Thread: Flattening a stone

I have somewhat of an issue. I have a natural stone that is lapped flat. As in when it touches the DMT it lies completely flat, yet..whoever had the stone before me..somehow managed to flatten it on a slant. When the stone is placed in a holder, the sharpening plane sits \ instead of _ Of course its not that dramatic, but its not truly flat because it was flattened on an angle. .

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to truly flatten the stone? The only main thing i could think of was putting it in a type of vice grip when i hone. I think its going to be a great deal of stone removed trying to take out the slanted property.

Originally Posted by IsaacRN

I have somewhat of an issue. I have a natural stone that is lapped flat. As in when it touches the DMT it lies completely flat, yet..whoever had the stone before me..somehow managed to flatten it on a slant. When the stone is placed in a holder, the sharpening plane sits \ instead of _ Of course its not that dramatic, but its not truly flat because it was flattened on an angle. .

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to truly flatten the stone? The only main thing i could think of was putting it in a type of vice grip when i hone. I think its going to be a great deal of stone removed trying to take out the slanted property.

220 wet/dry sandpaper and a tile from lowes.

Hone Lapping 101 - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Originally Posted by IsaacRN

I have somewhat of an issue. I have a natural stone that is lapped flat. As in when it touches the DMT it lies completely flat, yet..whoever had the stone before me..somehow managed to flatten it on a slant. When the stone is placed in a holder, the sharpening plane sits \ instead of _ Of course its not that dramatic, but its not truly flat because it was flattened on an angle. .

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to truly flatten the stone? The only main thing i could think of was putting it in a type of vice grip when i hone. I think its going to be a great deal of stone removed trying to take out the slanted property.

I had a stone like that and measured each end to determine the height difference and lapped the thicker end, on a diamond plate until both ends were level...its alot of work though.

Mac

Originally Posted by McWolf1969

I had a stone like that and measured each end to determine the height difference and lapped the thicker end, on a diamond plate until both ends were level...its alot of work though.

Mac

yeah...its more of its slanted downwards on the lenght of the hone, rather than on the ends.

I may just try to eyeball it.

Originally Posted by Slartibartfast

220 wet/dry sandpaper and a tile from lowes.

Hone Lapping 101 - Straight Razor Place Wiki

thanks for the reference. I know how to lap it..i was more addressing the fact that its at an angle. but it sits flat on the DMT plate.

Are you saying that the stone, although flat, doesnt have a universal thickness throughout. As one end measures thicker than the other?

Mac

So the surface is flat but it doesn't sit level? I wouldn't bother fixing the stone, just mount it differently. If you hone on a towel, put an extra one under the low end. Alternatively, you can make a wooden base with a corrective angle. If you hand hone, then it's really easy to correct it!

If it is flat but not level, I would build it a stand that compensates for that.

To make it flat and level you would sacrifice too much of the hone and shorten its life (as much as 3 lifetimes to 1) for something that IMHO is purely an aesthetic.

Originally Posted by Pyment

If it is flat but not level, I would build it a stand that compensates for that.

To make it flat and level you would sacrifice too much of the hone and shorten its life (as much as 3 lifetimes to 1) for something that IMHO is purely an aesthetic.

Thats exactly what I mean. Perhaps somehting like a vice grip would work.

+1 on what Utopian said. I had a situation like this, but it was created by the surface I was placing the holder on. I just took a paper towel and folded it twice and put it under one side of the holder, and the stone was level. No big deal. I wouldn't waste any of the natural stone just to make it sit level. Next time you have to lap it, start to level it then. Eventually it will be where you want it. Just my .02.

Ray