DMT lapping plate & EP stones

[BreadFan]

it's not yet time, but eventually it will be . . .

I got the EP kit with 120/220/320/600/1000 stones.

sooner or later they'll need a flattening . . . . watched the EP videos, etc., and frankly was not especially impressed with the big round flat glass & loose carbide stuff.

flattening the stones on a cinder block . . . ah, not my style.

any comments on the worthwhileness of the DMT Dia-Flat Lapping Plate?

[thombrogan]

A smaller DMT plate, such as their 3" x 8" plates would work well. There are some plates made in Japan I've seen sold in various grits by JBroida and Schtoo that should do well, too. Granted, a 10" x 4" 120 grit plate sounds most excellent, but the slightly smaller plates still work great and usually cost a lot less.

[Pensacola Tiger]

Wet/dry sandpaper on thick glass or a granite slab.

If you want to use a diamond plate, spring for an Atoma - much less stiction to deal with than with DMT.

[MadRookie]

Wet/dry sandpaper on thick glass or a granite slab.

If you want to use a diamond plate, spring for an Atoma - much less stiction to deal with than with DMT.

+1 what he said.

[BreadFan]

appreciate the pointers!

I stumbled into the DMT while checking links in another thread here -

for my intended purpose - flattening EP inserts - I can see the dotted pattern ala Atoma might advantageous vs the continuous coating of the DMT.

having never flattened a stone in my life, seems the 10" / 25 cm size would allow for longer lighter more even strokes (the EP inserts being 6" = 152mm) - the two lengths I've come across are 10 inch (254mm) and 205 mm - which I suspect is not a deal breaker either way.

the Atoma don't seem to be in stock at the web sites I've encountered....
pricing is another curiosity - depending on site/vendor the pricing is inverted per brand.

not being heavy duty into sharpening - I'm just a plain ole home cook - I'd prefer to avoid the big hunking chunk of granite type approach. something easily stored with the kit is more my speed. some of the pix I've seen here - an entire workbench stacked with stones and sharpening gear - well, that isn't me (g)

[Soen]

Wet/dry sandpaper on thick glass or a granite slab.

If you want to use a diamond plate, spring for an Atoma - much less stiction to deal with than with DMT.

+2 Atoma work well

I'm sure there is someone on here that imports them, failing that Bluewayjapan on ebay can get them if you ask nicely

[ordo]

Cooking forum is getting weird these days.

[ksskss]

Carbide over glass is a messy affair, so I prefer Atoma and DMT. My personal preference is Atomas (less stiction), but they are more expensive (again IMO, worth it). They are available here in the USA, but rules prevent me posting the location. Specifically regarding the diaflat, the spec is for extreme flatness, but IMO the stiction issue outweighs extreme flatness as a benefit. The biggest limitation on flatness is nearly always technique moreso than plate flatness.

---
Ken

[BreadFan]

just a follow up . . .

going forward with the Atoma 140.
indeed, per the above, there's "flat" and then there's "overboard flat" to the point of "meaningless"

but "tastes great - less filling/sticking" sounds good to me.

personally I have a stable of 10-8-6 in both chef and slicers, plus a 7 santuko, plus boning and bread and paring/utilities and 'tomato' that I maintain.
ah well,,,, and also my kids' knives when they bring them on visit...
(((Happy Fathers' Day!!! - and oh by the way could you take a gander at this ..... it's nice to be still needed.)))

so pretty much anything non-WallyWorld will last me "a life time" (ps: I'm old.....) so "fitness for the task" is way lots more important to me than a fifty cent price reduction.