Thread: Did I ruin my brand new DMT-D8C?

I used my D8C to lap a Swaty. It took a long time and lots of effort but the job was done.

Since I did that I noticed on some web page that sells DMTs that one should ONLY lap natural stones (e.g. a Coticule) and not the harder synthetic stones (e.g. a Swaty). Doing so would void the waranty. I could not find that web page to put a reference here.

I took a look at the surface of my D8C and do notice that it doesn't look right. Also, the darker area in the middle is noticeably smoother to the touch than the lighter colored areas.

What do you Think?

Actually, what DMT declares is even more severe. They state that ONLY the DMTXX is intended for lapping ANY hone.

Regarding your DMT, it might just be loaded with Swaty material in the center. Use a stiff bristled wire brush under running water and scrub that area. See if that removes that material. To test if your plate still has diamonds in it, just drag your fingernail around on different areas of the plate. If you feel coarseness everywhere, the plate is still intact...

If you don't,...

I realize you said the middle was smoother, but that might only be due to the accumulated crud, so check again after you clean it.

go head lap any other stone under slow running water if slurry comes out of the stone is black(actually it will come out of dmt) then your dmt is gone. if you have bbw try on it. hope you haven' t kill dmt.

I lapped a Swaty with a D8C myself and didn't kill it. Since then I have lapped Nortons, Coticules and others with the same plate and it is still cutting strong. As Utopian said you probably just need to take some comet cleanser to it and scrub it well. If it was a brand new one the Swaty probably just assisted in the break in.

I listened to Utopian and ChrisL and bought a D8XX and that is a bear. I never have rubbed it down with any metal. Only use it for lapping and it will eat a Swaty for breakfast and cry for a second helping. Anyhow, I would bet your plate is alright, now go and sin no more.

Originally Posted by Utopian

Actually, what DMT declares is even more severe. They state that ONLY the DMTXX is intended for lapping ANY hone.

Not being too familiar with all the DMT terminology, does the DMT Dia-Sharp D8C count as a DMTXX?

Regarding your DMT, it might just be loaded with Swaty material in the center. Use a stiff bristled wire brush under running water and scrub that area. See if that removes that material. To test if your plate still has diamonds in it, just drag your fingernail around on different areas of the plate. If you feel coarseness everywhere, the plate is still intact...

If you don't,...

I realize you said the middle was smoother, but that might only be due to the accumulated crud, so check again after you clean it.

OK, will try to clean it. I have a wire brush somewhere but need to hunt it down. As it stands now, the fingernail test definitely fails.

Originally Posted by hi_bud_gl

go head lap any other stone under slow running water if slurry comes out of the stone is black(actually it will come out of dmt) then your dmt is gone. if you have bbw try on it. hope you haven' t kill dmt.

Sorry, I am having trouble parsing that first part. Are you saying that if I lap something (e.g. BBW -- which I don't have, unfortunately) and if I see black slurry the DMT is shot? Can you explain what is happening there? Would the black be from the underlying substance of the DMT?

I did use the DMT to lap my Coticule but don't remember what the slurry looked like.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

I would bet your plate is alright, now go and sin no more.

I have seen the light, or at least realized there is a light and will keep looking!

Well guys, seems all is OK.

I couldn't find Comet nor a wire brush so used baking soda and a bristle scrub brush and it cleaned up nicely. Still some discolorations I didn't get out but it is generally the same bright color and my fingernail feels roughness all over.

I forgot about the Comet cleanser. You can use that with any kind of cleaning brush.

What hi_bud_gl is suggesting is basically to use the grit of another hone to clear out the impacted grit in your DMT. This is the same thing that the Comet (or Ajax or anything similar) cleanser would do.

If you lapped a coticule the slurry is milky white. If you lap a BBW (Blue Belgian--the back side of a natural two sided coticule) the slurry is dark purple. If the slurry coming off is black, then that is the nickel plating substrate, that hold the diamonds, coming off.

The DMTXX is 120 grit, not the same as a DMTC, which is 325 grit.

Good luck!

Originally Posted by TexasBob

Well guys, seems all is OK.

I couldn't find Comet nor a wire brush so used baking soda and a bristle scrub brush and it cleaned up nicely. Still some discolorations I didn't get out but it is generally the same bright color and my fingernail feels roughness all over.

Great! One less thing to worry about! Now be gentle with it in the future.

Bob, glad it is okay. To whom it may concern, I took a D8E 1200 grit to work and figured I would use it to double as a bevel setter and to lap my Norton 4/8. I hone at work sometimes when it is slow. So I used it on the Norton and noticed that my pretty white 4k had a grayish residue after lapping. I didn't think much of it although it did make me curious. I may have lapped that hone two or three times with that plate.

Around that time someone on SRP posted about ruining a plate and the folks at DMT said that the D8XX was the one to lap waterstones with. They went on to say that if you already have a D8C go ahead and use it but only under running water and don't use any of the finer plates for lapping. Back to my D 8E plate. I still use it to set bevels on some razors and it is working fine. So some of it went into the Norton but there is enough there to still do a good job as a razor hone.