Thread: Honing with a DMT

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.

Originally Posted by Ray Zorr

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?

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.

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.

Originally Posted by poona

You can normally tell by the feel you get off the hone.

Prob gonna need at least a 1200 for that refurb work.

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.

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.

Originally Posted by Ray Zorr

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.

It could be particles on the top.

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

Originally Posted by Sticky

Rinse the DMT off and use a stiff nylon brush or green scotch pad under running water.

Sounds like a good idea I will try it.

Originally Posted by JoshEarl

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

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?

Originally Posted by adjustme69

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

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?

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.