Thread: Maintaining a lapped stone

the 8" is about 50$ , that's not bad for a liftime lapper. Think of all the hones your RAD will make you buy if it sinks it;s teeth in

So I have to buy a huge plate for just cleaning and prepping the surface of a stone?

Honestly, thats pretty idiotic. For the periodic re-lapping of the stones I dont care about just using something like glass and sandpaper as thats worked already and should be a hell of a lot easier the second time around.

And $50 for a 325 is from SRD which shows out of stock. From Woodcraft, which would also save me shipping, its about $70. But once you figure in shipping from SRD, the price is gonna be pretty close to exactly the same.

Your thinking of buying one - I just did. My thoughts were along the lines that it's a life-time lapper, stays flat, saves money since you wont have to keep buying sandpaper, and ease in use. But I'm new to this lol.

I also intend to lap my hones after every use so they stay clean/flat.

You could also phone around town and see if any places near you have them, could be cheaper and save you from shipping fee's - worth a shot

Originally Posted by TexasShaver

So I have to buy a huge plate for just cleaning and prepping the surface of a stone? .

ive used my ( pretty worn) one to take chips out of blades also !! its your cash-o-la but like a hone its an investment thats gonna be around for along time !! shoot ive spent as much on the DMT as i have on razors that i dont even use ... ... lol

I just got my DMT 8C a couple of weeks ago, and was able to break it in just fine by setting bevels on a few knives. But before that, I used a cheaper, we'll-worn Smith diamond hone to lap my Nortons with great results. I've got the orange/fine model, about $30 at most outdoor stores locally as I recall. I'm now just doing a few quick, light figure 8's between razors with the DMT, and then another couple of quickies with the Much finer Smith for glass-smooth finishes on all my stones. Either way, a big diamond plate of some sort is a versatile and invaluable tool in the honer's arsenal.

Originally Posted by TexasShaver

So I have to buy a huge plate for just cleaning and prepping the surface of a stone?

Honestly, thats pretty idiotic. For the periodic re-lapping of the stones I dont care about just using something like glass and sandpaper as thats worked already and should be a hell of a lot easier the second time around.

And $50 for a 325 is from SRD which shows out of stock. From Woodcraft, which would also save me shipping, its about $70. But once you figure in shipping from SRD, the price is gonna be pretty close to exactly the same.

You do not need DMT. Colleagues here suggested other alternatives which are significantly cheaper than the plate. I have quite few hones and do not have any DMT plate.
Reason why many people buy DMT is that it could be for them more convenient, faster to use and cleaner than sand paper or loose grit methods.
You don't need Porsche to get you to work which is not far. Old trusty Ford can do it too though in less glamorous way.

I lapped my nortons and new cotis on sandpaper and a marble plate ($4 from Home Depot) for weeks. A friend talked me into getting the DMT 325 and now I can't imagine being without it. Really versatile tool. Laps all my stones and handles heavy chip removal on vintage blades.

Well obviously this thread has brought out the thin skinned people but I make no apologies.

Anyway, the fact is that I asked simply what is a way to maintain stones BETWEEN lapping. I dont really care about lapping every so often sandpaper and glass, but Im getting pretty sick of it every single time I sit down with a new razor. Maybe its complete newbie ignorance or razors are completely different from every other type of metal that can be sharpened, but all I want is something that can clean up and brush off and metal particulates that might remain on the stone after dragging a piece of steel across it a couple dozen times. Obviously they dont need to be lapped all the time because if they did, a set of Norton's would only last a year or two for someone who hones alot.

I've gotten some good advice from a few people that I am probably going to follow, namely the ones who havent said that its an absolute necessity to buy a full size DMT plate just for cleaning a stone.

Being rude just really isn't conducive to what SRP is all about there Tex

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