DMT break in thread..

[Dups]

I didn't think these needed this much work to get them working. 70 minutes that's a long time :P

[JimmyHAD]

I used the round shank of an old Stanley screwdriver for a few minutes under running water. I have no doubt it was not broken in to the extent that Steven's was broken in but it is good enough for me so far. I paid special attention to the edges so that if I was honing a razor a divot wouldn't be there to ding the edge of the blade. I must say that on the 1200 I also lapped some nortons with it so that contributed to the break in as well. I no longer lap with it and use my 325.

I have an 8000 that I broke in as described above and I have honed a couple of razors on it with no chipping or negative feedback. Perhaps the diamonds are finer on the 8000 or I have a light touch.

I sent two DMTs back to the company because according to my Starrett straight edge they were not flat. They tested them and they agreed with me on the 325 and sent me a new one. They said my 1200 was within specification and returned it to me.

If you want to know if your steel is flat turn the plate over and throw a straight edge on it. It will be the same as the other side but without the diamonds of course. Of the four plates I have only my F is dead flat. I showed them to a highly skilled machinest friend and he said that they were plenty flat enough to hone razors or lap stones so I stopped worrying about it. I know you won't believe it but I can be obsessive about things like that.

Edit; If you're honing on a DMT a couple of drops of dish soap in your water really smooths it out.