An Experienced Noob's experience
Several months back, after reading just about everything I could find here and other places, I decided on my first honing setup: a DMT8E, DMT8EE, Chinese 12k, four sided pasted paddle strop.
I tried to break in the DMT's as well as I could; I took the handle of a huge old Craftsman screwdriver to them. Apparently, that wasn't enough.
In addition to the usual noob mistakes and frustrations, I just wasn't happy with the results from the DMT's. I had read other, more experienced people here post that DMT's just weren't meant for razors. I was starting to believe them.
In a moment of sheer brilliance (pffff, yeah, right), I decided that maybe my results off the DMT really weren't my fault. Maybe they needed more "breaking in." Up til this point, I kept thinking, "it's a poor artisan that blames his tools", but maybe there really was something wrong.
So I took my Chinese 12k to both of my DMT's for 15 minutes of "lapping". The 12k I bought had already been perfectly lapped by ChrisL, and once you have lapped a chinese 12k, it's not gonna need it again for a long, long time cause they are *hard* stones. But it turns out that the 12k is *just* the ticket for breaking in DMT's.
Following the lapping, I took a completely dull Hill & Sons Sheffield blade to the DMT's. Hairs were giving it up on the HHT test like their backs were broken. Even the microscope showed that the scratch marks were much less harsh. The DMT 8EE performed in a similar fashion. Much more smooth of a finish.
The Chinese 12k was able to remove the scratch marks from the DMT8EE in only 50 laps with slurry. It normally takes 50 laps with slurry, and 50 without.
I then went to the .25 paste for 50 laps, then 100 laps on leather. The resulting blade was the sharpest, smoothest I've done to date, and the shave was fantastic.
Not only had I previously broken in the DMT's with a screwdriver, but I had also lapped a Swaty stone, sharpened all my kitchen knives, and sharpened around 50 razors on them before I broke them in a second time on the Chinese stone. DMT's take *alot* of breaking in. Once they are broken in, though, they are quite capable stones.
All this makes me wonder if the DMT's are gentle enough to not microchip a stainless blade now.
To any noobs considering DMT's: break them in *thoroughly*.
