Shapton Diamond Lapping Plate

A lapping plate is the tool that keeps your sharpening stones honest. Stones dish out with use - the surface becomes concave and an uneven stone cannot produce an even edge, no matter how good your technique. The Shapton Diamond on Glass lapping plate solves this problem with a substrate flat to within plus or minus 5 microns, which puts it in a category above any lapping plate with a plastic or steel base. Diamonds embedded in float glass with a nickel coating - genuinely flat, genuinely durable, and made by the same company that produces the stones it is designed to maintain. We are a registered Shapton distributor and carry the full line.

What is a lapping plate used for? In practice: place it on a flat surface, add a small amount of water, and work your stone across it in circles or figure-eight patterns until the stone surface is flat again. The 3 3/16 x 10 inch footprint accommodates Shapton ceramic water stones from 500 to 30,000 grit - the full range of the Pro and Glass lines. Unlike diamond plates with softer bases that can flex under pressure, the float glass substrate maintains its flatness over time and under consistent use. How to use a lapping plate correctly: keep the pressure light and even, rinse frequently to clear swarf, and check your stone with a straightedge periodically to confirm the surface is returning to flat. A few minutes of flattening extends the life of a quality stone significantly and keeps your sharpening results consistent.

Care Instructions: Rinse the lapping plate thoroughly after each use to remove metal swarf and stone slurry. Store flat. The nickel-coated diamond surface is durable but avoid contact with other hard surfaces during storage.

Six five-star reviews with excellent material. Here is the updated What Customers Are Saying paragraph — paste it into the caption before the Care Instructions:

What Customers Are Saying: Six five-star reviews from serious sharpeners. The standout review comes from a cook who discovered this plate after watching Harrelson Stanley on YouTube - who explained that the Shapton lapping plate does not just flatten stones, it grooms the abrasive surface so each particle forms a tight peak for maximum cutting efficiency. His conclusion: better results with one stone and one lapping plate than five stones and no plate. Another reviewer switched from the Atoma 140 after years and noticed immediate improvement in stone surface quality and sharpening feedback. A third renewed four stones back to flat in about two minutes and calls it worth every dollar of the initial outlay. One reviewer runs a small stream of water from the faucet over one end while lapping and says he can work all day without loading. The recurring themes: it is larger than the Atoma and most DMT plates, it works faster than anything else, and glass stones are specifically designed to work with it. One note worth knowing: the surface pattern that makes it so effective for lapping means it cannot be used on steel - knives only on stones.

• Brand: Shapton
• Distributor: Registered Shapton Distributor - Warranty Supported
• Type: Diamond on Glass Lapping Plate
• Substrate: Float Glass with Nickel-Coated Diamonds
• Flatness: +/- 5 Micron
• Dimensions: 3 3/16 x 10 x 15/16 inches
• Compatible With: Shapton Ceramic Water Stones 500 to 30,000 Grit
• Item Code: 50100