How to flatten

The Japanese use sand or silicon carbide on a brick or other hard flat surface. Others have had success with Diamond and Silicon Carbide benchstones or wet/dry sandpaper on a flat surface. Take your pick. Whichever method you choose, make sure you wash the stone well to prevent grit carry over to the blade being sharpened unintentionally.
 
Heavy glass with wet/dry sandpaper is an inexpensive way to get them flat. Find a local glass/mirror outfit and ask them to prepare you a section a little bit bigger than a sheet of sandpaper. I'd go with at least 1/4" thick glass. 3/8" would be better. It's cheap stuff. Draw crosshatches on the stone with a pencil to see that you have indeed flattened the entire stone.
 
A DMT Diasharp Coarse stone is fairly cheap and has easily flattened all of my waterstones. It is the continuous surface stone, not the one with the round holes.

Mike
 
you want one of these: (truing stone)

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=55067&cat=1,43072,43071&ap=1

08m1530s1.jpg
 
The Norton flattening stone that Bushman5 posted a picture of is a good all around flattening stone. I have used my DMT XC as well but find there is a lot of suction that forms with use on my Shapton glass stones. The Norton is cheap and effective. The grooves help channel away debris.
 
It was raining in my area last night. Out of curiosity, I soaked the stone and then flattened it using the street pavement. It works well! I didn't flatten it all the way as I want to finish it using sandpaper. Just thought I'd pass the info along.
 
Hou2008 said:
It was raining in my area last night. Out of curiosity, I soaked the stone and then flattened it using the street pavement. It works well! I didn't flatten it all the way as I want to finish it using sandpaper. Just thought I'd pass the info along.
Click to expand...

Not necessarily a good idea. Oils/grease/dirt from the street can severely affect the stone.
 
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