[FatboySlim]

I'm brand new to honing. After reading a lot here about the possible choices, the setup I decided to go with was what I thought would be most fool-proof for a new guy. I bought a DMT8C, a DMT8EE, and a Chinese 12K. I figured I could:

- Use the DMT8C to lap the Chinese 12K, or any other water stones I might get
- Break in the DMT8EE using the lapped Chinese 12K
- Start my honing progression on the broken-in DMT8EE, and polish on the lapped 12K. Simple....

The DMT8C lapped the Chinese 12K twice pretty nicely in about 45 minutes, rubbing them together in my hands under running water. I couldn't pull them apart after the 2nd lapping, I had to slide them off each other.

I've read here that a brand new DMT8EE can leave a bit of a ragged edge on something as fine as a razor until the diamond plating is broken in, so I lapped the Chinese 12K a few times on the DMT8EE. This wasn't to lap the Chinese 12K any further, it was only to break in the DMT8EE.

Well, it appears the Chinese 12K took a bunch of the diamond surface right off the DMT8EE, lapping no more than 30 seconds. At least, it looks that way to me. I've never owned a diamond hone before (pics below). I thought it was odd that the DMT8EE had a lot more resistance than the DMT8C.

I'm out the money, because DMT doesn't recommend lapping waterstones with anything other than a DMT8XX. Yet, the DMT8C ate right through that 12K, with no issues. I didn't use any real pressure either time. What did I do wrong - was it foolish of me to try to break in the DMT8EE on the 12K? Is there a better method of "smoothing" a DMT8EE before the first razor honing, that won't destroy it? I'd be grateful for any advice, thanks.

[jwoods]

did you try to clean it with cleaning powder, such as bon ami or comet, with a nylon brush, it might be loaded up with gunk, i doubt that u ruined it in 30 seconds, unless you were lapping a spyderco with it, some of the guys here use a flat sided screwdriver to work it a little bit to tame the diamonds down a little,

[riooso]

I too, doubt you ruined it. Just wash it and scrub it down.


Let us know,
Richard

[Russel Baldridge]

I've done some pretty serious lapping/scraping/scrubbing on all of my DMTs and haven't ever experienced a lost section of diamonds.

Try honing a razor on those areas, even if the diamonds are coated in slurry, they should still stick out enough to grab the steel.

Who says you have to tell DMT that you lapped a stone on it? If the chinese 12k took out a patch of diamonds that big, then a large Japanese plane iron would have done the same.

[Philadelph]

run your fingernail over the spots that you think are ruined. If they are still abrasive (not smooth) then it's not ruined. You could also call DMT. They are very helpful on the phone.

[Bart]

I think it's just gunk from the Chinese 12K you got on that.
As already stated, you can clean it off with a stiff brush (old tooth brush will work fine) and a regular kitchen abrasive for cleaning dirty pots and pans.
From the DMT website: "If you are concerned that the diamond may have worn off the stone, rub the sharpener against an old glass jar. If the sharpener scratches or frosts the glass, then there is diamond on the sharpener ready for your sharpening needs."

Good luck,
Bart.

[FatboySlim]

Thankfully, it's NOT ruined. Thanks John and others for your helpful suggestions. It was indeed just gunk from the Chinese 12K, big relief.

I had some Barkeeper's Friend and a stiff brush, and started digging out the gunk. It actually worked better using just my fingers and the damp powder, than with the brush. I knew jwoods was right when after a good bit of scrubbing, the nice white Barkeeper's Friend powder started turning the very familiar dark "Chinese 12K Gray."

I tested it afterwards with Bart's glass test suggestion, and it cuts just great. Can't wait to try a razor on it.

I've already touched up a few already-sharp razors with the Chinese 12K, and think it's great, especially for the price. It's a nice slow polisher that really smooths an edge after a lot of strokes, giving me time to learn basic honing technique. Pretty much what I was after.

[chem_fun]

Good to hear. I'm assuming you decided to make that purchase after my thread. I've got the same setup and it seems to be working just fine. (read: Noob thinks he's doing well). At the moment, I'm struggling with a rolling x pattern. The DMTD8C does a good job on a really rough edge. Now I'm playing with the DTMD8EE and the 12k to do their work. I brought home a stereo scope to look at the edges. There's a really dramatic difference between the two DMT stones. And looks fairly polished after the 12k.

Glad to hear you like the setup. I think it's a fairly economical way to start off. In the future I might look into other stones, but only after I'm proficient with the current stones.

[Ditch Doc]

I went in a similar direction. I got a DMT8EE, then the 12K, which seemed to work fine, but now I've added the Norton 4k/8k, and next will get the DMT XX for lapping. I see where this is going. lol

[FatboySlim]

Originally Posted by chem_fun

Good to hear. I'm assuming you decided to make that purchase after my thread. I've got the same setup and it seems to be working just fine. (read: Noob thinks he's doing well). At the moment, I'm struggling with a rolling x pattern. The DMTD8C does a good job on a really rough edge. Now I'm playing with the DTMD8EE and the 12k to do their work. I brought home a stereo scope to look at the edges. There's a really dramatic difference between the two DMT stones. And looks fairly polished after the 12k.

Glad to hear you like the setup. I think it's a fairly economical way to start off. In the future I might look into other stones, but only after I'm proficient with the current stones.

Yes, your posts, Ditch Doc's, Russel's, and the whole DMT8EE vs. Norton 4/8 threads. I honestly went with the Chinese 12K as a polisher just because it's cheap, slow, and seems fairly foolproof. I wanted a Coticle because they are so cool and traditional, but was a little intimidated by them.

Instinctively, I originally wanted to go for a Norton 4/8 and a Coticle. But my skills are such that I can't really use their potential at this point, I'm just trying to get and keep a basic shaving edge quickly, at my current skill level. The automatic vs. stick shift analogy spoke to me - Formula 1 and NASCAR racers have no use for automatic, but it gets me to work in the morning.

Having not even honed a knife since I was a kid, I figured the DMT8EE would minimize the distractions of soaking, lapping, over-honing, and slurry creation, allowing me to concentrate on the basic act of honing a shaving edge.

So far, I've had much better success with the Chinese 12K in polishing and improving an already shave-ready razor, than I've had trying to use the DMT8EE to put an edge on a not-shave-ready razor. Still very new to this, and not even close to being able to pass the HHT off the DMT8EE with my honing.

[Russel Baldridge]

Tim,

You may not be able to get the HHT to work after the D8EE. As long as the blade feels "sticky sharp" against a dry thumbpad you should be ready to move on to the 12k.

From there, I'd recommend using the D8EE as a "nagura" to start a thin slurry on the 12k, it'll speed things up a bit. After the blade has gotten a decent polish from the 12k w/ slurry, wash the stone off and finish w/ just water as a lubricant (30 passes or so).

[chem_fun]

That's what I was doing. Problem is the stupid blade isn't flat. and my rolling-x skills are lacking.