Thread: Scratches after Lapping Chinese 12K

I got my DMT D8C and got to work on flattening my hones. The norton 4/8k flattened fine, but when I got to the Chinese 12k, besides taking FOREVER I noticed scratches
Take a look at the pic and please tell me if this is normal.

I kept both stones under running water and frequently pulled them apart to remove the slury forming underneath. My motions were consistently up and down 2 minutes, rotate, 2 minutes, rotate, etc..

I have long ways before I get to using the stone but I want to make sure that I won't need to reflatten the thing.

The two LONG streaks aren't the scratches. They came with the stone. The swirls are what came out of the lapping.

my DMT does the same thing on that stone. I have used it and it dosnt make a difference. I cannot feel the scratches. But I am pretty new to this so more expet people might need to chime in.

That's odd. I have lapped my CH12K with my DMT8C and it looks great.

Did you guys do any sort of break in on your DMTs beforehand?

Yeah, I've seen this too. I think either you're using too much pressure in lapping, or you've got a "high spot" on the DMT8C. Like already mentioned, it probably won't be a real problem for honing. Try to use a scrap piece to "break in" the hone some more.

Originally Posted by xChris

Yeah, I've seen this too. I think either you're using too much pressure in lapping, or you've got a "high spot" on the DMT8C. Like already mentioned, it probably won't be a real problem for honing. Try to use a scrap piece to "break in" the hone some more.

I use the stones weight and hold it from the sides just letting it slide. I broke in the dmt with the norton 4/8k, which turned out ok.

Maybe the composition of the natural stone makes it more prone to the scratching than the material used in the Norton?

You could try getting some wet/dry sandpaper (400 - 1000 grit) to remove the scratches. I suppose you could wrap the sandpaper around the DTM8C for a flat surface (if you don't have something else).

The scratches won't harm you blades in any way.

It ought to go away once the DMT is a little more broken in, one or two lappings doesn't really do it.

I experienced this when lapping my Belgian stones with the DMT8C. The DMT can
take a while to break in, and lapping natural stones is probably not going to do it.
You could use a chisel or old razor on the DMT (light tough, don't dig in!), or lap
something harder like a ceramic or barber hone.

It can be frustrating to see these kinds of results initially...

- Scott