Thread: What to use for flattening hones?

I have an extra-large flattening stone made by Naniwa. The DMT is nice, but it's often smaller than the stone I'm trying to flatten, and that can be problematic. The Naniwa is about 12" x 6", way bigger than any stone I'll ever flatten, so the stone never goes over the edge. The Naniwa is dead flat and 220 grit, so it leaves a nice finish on the stone that is flattened. Yes, I'll have to flatten it someday, but it looks like that will be years in the future, not months.

For reference, I've used DMTs, wet & dry on glass, and wet & dry on granite. I greatly prefer the Naniwa.

No matter, the DMT is the best bang for the buck period. I don't doubt the Nani is good, the the DMT should be in every arsnel of stones. Many of the honemeisters will tell you the same. Just don't get "lap-happy", I hear of many who wear their stones out more lapping than honing. I personally have a seperate set of stones (which I also recommend) that I use for kitchen knives...but I rarely hone over 3K. Honing knives will wear a stone much more than a razor IMHO...but then again we are talking about a tool versus a delicate instrument.

What would be the difference between the continuous DMT and the ones with holes?

Would 6" x 2" be large enough?

How does the DMT look and feel when honing; does it feel and look like a water stone?

Thanks for the replies

DMTs are made and sold as sharpeners, not flatteners. The ones with holes have a lot less diamond on them and would quickly be destroyed if used as flatteners. The plates will work, but, compared to something like the Naniwa that's made for flattening, they have drawbacks: (1) the coarse diamonds work quickly but will scratch your waterstones, so you'll have to polish out the scratches; (2) the DMTs will stick like crazy to your waterstones; (3) if the edges of the flattener go beyond the edges of the waterstone (or vice versa), there's a very real chance the waterstone won't get perfectly flat.

Wet & dry sandpaper on glass or granite is great, and only has the "stiction" issue. A dedicated flattener like the Naniwa extra large has grooves, so even the stiction problem disappears.

Originally Posted by wsfarrell

DMTs are made and sold as sharpeners, not flatteners. The ones with holes have a lot less diamond on them and would quickly be destroyed if used as flatteners. The plates will work, but, compared to something like the Naniwa that's made for flattening, they have drawbacks: (1) the coarse diamonds work quickly but will scratch your waterstones, so you'll have to polish out the scratches; (2) the DMTs will stick like crazy to your waterstones; (3) if the edges of the flattener go beyond the edges of the waterstone (or vice versa), there's a very real chance the waterstone won't get perfectly flat.

Wet & dry sandpaper on glass or granite is great, and only has the "stiction" issue. A dedicated flattener like the Naniwa extra large has grooves, so even the stiction problem disappears.

The problem with the Naniwa lapping stone, much like the Norton version, is that it is meant for Naniwa stones, which are known for their particular softness. It is not an ideal choice for an all-around versatile lapping stone, capable of handling synthetics and naturals alike.

The 3 drawbacks you listed for using the DMT as a lapping stone are not well founded, as many here would attest. I'm not saying that you're dead wrong on all counts, but that there shouldn't be much concern if one chooses the DMT line as a lapping stone of choice.