Thread: DMT NEW PROBLEM.

Well, fwiw, I'm officially retiring my DMT8E and EE from lapping duty. I'm gonna use 2k automotive wet/dry paper on granite now. It's a cheap, relatively fast alternative.

Originally Posted by Howard

I'd be interested in the resolution to this as well. I've used DMTs to lap Charnley Forest stones but never got a milky slurry so much as a gray/green. I doubt you've hurt your DMT8EE (their 8000 grit waterstone) as a Charnley is just not that hard.

I hope and pray my DMT EE WILL FINE.About the color of the slurry i will make picture of slurry and put it up that may help .
about charnley forest. did charnley damage dmt i am not sure but i find out when i was lapping charnley .as i used 325 and 1200 was same color of the slurry but when i start to the 8000 color changed to black that color just wake me up.May be Dmt damaged earlier i just find out when i lapped charnley i don't know.Because i was using 3 dmt's in a raw it was obvious something wrong.dmt or charnley 1 of them.that is why i went back and make slurry with 325 and color was milky ,1200 same, back to dmtEE oops black looks like black Creese .
i hope this will end up good

This is slurry's color.
i am so mad at myself just now i have destroyed my dmt 8e,
Howard i don;t know why but this is charnley destroys dmt.
i just did it again.i made slurry in first stone with sandpaper and decided to make slurry on next one with dmt 8e(this one was ok early) took me less then 8 stroke dmt was gone in the middle.i am 80% positive charnley does this


last 2 picture when slurry dries

Hi_bud_gl, I'm sorry to hear your DMT8E is ruined. You posted this thread in time to prevent me from completely ruining mine. I think it's still usable.

On a brighter note, that Cha(r?)nley Forest hone is just beautiful. Great pics.

I'm not sure how anyone has come to any conclusions yet? Have you heard back from the DMT rep yet? It would seem that the black slurry might be metal. So maybe the Charnley is honing the metal on the DMT plate. How do you know that the DMTEE wasn't defective?

Originally Posted by KristofferBodvin

Is there anyone out there who has used the D8E as a beve lsetter/lapper over a longer period of time? I just don't find the surface left by my D8C smooth enough at the higher grit hones, and I'm sick of using sandpaper!

What I was doing on some of my hones was lapping with the D8C first and then putting on another pencil grid and lapping with the DMT 1200. Point is that if you use the 325 first you will remove the most material.

Then when you take off the second pencil grid there is very little stress on the finer diamond plate. Like Howard I have found the surface left by the 325 to be fine for me.

The only time I ever lapped with a 1200 E was when testing it on one side of a Swaty (leaving a 325 finish on the other side). I've never lapped with an EE yet.

No problems yet but then again I don't use any hones that make much slurry.

I don't think your DMT is ruined, take heart.

I had a similar experience trying to lap my Chinese 12K with a DMT8EE, and thought I'd ruined it. See the thread here: New DMT8EE - ruined?!

My Chinese 12K is a hard stone - but it isn't diamond. Diamond hones can take a joke.

After spending a lot of time with a stiff brush and Barkeeper's Friend, and even my fingertips, my DMT8EE is as good as new, and I have used it ever since to get a number of razors very sharp. The DMT8EE is so fine that it's difficult to feel with your fingers whether it has anything on it. But run a razor edge first across it, and it's definitely all there.

I use a coticule more than my DMT8EE these days. It's gentler and provides better feedback for tuning. But that DMT8EE is strong medicine for stubborn edges, and I'll never sell mine.

I have never felt the need to use anything more than a DMT-C to lap any stone. I've tried on a couple of stones. I can understand why some people would think that a finer lap would do better but I have not seen that the finer lapping provided any better results.

I'll post some pics later today of a DMT8E that has been used to do alot of shapton lapping. You can see the areas where the nickel on the DMT has been completely abraded away, leaving the bare base plate underneath. I never had this problem using the DMT8E to lap my 12k Chinese ore my swaty. I don't think those two hones were agressive enough to go after the nickel. But the ceramic bite of the shaptons *will* make quick work of the nickel plating on the finer (8E and 8EE) DMT's. Pics to come...

Edit: BTW... the method of rubbing a DMT on glass to check the DMT's abrading ability is a valid test. If you have any doubts as to whether or not your DMT is still working, do it. Just find a piece of clear glass, rub the dmt on it, and if it makes the glass hazy or milky looking, it's still working fine.