I have a 1/4K waterstone that I set out to lap today with a DMT XX. I used the pencil grid method suggested by Joel in the tutorial. It took all of 90 seconds per side until the marks were gone and the stone was covered in slurry. I was under the impression that lapping took quite some time...are waterstones just very soft, or am I doing this wrong?
Lapping--I can't possibly be doing this right
- Thread starter Emmett
- Start date
My waterstone is very hard and I practically destroyed my norton flattening stone with it.
Are you sure your pencil grid didn't simply get washes away by the water/slurry mix?
Also maybe your waterstone is already pretty flat? If so you are lucky, lapping waterstones is arm and backbreaking work.
EDIT: I didn't read the part about the DMT. I have no experience with those, but I have read the chinese waterstones are so hard they can ruin even the DMT diamond stones.
Are you sure your pencil grid didn't simply get washes away by the water/slurry mix?
Also maybe your waterstone is already pretty flat? If so you are lucky, lapping waterstones is arm and backbreaking work.
EDIT: I didn't read the part about the DMT. I have no experience with those, but I have read the chinese waterstones are so hard they can ruin even the DMT diamond stones.
- Thread starter
- #3
I did check the stone's surface every few passes and the grid was wearing unevenly as the high spots got hit, so I flattened it at least a little bit. I'm also thinking that the XX cuts extremely fast, while a 1/4K stone is going to be nowhere near as hard as a higher grit stone (I could be wrong about that, but I thought that hardness increased with grit value).
If you doubt it's flatness, do it again, checking progress often(after each pair of strokes?) if the pencil lines disappear after just a few, you have a flat stone.
The DMT XXC is one of the most aggressive cutting tools extant, and makes short work of almost any task.
- Thread starter
- #6
If you doubt it's flatness, do it again, checking progress often(after each pair of strokes?) if the pencil lines disappear after just a few, you have a flat stone.
I could do that lickety split so I might as well check!
- Thread starter
- #7
You should always do the pencil grid & lap twice the first time, to ensure that the pencil marks aren't being scrubbed away by the slurry.
As to how long it takes, it really just depends on the lapping abrasive and the hone, I've lapped some in just a few figure 8's, and some have taken months of on-and-off work. Translucent arkansas stones and Spyderco UF's are the worst, Nortons and shaptons are pretty quick.
As to how long it takes, it really just depends on the lapping abrasive and the hone, I've lapped some in just a few figure 8's, and some have taken months of on-and-off work. Translucent arkansas stones and Spyderco UF's are the worst, Nortons and shaptons are pretty quick.
What he said: lap twice. I typically lap first lengthwise and then perpendicular. Also, if you are using a hone that coarse, you may want to finish with something a little smoother.
I have this problem with my norton 220. water just washes away the pencil lines.... :\
I just guess. Flat enough is good enough. Doesn't have to be perfectly flat. Its going to dish once I use it anyway. The particles break off so easily.
I just guess. Flat enough is good enough. Doesn't have to be perfectly flat. Its going to dish once I use it anyway. The particles break off so easily.
When your grid is gone, do it again. As has already been said, some stones are nearly flat when you get them. The Norton 1k and 4k are pretty soft anyway and shouldn't take that long to flatten. If you think the DMT is fast, you should try a Shapton DGLP. It is like a power version of the DMT.
Trust your work. Start honing and see what happens.
Good Luck,
Ray
Trust your work. Start honing and see what happens.
Good Luck,
Ray
- Thread starter
- #12
Lapped again; took about the same amount of time (practically none at all). I'm satisfied with this and we'll see how it goes for honing.
Lucky you- I lapped a 1k and a 4k/8k from Norton with the DMT diamond plate that is the normal Coarse one you see recommended around here. I was at it for hours, and the 1k and 4k still have some spots on the edges that are not flat 
. Looking sideways at the top of the hone, before lapping it was so completely unlevelled that you could see the surface variations. I hope to never have to do that again, it really REALLY sucked.
. Looking sideways at the top of the hone, before lapping it was so completely unlevelled that you could see the surface variations. I hope to never have to do that again, it really REALLY sucked.Yeah, those XX hones cut real fast.
In the future if you don't want to lap a second time, you could pick up a metal rules and use the edge to check the flatness of the hone. check it lengthwise as well as diagonally, corner to corner. Hold it up to the light, and if you see very little or no light come thru, then you should have it flat enough.
Heck, barbers have been honing razors for a LONG time, and I would bet their stones were not NEARLY as flat as we feel they need to be today
In the future if you don't want to lap a second time, you could pick up a metal rules and use the edge to check the flatness of the hone. check it lengthwise as well as diagonally, corner to corner. Hold it up to the light, and if you see very little or no light come thru, then you should have it flat enough.
Heck, barbers have been honing razors for a LONG time, and I would bet their stones were not NEARLY as flat as we feel they need to be today
I dont think there is anything wrong with the time it took, the dmt xxc is the bomb when it comes to lapping. Unless your using the shapton dlgp, I don't recommend anything else other than those two alternatives and the dmt xxc is pretty much the best bang for the buck. There are also some other alternatives but I can't remember right now, sand paper comes to mind.
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