Thread: My first hone....

So a piece of sandpaper 1000 grit (wet) sticked on a piece of glass or ceramic plate is ok for laping?
Can i use nagura stone to create slurry ?

Yes to both. 1000 grit is too fine to start with for an initial lapping but many like to go that fine to 'finish' or refresh. Glass should be flat for sure but on either it doesn't hurt to check with a straight edge across the surface to be sure they're flat. My nagura says it's to remove particles from the pores of sharpening stones and should be used for fine stones only: 6000, 8000 and 10,000 grit. It creates slurry, cleans and dresses the stone but is not a subsitute for a proper lapping. The slurry it generates can be used in the honing process if you prefer but when finishing on one stone and moving up to the next grit typically one would dillute the slurry down to clear water and then move up.

Lapping is a necessary process that flattens the surface of hones. Many stones come brand new with high spots on the honing surface that will need to be removed. Lapping/flattening is the first thing to do on any new stone I acquire after it's been soaked in water as per the instructions or typically 20 minutes minimum if there are none and I also do it to clean the surface before and after use. Wet/dry sandpaper is certainly an option. I looked at using the sandpaper on a tile available at my local hardware store but when I put a straight edge across the tile corner to corner diagonally, it was easy to see it wasn't flat. If you look at using a tile it would be a good idea to double check this. Here at a local woodworking supplier they carry glass plates intended for the purpose of lapping so I went with that. 240 grit wet/dry on the glass surface worked fine on my new stones. I put my glass plate on the kitchen counter, sprayed it with water, sprayed the back of the sandpaper with water, stuck them together, sprayed more water on the sandpaper, put the grid marked pre-soaked stone on there, held the sandpaper a bit with my free hand and flattened away using circles, figure 8's and up and downs. I rinsed away the slurry that was created a few times as it diminishes the cutting ability of the sandpaper and also used new pieces when the one I was on quit performing. In extreme cases you could start with a really low grit like 40 or 80 and work your way up to whatever you like I guess. I just used 240 grit when I did it this way but many people will go higher than 240. The reason we use a DMT plate or known flat backing surface behind wet/dry sandpaper is to ensure flatness as you can imagine how an uneven honing surface can translate to an uneven edge on a razor. I'm not sure but found this site that may be more local for you:

pietre diamantate, ceramice, de ulei - DMT - Dia-Sharp 8

Here is a how-to video: gssixgun lapping - YouTube.

The initial lapping can be rigorous in some cases but this is a one time thing. After that a quick refresh before and/or after honing should be all you need. By using a pencil and drawing a grid periodically, you can confirm this for yourself.

Hey i've found that stone in Europe. This is what i need right ?
Dia-Sharp®-Schärfblöcke | DICTUM GmbH - Mehr als Werkzeug
If i have this i don't need nagura to create slurry right ?
Sorry for all these questions but i want to be sure i don't get something wrong

Nice avatar Andrew is that Glen Benton ?

That looks like the right one to me!

One thing I see missed. When you get a DMT, rub them good with a screw-driver to knock out the aggressive particles hanging about on the surface. I dont know if it matters much to lap, but should you try and sharpen some scissors on it or something, it will be helpful.

Damn so i have to flatten the laping stone too ? Can i sharpen kitchen knifes on the DMT 325 ?

Originally Posted by NCB

Damn so i have to flatten the laping stone too ? Can i sharpen kitchen knifes on the DMT 325 ?

It dont need flattened like that, it will just be super aggressive (IME) & tiny diamond fragments that can imbed themselves elsewhere (hearsay). Can be handled by just rubbing the length of a screw driver up and down it a couple times.

You can definately start knives, chisels etc on it. If you feel it leaves a good enough edge on them then fine. Personally its just a start of progression for other edges.

Oh i feel better now So this stone is already flat.

Originally Posted by NCB

Oh i feel better now So this stone is already flat.

Flat may be an understatement.

Originally Posted by DMT Homepage FAQ

My sharpener doesn’t seem to be flat enough, how flat should the sharpener be?
DMT® sharpeners are very, very flat. The DuoSharp® models are engineered to be precision flat – incomparable to any other sharpening stone on the market today. However, if you are concerned that your sharpener is not flat enough for your application, send it back to us for evaluation. Please send it to
DMT® Customer Service
85 Hayes Memorial Drive
Marlborough, MA 01752

Originally Posted by NCB

Oh i feel better now So this stone is already flat.

Yes, the DMT will be flat enough... not that you could flatten it any more even if you wanted to. They are, however, super aggressive straight out of the box. Over time they'll break in and become quite a bit less aggressive.

When it comes to kitchen knives, the DMT 325 will put a killer edge on them. I use my DMT 325 followed by a sharpening steel to keep my wife's kitchen knives sharp, and it works a treat.