Thread: Using Shapton DGLP to lap everything...

Hey all,

So I don't have one, but I would really like a Shapton DGLP. Is it a good lapping plate to flatten all types of hones?? I know it works well for the Shapton stones (duh....), but how about other stones like the nortons, or a belgian blue or yellow coticule? I've just been lapping with sandpaper and a piece of ceramic tile. It works, but it's a little messy and awkward... Also, I'm hoping someone who has one can answer this, but how long does the DGLP last? If you only lap a stone a week, let's say, would it last several years?

I just want to know everything about it before I make the DGLP $289 leap! Thanks in advance for the advice!

Dave

I believe the Shapton website recommends that you can lap 1K stones or higher. Nothing of a lower grit. It may have been 500 but I can't recall. Whatever, I don't lap anything lower then 1K myself and so far it is great. If I have to lap anything coarser I use my D8C. It is not as flat as the GDLP but it was a lot cheaper. I don't lap barber hones like the Swaty or Pike with the Shapton either. Maybe it would be perfectly alright but I'm not taking the chance. Seems ot me it ought to last for years but I can't guarantee it.

Shapton literature says do not lap anything coarser than 500 grit (at least the brochure i have says that) but i have only used to to lap my shaptons... the aforementioned dmt d8c takes care of everything else, barber hones coticule and nortons.

YMMV

I asked about the GDLP vs DMT C, here's the link to the thread, ChrisL has a post there which made the decicion easy for me.

Hope this helps you making your choice.

I was wondering if I could use my Norton flattening stone to lap my coticule. I found that what I thought was flat (wet&dry on glass) wasn't very flat at all for some reason, and the stones were actually raised in the middle.

I am going to look at the surface under the glass, as maybe it was flexing. The glass is from a picture frame. Is there a chance that the glass isn't flat?

You should PM ChrisL on this stuff, he has a lot more experience with lapping on this plate and the problems that might arise from it...
Maybe he will chime in here too