Chosera stone maintenance

Take a look at this:
http://www.wickededgeusa.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&func=view&catid=8&id=2524&Itemid=63#2556

BTW, I use a DMT XXC or XC for everything. Mostly these days the XXC… works faster. DMT doesn’t recommend lapping on anything but their $200 lapping plate… I have smoothed out the XC considerably, but I got the DMT plates for lapping stones, not sharpening. I hit the 5K and 10K with the Extra Fine DMT for a bit of smoothing.

Not sure why you would need Atoma plates. Quite expensive for this use.

If they’re not too out of shape… could you not just use the WE coarse (100) diamond to maintain them? I’ve used a DMT XXC stone on lots of full size stone for years and it’s still going strong. Just lap under running water.

Here’s my video of lapping Choseras and Shaptons using the WEPS diamonds and the full size Atomas.

About 5 minutes in, it discusses some of the texturing issues with using a very coarse lapping plate on a fine stone. You don’t NEED to use many plates, but I highly recommend using the 400, 600, 800 or 1K WEPS diamonds or 400, 600 or 1200 Atoma diamonds on the 5K stones and higher.

You can also use DMT plates. The process outlined in the video is the same. However, the DMT XX Coarse, Extra Coarse, and Coarse are better for lapping. The fine, extra fine and FF fine have serious sticktion issues, making them pretty much useless for lapping.

For quick and simple lapping, you can get away with rubbing the 2 same grit stones together, but it is always better to lap them on a flat surface once in a while to true things up. With the precision the WEPS offers, dished stones can cause headaches.

They are like $50 cheaper than the DMT Diaflat plates. That’s really the only reason I was leaning that way.

Thanks for the link, A lot of good information, still not done reading all of it yet.

A quick check shows the 8″ DMT XXC is about $65. Atoma 400 about $120.

The Dia-flat lapping plate that you talk about is more expensive ($190 +/-). Supposedly flat to high tolerances (“Each Dia-Flat is hand-certified to flatness of ±0.0005″ across its surface”) and with a “hard coat” method of applying the diamonds (Using the new revolutionary DMT® Diamond Hardcoat Technologyâ„¢, this lapping plate outlasts any other diamond coating in the market. ). It is also 10″ X4″. It is not the plate (s) that I talked about and that Curtis mentioned. It is probably not directly comparable to any of the Atoma plates.

Tom,
I use the extra fine DMT plate for texturing. Yes stiction can be a small problem. With plenty of water and the low amount of time required for a little texturing, it is serviceable, if not ideal.

BTW the D8E is around $50. The Atoma 1200 about $120 give or take. I only mention this to clarify for Matt . It appears that he did not understand the specifics of the plates I was talking about.

BTW (2), if I was going to use diamond bench hones extensively to sharpen knives , I would look closely at the Atoma plates. For use only in lapping stones, it is hard for me to justify the additional cost.

I don’t claim to be an expert here, but I just lap them. I do this to make the slurry, but figure a side benefit is it helps keep them flat. Don’t know if something more aggressive or flatter is required?

As we always say…it depends. If you read Kens thread and even listen to Tom’s video, you can’t come away thinking that more than simply rubbing the stones together for a bit before using them is required. Put a good straight edge on your stones. If they are not perfectly flat, in length, width and diagonally, a case can be made for needing to lap them with something more than each other.

There are those in the sharpening world that will not use a stone without lapping it “perfectly” flat every single time.

Obviously I am not Tom and I can’t comment on the Atoma plates as I don’t have any.
I can tell you that I have found the 10K Chosera to be much softer than the Shapton stone.
When I lap with the DMT diamond plates, it gets deeper scratches. Because of this I need to re-texture it with finer plates. Probably if you had the patience to lap with the 1200, (or just don’t let you stones go too far), using the 1200 might just let you get away without texturing at all… and save needless wear on that soft, and relatively expensive, stone.

Just my guess. I am curious to see what Tom says…

If you hold the stone and straightedge with a light behind them, you can see pretty small dips.
I have also used a piece of printer paper as a feeler gauge…. of course a gap would have to be pretty serious to find it that way. I also have a set of feeler gauges that I have dragged out to check them. The thinnest one is 0.0015″ thick. If that one will not slide at any place between the stone and straightedge… I am not worrying about flatness.

No I don’t lap that often. I do what you do before each sharpening and rub the stones against each other under running water. I have only done the 5K and 10K choseras twice in their lifetimes. I have done the 400 through 3K three times (maybe 4). That is quite a few knives.. The coarser stones wear faster. Because you don’t really ever use the top end of the stones on the WEPS, I also have marked the stones, and flip them end to end each time I sharpen. This helps distribute the wear. Eventually they will need to be flattened. Keep an eye on them… I check them more than I lap them. Fortunately, I use the diamonds for the bulk of the metal removal. The Choseras have it pretty easy…
😉