Thread: How do you know your hone needs lapped?

Well, now that you have brought up the Shapton glass hones... the answer changes and for that very reason. The Shaptons will load more quickly than most hones, there just isn't any space between the grit particles for swarf due to the resin binder so you'll need to use something like a diamond lapping plate for *cleaning* well before needing to actually flatten them. I can usually tell when water no longer wets the surface evenly, but rather beads up in spots... a few strokes on the DMT and the hones are back to their quick cutting selves again. Considering the significant investment in a set of Shaptons, a DMT D8C does not add that much to the total cost.

(And quickly re-reading your last post, I see you have allowed for a DMT which is fine, just lap when the hones look dirty and aren't cutting as quickly as they used to. For me, that's about after 4 or 5 uses).

Regards

Christian