Thread: Lapping a C12k - what grit wet and dry to go to?

I've just got a C12k which I can feel is far from flat.

I have a marble floor tile and I'll start on 180 grit paper as I think there is quite a bit of stone to flatten then move to 400, however I also have 800 and 1200 wet and dry is it worth moving up to these or would that be pointless?

TIA

Nic

I do not think it is necessary, but it will not hurt i suppose.

Stop at 400, that'll be fine.

I lap everything I have, from bevel setters up to high grit J-Nats, on a 325 grit DMT and that works great.

I would suggest moving up in grit until you can no longer see scratches on the stone with your naked eye. There are a ton of people recommending the DMT XXC as a flattener. This is a 120 grit stone, and will leave serious scratches on any waterstone it touches.

It really depends on what you want your c12k to do. If you are looking for speed, you can slurry up with a dmt 325 or equivalent.

If you want a smoother slower stone finish it with a higher grit.

Experiment, try with the rough finish, then try it with the smooth and see what works best for you.

M

The 325 grit scratches disappear from mine after about 50-100 laps with a razor. Personally, I wouldn't waste time/abrasive on a higher grit.

On mine, the DMT scratches did not come out when I honed. The scratches were invisible when the stone was wet, but they became apparent again when it dried. I'd say go however high you need to to get out the scratches. And let it dry when you want to check if they are still there.

Originally Posted by wsfarrell

I would suggest moving up in grit until you can no longer see scratches on the stone with your naked eye. There are a ton of people recommending the DMT XXC as a flattener. This is a 120 grit stone, and will leave serious scratches on any waterstone it touches.

This is a good point. I usually clean up the surfaces of my stones in such a way...Some stones are more forgiving than others...

The DMT XX is great for lapping quickly, or for really hard stones, Like the Tam o Shanter, or a Barber hone.....Those two stones provided me with lot's of work...

The DMT XX will leave serious scratches on your stone's surface, when you use this one, you have to go the DMT C, or something to clean the surface up with...

Many thanks everyone, on the basis that it I felt the 400 grit paper was wearing out I finished off on 800 grit.

I lapped both sides to see if either side performs better as there is a natural lighter vein running through one side some darker colourations on the other; a line runs laterally which makes it look a bit like 2 pieces of rock glues together, its not but it looks a bit like that.

Comparing it to my Dragons Tongue they look remarkably similar but viewed under x30 magnification the C12k particle size is finer, not that that means anything I just thought it was interesting

i mostly lap 400 grit no more then that. In very rare case i will go 1000 norton stone if stone is finishing stone.
Don't bother me there is scratches from lapping stone or not. as long as it hones the blade that is all matter .
hope this helps.