Which DMT flattening stone for Shapton GS?

[linke combs]

I have read multiple threads on flattening Shapton stones, but I still cannot decide. I am looking at purchasing a DMT stone to use exclusively for flattening, but am not sure whether to go coarse or fine diamond stone or 6 or 8 inch. The I lean toward a DMT 6" fine stone to flatten Shapton GS 1000 and 6000 grit stones. What are your thoughts? By the way, I have looked at the Atoma 400, but cannot commit that kind of money right now.

Thanks in advance,

lcombs

[Andrae Covington]

I have read multiple threads on flattening Shapton stones, but I still cannot decide. I am looking at purchasing a DMT stone to use exclusively for flattening, but am not sure whether to go coarse or fine diamond stone or 6 or 8 inch. The I lean toward a DMT 6" fine stone to flatten Shapton GS 1000 and 6000 grit stones. What are your thoughts? By the way, I have looked at the Atoma 400, but cannot commit that kind of money right now.

Thanks in advance,

lcombs

I have a set of DMT diamond stones that I use for sharpening, from Extra Coarse to Extra-Extra Fine. After a while, I also purchased a Shapton GlassStone 220 grit. In my inexperience with hand sharpening in general, and the particulars of using diamond stones, I had inadvertently worn away some of the diamonds in the Extra Course stone, so that it did not perform as well (or as fast) as it did originally. So I wanted to try an alternative. I purchased all of these stones from craftsmanstudio.com.

All of that to say that the instructions that came with the Shapton discouraged using DMT diamond stones for lapping, preferring either the expensive Shapton Glass Diamond Lapping Plate or ~220 grit wet/dry sandpaper on granite. I see on craftsmanstudio.com that they note the Shapton Pro stones are more tolerant of flattening with coarse plates like the DMT Dia-Flat.

I have not used the Shapton very much. While it did work faster, it quickly developed a hollow, and I wasn't convinced that the overall sharpening time (including frequently re-flattening the Shapton vs. slower sharpening on the DMT) was faster. So I want to make it clear that I do not have a lot of experience flattening the Shapton. I have mostly used the sandpaper on granite method, but... I've also used the DMT Extra Coarse, even though the instructions recommended otherwise.

The Shapton stone that I bought is 220 grit, which should be about 63 microns. The recommended wet/dry paper is the same. The DMT Extra Coarse is about 60 microns, so also about the same. The DMT Dia-Flat lapping plate is about 95 microns.

As for size, I think it is preferable that the flattening / lapping stone be larger than the stone you are trying to flatten, but not absolutely necessary.

[Mike Henderson]

I use an extra coarse DMT diamond plate to flatten my Shapton stones but they're the older pro series. Works fine - gets them flat - never had any complaints. Don't know how the new Shaptons would compare.

Mike

[Mike Brady]

Just keep in mind that the glass stones are a sizable investment and they are relatively thin. Any aggressive flattening media will only hasten the wear on the stones. Personally, I would avoid any diamond stone above the coarse grade and would go lightly with it, especially on the lower grit GS's like the 1000. Many people you see in instructional videos frankly don't care how quickly the stones wear, so they flatten after every use.

[Steve knight]

the bigger the better it makes life easier the duosharp 10" is what I use on the shapton hippo stones. http://www.dmtsharp.com/sharpeners/bench-stones/duosharp/ the larget the stone the more accurate you can flatten with it. or the less work since you can do the whole stone at once.

[Jason Steward]

I would go the dmt w250efmb combo stone. Use the 600 mesh (red), for the 1000, and the 1200 mesh (green) for the 6000. The interrupted surface helps take off high spots without undo material removal. I flatten repeatedly during sharpening, less stone removal, and it allows refreshment of the cutting particles. I only use a coarse diamond stone if I didn't maintain a stone well or if I acquired the stone from somewhere else.