Thread: Does a Naniwa 12K Super stone need lapping

The DMT 325 works fine on the Norton's too.

Have fun,

Lynn

Originally Posted by kcarlisle

What's the DMT 325 plate? This is new to me. Will this work on my Norton stones as well? To be honest, I can't say I'm all that pleased with the results I get with the Norton lapping plate on the Norton stones and, last night, it didn't do that well on the Naniwa SS.

Thanks!

THe DMT 325 is the D8C you may have heard about in threads. It will lap any stone you can think of: Nortons, Naniwas, Shaptons, naturals, the works. Very good investment in you're getting into honing. You can find it @ SRD, Woodcraft & loads of other places. Pretty much anyplace that sells sharpening stuff should do it. It's usually around $45, I think.

Thanks for the info! I just ordered the DMT 325 and it should be here before the end of this coming week.

When I made the comment about not being satisfied with the Norton Lapping plate, it made me go check the flatness of it. At this point, I feel kind of stupid because I'm usually more observant than this but, I just found out my lapping plate is actually convex and, of course, it has made my hones concave! It's funny how one thing leads to another because I just got my hands on a handheld microscope where I was able to view my blades which I have honed. I found imperfections on several of my razors right in the center of the blades. Now that I know what I know, it's beyone me how I was able to get some of them honed well enough to shave with. At this point, my questions is how do I flatten my Norton lapping plate? I'm going to post another thread with the same question so, please reply to it instead.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by kcarlisle

Thanks for the info! I just ordered the DMT 325 and it should be here before the end of this coming week.
...snip...
but, I just found out my lapping plate is actually convex and, of course, it has made my hones concave!
....snip...
how do I flatten my Norton lapping plate? I'm going to post another thread with the same question so, please reply to it instead.

Thanks!

Worry less about perfect flat...
The important bit is that each hone has
the same shape. When the razor moves from
one hone to another it needs to see the same
surface profile that it just saw.

There are a number of ways to lap it flat.
One is to use a DMT-XXC plate.

Another is to glue some very coarse 3M wet/dry
to a flat tile and use figure eights lap it flat.
Lap your hones first then wear the 3M out on the
norton lap. BTW convex is the easy one to fix.

Since granite tile has become so common you
can grab some and lap your lap on them with
water. Big flat area and lots of figure eights.

Another is to lap the lap on a machined steel
plate. Use coarse loose abrasive to help.
A ~12" square chunk of steel plate from a machine
shop scrap pile can work. Run some figure eights.

Another is to invert top and bottom. Optical mirrors
get their primary shape because the glass of the mirror
is lapped on top a glass plate with abrasive. The top plate
gets hollow (concave) and the bottom gets rounded (convex).
So switch the concave surface on the bottom.

You can feel the suction when two different curved surfaces
slide past each other. If they are concaved the suction
is very strong. In this case concave is relative...
This can help tell you which surface should be "top".

The DMT steel plates can be very flat and do not change.
They make ideal laps.

Once you get the hone set flat be systematic and
use the entire hone surface to minimize the need
for lapping.

Be sure to check the flatness of the DMT. I have seen one that was not flat.

Originally Posted by kcarlisle

What's the DMT 325 plate? This is new to me. Will this work on my Norton stones as well? To be honest, I can't say I'm all that pleased with the results I get with the Norton lapping plate on the Norton stones and, last night, it didn't do that well on the Naniwa SS.

Thanks!

Do a google search for DMT continuous d8c or 325 grit plate and you will get shopping results for it.

It laps ANY stone you need to lap and it also is get for restoring a blade with chips in it. It's an awesome tool to have and the most used "hone" I have because I lap everything with it every time I go to the hones to clean them.

Also, be sure you break in the plate before lapping soft stones like SS 12Ks with it. Probably a hard natural would do it or even an old chisel--just grind away for 10 min or so. New, they have a lot of nickel that wears off & could possibly get embedded in your hone. That you do not want...

I want to piggy back on this question.

I just got a Naniwa 12k from SRD. It wasn't lapped as requested....but, like I told Don, this presents a perfect situation to force me to try something new! I followed this thread, and a few other. I picked up a perfectly flat granite tile from Lowes for $3. I grabbed a combo pack of 3M wet/dry sandpaper from WalMart for $4. The paper pack has 1 sheet of 220, 2 sheets of P320, and 2 sheets of P400. Should I do a few laps on the 220 first, then end up on the 400? I considered shopping around for some 1000 Grit paper, but it seems to be pretty rare in my podunk southern town. I really don't want to mess up the surface of the stone with too coarse of a paper. Looking back I wish I would have grabbed the D8C..maybe I'll do that next year when I pick up the Norton4000/8000. I will only use the stone(s) for keeping my blades fresh.

Thanks in advance!

Originally Posted by geonjay

I want to piggy back on this question.

I just got a Naniwa 12k from SRD. It wasn't lapped as requested....but, like I told Don, this presents a perfect situation to force me to try something new! I followed this thread, and a few other. I picked up a perfectly flat granite tile from Lowes for $3. I grabbed a combo pack of 3M wet/dry sandpaper from WalMart for $4. The paper pack has 1 sheet of 220, 2 sheets of P320, and 2 sheets of P400. Should I do a few laps on the 220 first, then end up on the 400? I considered shopping around for some 1000 Grit paper, but it seems to be pretty rare in my podunk southern town. I really don't want to mess up the surface of the stone with too coarse of a paper. Looking back I wish I would have grabbed the D8C..maybe I'll do that next year when I pick up the Norton4000/8000. I will only use the stone(s) for keeping my blades fresh.

Thanks in advance!

Lap it flat on the 220 then 10-20 laps on each of the finer grits.
The 400 grit finish should be just fine. Be sure to use the sandpaper wet and do not use much pressure. To much pressure and some of the abrasive grain from the sandpaper may become embedded into the hone. When your finished lapping take the hone & place it under running water and rub it with a nylon scouring pad or brush to remove any loose stuff. In the wiki is a section called lapping 101...read it.

Hope this helps,