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So I picked up a DMT 8k hone. A question to the DMT users...how many times do you have to stroke the razor on the hone before you get a sharp edge? I want to be careful not to over hone...but I have done 20-30 passes without any improvement.
As well, I dropped the razor and bent the front of the blade about .5mm. Do I need something coarser to sharpen the edge or will the DMT be enough?
You can normally tell by the feel you get off the hone.
Prob gonna need at least a 1200 for that refurb work.
20-30 passes should show some change. Use some black/colored marker on the edge to see when the hone is actually working all the way out to the edge. TPT is good too. Some folks think using the TNT past around 4k can damage your sharp edge.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ray Zorr
I've been using a DMT 600 mesh fine to work on edge dings and chips, but a 1200 mesh would probably be better for smaller mishaps. Your 8k should work too, will just take a bit longer.
Would this 'feel' be like the hone was uneven? Because when I drag the blade across the hone it feels like there are pits and bumps on the hone even though when I go over it with my hand or when I was breaking it in with a kitchen knife it is smooth.Quote:
Originally Posted by poona
The 8000 grit DMT plate is a difficult beast to use. Your razor has to be TRULY ready for it. If it isn't, the DMT plate can ruin your edge.
Why?
Because it doesn't break away like a Norton 8000--It clogs. If a piece of metal breaks loose from your razor, it will stay on the 8000 grit DMT and can hang up on one of the teeth. Next time your razor comes by--whack!--that chunk of metal chips your edge. This might be some of the bumpiness you feel.
Use lots of water, a little liquid detergent, and rinse the stone every few strokes.
Make sure you don't have a wire edge. If any of that breaks off, it will be there like a booby trap on the stone.
It could be particles on the top.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ray Zorr
It could also be the uneven edge (pits and bumps) working the hone "unevenly" during the honing stroke. In the second event the stroke should smooth out noticeably within just a few passes.
Rinse the DMT off and use a stiff nylon brush or green scotch pad under running water.
I'll bet your hone isn't fully broken in yet. Honing knives will help, but they have a curved edge and probably you've missed some spots on the surface. My 1200-grit took a little while to break in. In the mean time it beat my edges up a little.
Josh
An 8k whether Norton or DMT is really not a repair stone. What happens when you try to shave with the razor? Pull? Glide with no whisker removal? If you need to repair the edge depending on how much repair, a 4K would probably be a better place to start. Agree that the DMT 8K plate needs a little breaking in.
Lynn
Sounds like a good idea I will try it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sticky
I also rubbed the back of a small garden shovel along the hone before going at it with the kitchen knife. Maybe 50 times or so...not enough?Quote:
Originally Posted by JoshEarl
The razor pulls the hair and cuts it but not closely and with alot of irritation. My rational for buying the hone was that I heard it cut like a 4k with the finish of an 8k..not saying I know if it does or anything, just what I've heard(read). Something more than a 4k maybe?Quote:
Originally Posted by adjustme69
If you bent your razor, bend it back instead of grinding it down. Question: did you break in your D8EE as per DMT's instructions? If not, do so. You'll know it's broken in when the swarf changes color. Are you using a soapy solution when honing the razor? It's important to do that as well.
Are you examining the blade under magnification before you hone it? If not, do so as it will really inform your honing. If your blade is so dull that 20 passes on a DMT8EE doesn't do anything, drop back to a coarser grit like a DMT1200. Finish up on a coticule or Escher stone then strop.
Really?!Quote:
Originally Posted by JoshEarl
My new DMT helped me produce the best edge I've ever used and that was on the 2nd useage with it.
It's a continous 1200. Same as yours? I really am in love with it now.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Howard
Ok I did bend it back, and I do believe I broke it in according to what people on the forums have said. Though I am still getting pulling and skipping across the DMT surface when none exists on a 1200 or yellow coticule.
I did get a radio shack microscope and look at the edge under it and it appears that after the DMT there are many little (very tiny) chips out of the edge...but I don't know if that is normal (just evident under a microscope) or if it hasn't been broken in properly.
My DMT came with a little slip of paper inside that said it had already been broken in...there were no instructions in the box telling me how to do it.
Edit: I am using a soapy solutions with the hone.
This may be a long shot, but use a straight edge to make sure your DMT is flat.
Reliable sources have previously found a defective/"bent" DMT that was way over the guaranteed +/- 0.001" specification. Perhaps the diamond or nickel coating was not applied evenly? Check both sides.
That's the same one I have. I love mine, too. :) Just not for the first few razors. It put small but visible chips in the edges for a while. I finally grabbed a really junky old wedge and just ground it over the whole surface for a while. Worked like a charm, and I haven't looked back since. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by poona
Josh
I have made about 50 passes with a garden shovel and about 200 passes with the back of a kitchen knife and still feel bumpiness on the blade when honing. Is this enough? Am I breaking it in correctly?Quote:
Originally Posted by JoshEarl
Ray,
Do you have any other razors you could use? If not, at this point you'll probably just need to work through the bumps by honing your razor. The other stuff will help, but you'll probably still miss some spots.
Howard breaks his in with the back of a large chisel. Might be another option you could try. :)
Josh
How do you keep yours from sliding about. Mine has little rubber feet but it still wanders when I apply a little pressure.
I set my DMT on an 8x3" piece of granite tile. I glued some soft, foamy rubber to the bottom of the tile. That puts the whole thing at the same height as a Norton, which is comfy. :) I put a towel over the DMT and use it as a surface for my Belgians, too.
Try putting your DMT on different surfaces. Some are more slide-prone than others.
Josh
I've been using one of these stone holders from Woodcraft for a while.
Wet paper towel. I can give 'er with the back of a kitchen knife and it doesn't move.Quote:
Originally Posted by poona
Just wanted to post back to say that after running the back of a kitchen knife over the hone for another 30 mins it is now cutting BEAUTIFULLY. Razor now passes hanging hair test with ease and off the coticule just gave me my best shave to date. Thanks for the help guys and to any other DMT users out there that are not getting good edges initially, scrape the hell out of that hone and you will be very happy with the sharpening result.
My experience...about a total of 45 mins - 1 hour of vigorous rubbing with hard steel with a soapy solution seemed to do it. It may take less time for others but if you are having trouble keep at it until all the little bumps you feel are gone...then it's happy time!
Mine worked straight from the packet tbh. Maybe it was pre-rubbed?
I think I worked mine for a similar length of time. Glad it worked out for you. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Ray Zorr
Keep at it,
Josh
Good job!!