I have just got back after a restful holiday and I am thinking of doing some honing again especially now that TWGW has go a hobby of her own. Whilst rummaging about in boxes in the attic, I found a fair sized coticule that my father gifted me over ten years ago, for sharpening knives. I have now supplemented it with a small coticule which I will use for sharpening but mostly to make slurry. Both stones will have to be lapped but how do I go about it. I thought I would take out my DMT 225, apply water to it, mark the coticule surface with pencil lines and then proceed to rub my Coticule back and forth on it until the marks disappear and then repeat the process until the markings all disappear with little effort. Is this correct or is there a better way? Is there something I must avoid doing?
Lapping a Coticule: what do I need to know?
- Thread starter Gustav
- Start date
That is basically the process. Do it under running water.
Jarrod at TSS does this routine twice when you pay for the lapping service. The stone I got from him was flat enough for me.
I've done it with Wet/dry sandpaper on glass, and that works fine as well.
Jarrod at TSS does this routine twice when you pay for the lapping service. The stone I got from him was flat enough for me.
I've done it with Wet/dry sandpaper on glass, and that works fine as well.
DMT 325 will make quick work of it. Don't forget to chamfer the edger a bit.
By the pics of it did not happen.
By the pics of it did not happen.
You have it right and chamfer or round the the edges a bit when done as already said.
- Thread starter
- #5
Great thanks guys, I'll give it a shot and see how it goes!
I know nothing about this process...however I've been reading/looking into it.
Watch this it may help.
Watch this it may help.
What the hell is that DMT? a 12x4"? Or is that guy just tiny?
200-400 laps of a coti from ardennes? This guy's doing something wrong. I've put more wear on my XC from a single Swaty than you'd get from 200 ardennes coti's, as well as about 50-100 other lapping jobs, and it's not "dead".
200-400 laps of a coti from ardennes? This guy's doing something wrong. I've put more wear on my XC from a single Swaty than you'd get from 200 ardennes coti's, as well as about 50-100 other lapping jobs, and it's not "dead".
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Ian: He said the dimensions in the video: 4" by 10". And, I understood him to be saying that they last him that many stones lapped on it before it stops being effective for lapping for him (which I imagine he tries to do quickly since he sells lots). He's lapped that many coticules. Have you?
I've lapped about 30 coticules and maybe another 40 or 50 barbers hones (most many times harder than any coti and also heavily dished), a few dozen Arkansas, a dozen or two thuris, five jnats, 3 cnats, 2 muellers, Resurfaced Synths maybe 30 or 40 times, the list goes on. The coti's included about five from ardennes.
Ardennes stones require basically no lapping unless they send dealers stones that aren't finished to the same level as the ones they sell direct. Killing a Continuous DMT XC on 200 (or 400, or 1000) stones from ardennes is impossible. If the interrupteds wear that much faster lapping stones, he should switch.
Ardennes stones require basically no lapping unless they send dealers stones that aren't finished to the same level as the ones they sell direct. Killing a Continuous DMT XC on 200 (or 400, or 1000) stones from ardennes is impossible. If the interrupteds wear that much faster lapping stones, he should switch.
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"200-300 both sides", so that's anywhere between 200 and 600 lappings, including harder coticules (some La Dressantes, which any Ardennes dealer sees lots of, La Verte and the occasional "hybrid"). Many of them have a convexed surface from Ardennes. So, that's a good number in my opinion. He could probably get better mileage if he were gentler with it, but I imagine he's got better ways to spend his time, especially since time at the sink is time away from the business phone, answering customer emails or honing razors he's selling. And yes, I do think the interrupted surface probably wears faster since the metal near the holes is more exposed (think of a clif face). But, they also make lapping quicker since they stick less to the hone being lapped.
Slash McCoy
I freehand dog rockets
If you decide to use sandpaper rather than a DMT, here is how I do it.
Find a heavy piece of glass, such as a glass coffee table top. I have seen these, with an edge chipped or cracked, at the thrift stores for $10. A countertop could work if you know it is flat. REALLY flat. However, you will probably scratch the countertop. A wooden table, that's pretty iffy. A wooden table covered with a nice piece of glass, much better.
