Thread: What to use for flattening hones?

I would like some advice on what to use for flattening hones. I plan to get a Norton 220/1000 combo or Naniwa stones (do these come in combos?). I've read on using sandpaper. What grit would I need to flatten these hones? Is using sandpaper economical or will I use it up fast? I would be interested in hearing of other alternatives.

I also plan to get a finishing stone for razors. Not sure of what to get at the moment; maybe a barber's hone, or a water stone. I heard the Chinese 12K was a good economical choice, but the Norton and Naniwa are all I've found where I live so far. Can I get one grit for flattening hones or do I need to get more if I go higher: 200 to 10 or 12K hone?

Thanks for help

The DMT d8c is an excellent way to flatten all your hones, even the finer c12k. Just make sure you use lots of water and clear the slurry often or it can damage the dmt hone. You can use sand paper but the grit can get imbedded in your other hones, and you will have to change paper often. imo, the d8c is a better investment in the long run. Good luck!

binder,

+1 on avatar1999s' suggestion of the DMT D8C.

I used to use carbide paper on glass, before finally going to the DMT.

The DMT is far easier and cleaner to use !

Have fun !

Best regards

Russ

Another +1 for the 325 DMT, thats a really useful stone.

I dont advocate spending money you dont need to, but that thing really is worth its weight in gold..!

Originally Posted by avatar1999

The DMT d8c is an excellent way to flatten all your hones, even the finer c12k. Just make sure you use lots of water and clear the slurry often or it can damage the dmt hone. You can use sand paper but the grit can get imbedded in your other hones, and you will have to change paper often. imo, the d8c is a better investment in the long run. Good luck!

Quoted for truth. +1

From what I understand the DMT D8C is 325 grit. Would that work to flatten the 220 Norton stone?

What grit would I use for sandpaper or DMT if I wanted to flatten stones from 220 to 12000 grit. Could I get by with one or would I need more?


I don't know how much I will use a flattener at this point, and if I want to spend the money. Will I go through a lot of sandpaper to flatten hones?

I talked to Lee Valley today
Monocrystalline Diamond Bench Stones - Lee Valley Tools
They have DMT bench hones, but the 8'' only have combos and are expensive. I would like to find something in Calgary, Alberta if someone knows of a place to save on shipping.

Originally Posted by binder

From what I understand the DMT D8C is 325 grit. Would that work to flatten the 220 Norton stone?

What grit would I use for sandpaper or DMT if I wanted to flatten stones from 220 to 12000 grit. Could I get by with one or would I need more?

DMT also makes a 220 (and even a 120 grit!) plate as well, which comes recommended for lapping really hard hones (like barbers hones). In reality you probably won't find much use for the 220 grit hone unless you're planning to do some heavy restoration work on some really crappy edges.

I still say your best investment would be the DMT 8C (325), as it is an all-round versatile hone. In addition to lapping hones it also comes in handy for edge repairs (such as taking chips out of blades) and for honing other instruments like kitchen knives.

I'm not sure if we have any local vendors here in Alberta that carry the DMT line, but SRD has reasonable prices. Shipping costs for hones really isn't that bad, I've been hosed worse on razors and shaving cream. By far.

I also want to use the 220/1000 for sharpening knives. I'm taking a course for sharpening and I will need water stones for that. I will probably need more than a 1000 for that so I thought I would buy the combo, unless I can use the DMT for the bevel on the knives ( I'll have to see where I take the course).

Will the DMT d8c be enough for the higher grit hones . The person I talked to at Lee Valley suggested using the stones in progression for flattening: flattening the 1000 with the DMT and then using the 1000 Norton to flatten the 4000 etc.

binder,

I use my DMT 325 for all my 'razor' hones (Norton & Naniwa), from 1000 to 12000 'grit', with excellent results ( I only have synthetic water-stones, so can't comment about naturals ).

I have a set of Japanese water-stones ( 600/1000/1500 'grit' ) for knife sharpening, and these also respond excellently to the DMT 325.

Have fun !

Best regards

Russ

Norton also sells a flattening stone.