Thread: Norton "unflattening" stone?

I bought a Norton flattening stone online from Lee Valley, and when it got here I tested it out on a cheap stone. Something seemed strange because the middle of the stone didn't seem to be getting lapped. I held the Norton up against a few things I knew to be flat and noticed a rather pronounced concave bow in the flattening surface. Now, I'm a definite newbie and all, but shouldn't a flattening stone be... flat?!
Here's a pic of my Shapton laying on its side on the Norton's flattening surface.

Give Lee Valley a call and get an authorization to return the Norton. Instead of that get a DMT D8C 325 plate. No worries then.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Give Lee Valley a call and get an authorization to return the Norton. Instead of that get a DMT D8C 325 plate. No worries then.

+1. the dmt325 is flatter and faster when it comes to lapping stones. plus, it'll always be flat.

Sounds good. Where's the best place to get one? I ordered the Norton from Lee Valley because they're here in Canada, which means no extra taxes/duty on delivery or 3 week wait for shipping.

Craftsman Studio here in the USA. Here is the list of international dealers from the DMT website.

Kudos to Jimmy. He has steered you in the right direction. BTW, if anyone wants to buy a barely used Norton flattening stone, just PM me.

Originally Posted by stolenmirth

Sounds good. Where's the best place to get one? I ordered the Norton from Lee Valley because they're here in Canada, which means no extra taxes/duty on delivery or 3 week wait for shipping.

18096 - 6" Diamond Whetstone, Coarse Grit
that's the cheapest I've found 'em.

If you get the diamond plate get the 8" continuous plate DMT D8C not the mesh and not 6". It is better to lap the 8" stones with an 8" plate IMO.

Well, so far outdoorpros.com is the only place I've found that has a D8C and will ship to Canada. The purchase price isn't bad @ $43, but it will cost me another $20 to ship it (by ground, which is the only option so it will take at least 2 weeks to get here). If I have to go with them it will cost me over $75 CAD, which is why I'm trying to find a Canadian supplier. No luck yet though...

Rather than getting all wadded up about the Norton not being flat, have you tested the edge of your Shapton to determine if it is straight? The results of that additional testing might be illuminating.