Thread: Shapton Glass Stones - Questions

Ahhh right i get it, when i said bevel setting i used the wrong term, i meant as you said, serious edge repair. And my soon to come 1k for bevel setting, as per the wiki .

Does a lack of a DTM 325 on SRD indicate no stock of it?

Originally Posted by Spartigus

Does a lack of a DTM 325 on SRD indicate no stock of it?

Yes, that's what it means.

They usually stock up quickly. Check again in a week or two, and when you see them buy fast because they do seem to fly off the shelves.

Originally Posted by Ryan82

Yes, that's what it means.

They usually stock up quickly. Check again in a week or two, and when you see them buy fast because they do seem to fly off the shelves.

Thanks mate

I have some 280 grit wet/dry sitting around, will that be fine for lapping? or would like 325 be better?

Originally Posted by Spartigus

I have some 280 grit wet/dry sitting around, will that be fine for lapping? or would like 325 be better?

Close enough....
If you have 280 use it as long as you have a flat surface.
In fact after a coarse paper you can use a finer paper to
lightly finish the surface and make it a bit smoother. Do
rinse the surface with a good bit of water to remove any
grit from what ever lap you have.

Long term you will want a largish DMT to keep your hones flat.

I said long term because it takes a while to dish out a hone
when you are honing razors only for yourself.

Originally Posted by niftyshaving

Close enough....
If you have 280 use it as long as you have a flat surface.
In fact after a coarse paper you can use a finer paper to
lightly finish the surface and make it a bit smoother. Do
rinse the surface with a good bit of water to remove any
grit from what ever lap you have.

Long term you will want a largish DMT to keep your hones flat.

I said long term because it takes a while to dish out a hone
when you are honing razors only for yourself.

Thanks

Yeah my next purchase will be a DMT .

So i could make it smooth enough with like 325 grit paper?

Originally Posted by Spartigus

Thanks

Yeah my next purchase will be a DMT .

So i could make it smooth enough with like 325 grit paper?

Smooth???? Flat is the key....!!!!

The goal of lapping is to get the surface flat.... so the first question
is will you get it flat.

If it is not smooth enough you can use a finer paper.
But even smoothness is not a big deal.... by the second
razor the irregularities from your 325 paper will be mostly
gone.

AND the key reason for flat is so when you change stones/ grit
the shape of the surface of each hone is the same. If all
your stones had identical dishing even as much as the thickness of
a thin coin the razor would hone up just fine.

I have not heard that new Shapton Glass hones need a
surface treatment the way a new Norton seem to.

Originally Posted by ChrisL

You don't need a slurry stone of course, but often I use a broken piece of barber hone on the Shapton stones up to and including the 4k stone as a slurry stone and also as a refresher. I've found that rubbing a barber hone piece on the Shapton lower grit stones means I can hone longer without having to refresh on my lapping stones.

The colored slurry also acts as an added visual aid giving you an idea of how the blade acts on the stone.

I do not use this process every time, it's just another added tool in the toolbox. Like other slurry honing, I thin slurry and end the passes on each stone with some plain water passes before moving up.

Chris L

You could also use a credit card sized DMT C for that. Another good option.

Originally Posted by niftyshaving

Smooth???? Flat is the key....!!!!

The goal of lapping is to get the surface flat.... so the first question
is will you get it flat.

If it is not smooth enough you can use a finer paper.
But even smoothness is not a big deal.... by the second
razor the irregularities from your 325 paper will be mostly
gone.

AND the key reason for flat is so when you change stones/ grit
the shape of the surface of each hone is the same. If all
your stones had identical dishing even as much as the thickness of
a thin coin the razor would hone up just fine.

I have not heard that new Shapton Glass hones need a
surface treatment the way a new Norton seem to.

Yeah i know you lap to make them flat, but i was concerned about using sandpaper that was too rough, a hone thats too rough might cause problems honing. But after i read your reply, i realized that the hones will release particles the size of its grit, so as long as its flat, and a reasonably fine sandpaper, i should be fine.

Originally Posted by PA23-250

You could also use a credit card sized DMT C for that. Another good option.

Yeah i cant wait to get my hands on a DMT

EDIT:
So i should be fine not lapping them when i get them brand new? I might just make sure they are flat with some paper and grid lines, it will take 5 minutes and it could save me hours in terms of honing if they arent flat.