Lapping, grits, DMT...

Evening all!

Noob alert!

So.....I've tried to find out numerous things about lapping.....
I've just purchased the 3 stone slate set from aj....I've read it's best to lap every stone first, to make sure it's flat!
I've been reading everywhere about DMT 325..... Super I thought...I've got one of those....blue, along with a red and green, 600 and 1200.......now I read I can't use them as they have holes, not the continuous diamonds!
My first question is.... Can I use the DMT 325 to lap the stones?
No 2.... After that, do I then use a finer grit (wet n dry paper) to polish? If so what grit do I go down to? Or can I use the other DMT stones?
I read about the slates but there were so many views I ended up brain f@(£3d!

Many thanks for any responses

Mart

Just the 325 under running water will serve you well.

Many thanks!

Give the slate a good slurrying with the included stone after lapping with 325. That will smooth it even more. Good luck with your new stones.

Michael

I've always had the continuous plates but I've read of guys doing fine with the interrupted type. You don't have to deal with stiction with those like you do with the continuous. The holes give the swarf a place to go rather than sticking the plate/stone together. Running water is your friend with either plate. Gets the swarf clear and less wear on the plate and no problem with a buildup of swarf causing an uneven surface.

The Interrupted do fine for lapping in fact one might say better :) But the Continuous do much much more if you are into restoration..


My D8C is the most versatile hone I own, if you saw what I do to it you would cringe, but after 1000's of razors and lapping sessions it is still going strong, might not look so good but it works :)


to the OP, if you want a really fine finish after lapping, get a cheap Arkansas stone and use that, they work for raising a slurry and for smoothing a waterstone.. You can pick them up at Flea Markets and Garage Sales for next to nothing

Thanks to you all! Cheers

Mart

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gssixgun

The Interrupted do fine for lapping in fact one might say better :) But the Continuous do much much more if you are into restoration..

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Glen, does that mean I can use my 4 sided HF interrupted DMT to lap? I suppose since it's smaller than my Nortons, I would have to do figure 8's?

Not trying to hijack the thread... just seems relevant.

Be careful with the DMT's with the holes. Recently I tried one at Lynn's place to lap my 8K Norton. It worked very well, but I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing and once I started honing I found 7-8 lines of metal swarf running the length of my stone. What I took this to mean is that the circles on the DMT created high and low spots in a line formation down my stone. If you're going to use this type of DMT to lap with, make sure to do circles!