about $35 from CNTG. They look exactly like the Trend and perform the same the dual grit is a good value, the 1k is good for kitchen knives and tools.

The King Icebear stones are great stone, the 1k is a fast cutter and a bit soft, but I refresh before each use, so it is not an issue. The Icebear 10k can leave an edge equal to a 12k super stone, and it does not load up like a Super Stone. I bought my 10k years ago, so I don’t know about the new ones, but mine is about an inch and a half thick.

Lap hard naturals on loose SIC grit from GotGrit.com. A selection of grits from 60-500, will run you about $15, enough to do several stones. You can flatten an Ark in 15-20 mins with loose 60 grit and a $1 steel cookie sheet.
Once flat, smoothing up to 500 grit goes quickly, then use Wet & Dry up to the grit of your choice on the cookie sheet.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. It seems nearly everyone is of the same opinion, and this reply by Euclid440 says everything pretty concisely.

This is my plan: inexpensive diamond plate for the King/Icebear stones, SiC grit and granite tile or glass plate for the hard natural stones. I have wet and dry, but I find it is an expensive way to lap stones.

One thought, I have done some preliminary lapping of the PHIGs against each other, and it has worked reasonably well. How about rubbing two stones together with SiC grit between them? Flattening two stones with one lap, so to speak.

And... my Ice Bear 10k was bought in 2006. It is mounted in a wooden base, and is maybe an inch thick.

I think your better off lapping them individually with the sic on a granite floor tile. Glass works well but I breaks. Once you have them finish lapped you can rub them together. Imo 600 grit is about as smooth as I do my jnats. Haven't touched my cnat in many years. Had one. Sold it. Then somehow ended up buying the same one again. That's how similar they were. I love jnats. And don't play anymore with different stones.

@ Montgomery:

i think you ll find what you look for here:

https://sharprazorpalace.com/hones/1...asy-cheap.html

the plate that you linked to amazon in your starter is the one that i was refering to in my thread as a "don´t buy this".

I did a lot of research on this. The best option in my opinion if you do not want to spend $100+ is get a 400 Atoma and a 140 sticker and use them. They are superior to DMT. The cheapest places I have found is on the auction sites, the sellers will give you a break on shipping if you buy the plate and the sticker from the same guy.

My DMT 325 that I bought in 2008 is my most used tool on the honing bench but then again I restore razors

There is a difference in Flattening and Lapping I haven't flattened a stone or hone in years I lap stones and hones everyday

The very Idea of Flatenning a Stone using a DMT 325 is laughable it isn't designed for that, Flattening a Hone yeah they can do it but there are better tools

One suggestion, Your Lapping Plate it going to touch every Hone or Stone on your bench, this is NOT the place to cheap out


Hone On !!!

Originally Posted by Montgomery

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. It seems nearly everyone is of the same opinion, and this reply by Euclid440 says everything pretty concisely.

This is my plan: inexpensive diamond plate for the King/Icebear stones, SiC grit and granite tile or glass plate for the hard natural stones. I have wet and dry, but I find it is an expensive way to lap stones.

One thought, I have done some preliminary lapping of the PHIGs against each other, and it has worked reasonably well. How about rubbing two stones together with SiC grit between them? Flattening two stones with one lap, so to speak.

And... my Ice Bear 10k was bought in 2006. It is mounted in a wooden base, and is maybe an inch thick.

Lapping 2 unflat hones together is liable to just render both out of flat. Best results are achieved with a known flat surface, like granite tile or a glass plate. The hard part is keeping that surface flat. I have a (slightly) dished glass plate thanks to SIC powder, a couple translucent Arkansas stones, and a few hours of hand lapping.