Quote Originally Posted by AxelH View Post
So my Norton lapping stone is bad. Looking around here I see a D8C (8"x3" coarse) DMT tablet will do the trick for lapping the Nortons. I sacrificed a flawed 6"x2" extra-fine DMT tablet while working on some razors, sharpening my honing skills while making humble progress on a razor or two. My 4k/8k combination Norton is also quite flawed, the 4k Mexican side is basically evil. Micro pores allow for disasterous swarf that kills the edge with impactions/chips. I have the Spyderco medium, fine and ultra-fine sapphire hones and have been using the medium as the intermediate between the uncursed Norton 1k progression to the final 8k. It's slower work, missing the whole grit plan of those Nortons but I'm making do. The Spyderco ultra-fine, which is my finishing hone, was imperfectly machined but now that I've been working on it for many hours
If I could re-edit I would. The whole:

Quote Originally Posted by AxelH
I have the Spyderco medium, fine and ultra-fine sapphire hones and have been using the medium as the intermediate between the uncursed Norton 1k progression to the final 8k.
Should read "accursed". Proper (very proper!) use of the word.

I just ordered a coarse grit 8"x3" DMT tablet from our most reputable SRD vender. I didn't even try to get a 4,000 Norton from another vendor (apparently our reputable seller doesn't deal in many Nortons...). And I'm leaving off the 1,200 grit (extra-fine) DMT because I've already got a great Norton at 1k and I'm not in the professional honing biz.. (though I'm sure I've done stuff for some people and locals in the area who might make use of a local pow-wow... you know how it goes).

So I guess I'm taken care of. I wish I had a suitable intermediate from off the 1k Norton to the glorious 8,000 Norton, though... darn it. I've got just over a handful (Mary's count ends at five..) of self-honed/fixed/refreshed razors so I should feel just fine...