Thread: Which DMT to get?

Originally Posted by smalltank

To be honest you dont need a progression of stones..keep it simple...a dmt1200 diamond plate..coticule and Asagi Jnat stone (optional)...I use my dmt and coti for
start to finish for all my blades

I know what I'm about to say is heresy to some but I didn't really like the edge I got from my coticule bout (probably my poor technique). I'm getting really nice edges from my Naniwa progression, just trying some Stones (Jnats and Escher) as final finishers/polishers, aiming for the near impossible - a perfect edge.

If I had to keep just the one setup, I would keep the Naniwas. I was only looking at the DMT for lapping +/- building a slight slurry on the Naniwas

ohh...so you have these now? or are considering them?..Naniwas are a love/hate thing..same like Norton stones..I wasnt a fan of either til I found my coti..takes a light touch on the coti and before that you need to "set" the edge on a 1k equivalent stone bevel (edge) setter..Coti's use slurry..Jnat's use Nagura(Jnat slurry stone) as a requirement..you can use water on the Naniwas as the manufacturer suggests and you will be fine.

Sorry for the confusion, the stones I've listed are the ones I currently own, not what I want to buy. The thing that I want to purchase is a lapping stone, namely a DMT.

I plan to also try to raise a slight slurry with the DMT on my Naniwas as Gssixgun uses in his YouTube vids on using the Naniwas superstones.

turando72,

I, like many others, use the DMT325 8C (ca 8" x 3").

I use it to lap all my hones - synthetic waterstones (Naniwa SS's & Norton's) to naturals (coti's, Thuringians & Charnley Forest).

The finish the DMT325 leaves is much better than that from ca 600 - 800 'grit' silicon carbide paper.

I also use it to raise slurry on the hones (I also have a 'credit card' sized diamond plate which I occasionally use for this purpose).

All in all, the DMT8C (325) is a wonderfully versatile piece of kit

Have fun !

Best regards

Russ

Thx Russ and Glen, ordered a DMT8c... Glen, thank you for the advice, I'll use a couple of cheap kitchen knives on it first. How many laps should I do before I know it's broken in for the hones?

Cheers,

Ash

)...I use my dmt and coti for
start to finish for all my blades

Here here .

like the man says keep it simple

Originally Posted by turando72

Thx Russ and Glen, ordered a DMT8c... Glen, thank you for the advice, I'll use a couple of cheap kitchen knives on it first. How many laps should I do before I know it's broken in for the hones?

Cheers,

Ash

Ash, you really just need to knock off the high diamonds, so 10 laps should do the trick, just make sure you hit the entire hone, I have always used the Shank of a Screwdriver myself to make sure I hit by the edges too...

BTW I agree if I had to sell all the stones and hones I have and keep only one set, it would be the Naniwas, They are the goto stones for problem finicky razors, they polish beautifully and have really nice feedback while doing it.... The DMT 325 and the Chosera 1k can do any edge restoration you might run across if you are buying E-babies too... Yep you are set up really well and the Natural stones you have can add a fun factor that you can mess with to bring out other feels for certain steels.. You have multiple options

I think you have gone a bit overboard with hones, if you have been honing for a month or so. You already have a full progression of nanis to 12k, and you will have 4 finishers. In my opinion it takes more than one month of honing to get down the basics well, so that you can try a finisher after the 8k. If I would be in your place, I wouldn't use anyting than the nanis for a few months.

In the lapping section, I would go with the interupted surface 325 DMT, or a 400 grit Atoma.

Originally Posted by stingray

The difference in a usable edge and a perfect edge now is not getting more rocks, it is refining your skill level.

I totally agree with you stingray. I was getting nice edges with the SS 12k, smooth and irritation free but I definitely need to improve my technique. The reason, I got the other natural finishers was more to do with HAD and the fact I could afford them rather than 'need' them.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Ash, you really just need to knock off the high diamonds, so 10 laps should do the trick, just make sure you hit the entire hone, I have always used the Shank of a Screwdriver myself to make sure I hit by the edges too...

Thank you for the advice Glen, it is much appreciated. I will do what you suggest when I receive the DMT 325. With regards to razors needing extensive work on their edges, I hopefully will tackle them in the future but like many have advised here, I first intend to develop my skills on bringing a non shave-ready blade to a shave-ready state on my Naniwas first. I plan to send away smiling blades, those with uneven hone wear and those with 'flea bites' to the pros. I've been mostly buying NOS blades on fleabay that only required setting the bevel and working up.

Originally Posted by jeness

I think you have gone a bit overboard with hones, if you have been honing for a month or so. You already have a full progression of nanis to 12k, and you will have 4 finishers. In my opinion it takes more than one month of honing to get down the basics well, so that you can try a finisher after the 8k. If I would be in your place, I wouldn't use anyting than the nanis for a few months.

Jeness, what can I say? It's AD at its worst...lol. But seriously, I totally understand where you guys are coming from. Like I said, it was more of a question of me getting the finishers because I could, rather than me having a real need for them. They are mostly to 'play around' with an edge I would already have been more than happy to shave with.

To be fair, when I first moved to SRs from DEs in February, I got a couple of shave ready razors from Martin at Rasurpur and Steve at invisible edge and had bought the 12k to maintain the edges. I slowly bought the rest since then and I only bought the Chosera, 3k and 5k in the last month.

My plan for the nxt few months is to master the Naniwas really, I don't plan to buy any more progression stones. I still have my La Dressante coticule that is gathering dust in the cupboard to 'play with' once I fully master the SS progression.

Regards,

Ash

Originally Posted by turando72

I know what I'm about to say is heresy to some but I didn't really like the edge I got from my coticule bout (probably my poor technique). I'm getting really nice edges from my Naniwa progression, just trying some Stones (Jnats and Escher) as final finishers/polishers, aiming for the near impossible - a perfect edge.

If I had to keep just the one setup, I would keep the Naniwas. I was only looking at the DMT for lapping +/- building a slight slurry on the Naniwas

Your way ahead of the game. I have been playin with this stuff for three years and just bought my nanawa 1k and the the superstones and have found the other stones are fun but the japanese ceramic stones are all that is necessary. The difference in a usable edge and a perfect edge now is not getting more rocks, it is refining your skill level.

I slurry the 1k and never slurry the other ceramics.

As for lapping your hones, The DMT8C is all you really need but I also have an extra course that comes in handy for stones that are really unflat. The DMT8c is a staple lapper around here.
In my opinion the sandpaper thing is a joke. It just doesn't work for me.
Stingray