Go to Home Depot and get a can of LocTite spray adhesive and some wet/dry sandpaper. If there is an obvious dish in the stone, start with 120 grit. If it "looks" pretty flat, start with 400 grit. I like to progress up through 1000 grit. Usually HD doesn't have 2000 grit but you could maybe find some at an auto parts place. Oh, and get some acetone. Nail polish remover works, too, but you get a quart of acetone for about what a half pint of nail polish remover costs, and it is essentially the same thing.
Clean the glass well. Make sure there is no dust or debris on the back of the wet/dry paper. Spray it lightly with the LocTite. Apply the paper to the glass, being careful to smooth the paper as it goes on. Once it sticks, it is stuck, so get it right the first time.
Sprinkle water on the paper. Draw a grid on the stone. Work the stone diagonally, from corner to corner, keeping the entire stone on the paper. Occasionally, switch to the other pair of diagonal corners, and occasionally end-for-end the stone.
When the grid is gone, change to a finer paper. Redraw the grid and repeat. When you remove a paper, clean the glue residue from the glass with the acetone.
This works for pretty much all stones. A freshly lapped stone will hone will often coarsely than normal right after lapping, because of the scratch pattern left by the sandpaper. This wears away after a few uses, so you might want to hone a few kitchen knives on the stone before using it for razors. It will cut fast right after lapping, but not finish as finely. Or you can just go to film or a synthetic or a faster coti for finishing, for the next dozen or so razors. You can also try finishing your stone with your slurry stone. Eventually with use it will smooth out, though.
Don't forget to lap the other side, if practical.
Find a heavy piece of glass, such as a glass coffee table top. I have seen these, with an edge chipped or cracked, at the thrift stores for $10. A countertop could work if you know it is flat. REALLY flat. However, you will probably scratch the countertop. A wooden table, that's pretty iffy. A wooden table covered with a nice piece of glass, much better.
Go to Home Depot and get a can of LocTite spray adhesive and some wet/dry sandpaper. If there is an obvious dish in the stone, start with 120 grit. If it "looks" pretty flat, start with 400 grit. I like to progress up through 1000 grit. Usually HD doesn't have 2000 grit but you could maybe find some at an auto parts place. Oh, and get some acetone. Nail polish remover works, too, but you get a quart of acetone for about what a half pint of nail polish remover costs, and it is essentially the same thing.
Clean the glass well. Make sure there is no dust or debris on the back of the wet/dry paper. Spray it lightly with the LocTite. Apply the paper to the glass, being careful to smooth the paper as it goes on. Once it sticks, it is stuck, so get it right the first time.
Sprinkle water on the paper. Draw a grid on the stone. Work the stone diagonally, from corner to corner, keeping the entire stone on the paper. Occasionally, switch to the other pair of diagonal corners, and occasionally end-for-end the stone.
When the grid is gone, change to a finer paper. Redraw the grid and repeat. When you remove a paper, clean the glue residue from the glass with the acetone.
This works for pretty much all stones. A freshly lapped stone will hone will often coarsely than normal right after lapping, because of the scratch pattern left by the sandpaper. This wears away after a few uses, so you might want to hone a few kitchen knives on the stone before using it for razors. It will cut fast right after lapping, but not finish as finely. Or you can just go to film or a synthetic or a faster coti for finishing, for the next dozen or so razors. You can also try finishing your stone with your slurry stone. Eventually with use it will smooth out, though.
Don't forget to lap the other side, if practical.
All good points. I was just shocked that he kills them that fast. Since I've done what I'd estimate to be several dozen if not hundreds of times the amount of work that kills his DMT's on my smaller DMT and it still cuts like new. It's such a stark difference that it's hard to believe. Really, the only time my plate slows down is when it gets clogged with broken down oil from cleaning an oilstone. A few washes and it's back to cutting. I'll have to remember to never buy an interrupted for lapping. I won't be the least bit surprised if my XC outlasts me.
