Brand new hone vs. old hone???

Just bought a brand new Norton 4k-8k. It seems very rough for these grit sizes. Especially compared to my old Keen-Kutter hone. Admittedly I dont know what grit size the Keen-Kutter is supposed to be, it's old and it just says "Razor hone" but it is very smooth and really just polishes the edge. The Norton feels and hones like 320 grit sandpaper on the 4k side and about like 600 grit on the 8k side. I have a few questions...

1. Do new Nortons require some sort of break in or wear in time??

2. I am pretty familiar with honing grit sizes on many other types of hones, could this Norton be marked wrong??? {yeah, it seems that bad!!}

3. Anyone out there in straight razor land know what grit the old Keen-Kutters were??? It's dark gray, almost a blue hue to it. It shines even when it's dry and dont feel like it would cut anything but it sure works great.

Thanks in advance for reading this. The Norton is so rough I am scared to take a straight razor to it.

Those are all pretty simple to answer, so allow me.

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Originally Posted by msinc

I have a few questions...

1. Do new Nortons require some sort of break in or wear in time??

YES. They need to be lapped a good deal when new. Lynn lapps the first 1/8" off just to get going. Seems excessive to me, but the point remains. They must be thoroughly lapped before use.

2. I am pretty familiar with honing grit sizes on many other types of hones, could this Norton be marked wrong??? {yeah, it seems that bad!!}

8000 is MUCH more coarse than a keen cutter. Most parber hones are in the 12,000 grit range, which is much finer than 8,000. Also, there are several different scales for rating hone grits, and many manufacturers use their own scale. None the less, the norton 8k is certainly a well known and well respected hone for razors.

3. Anyone out there in straight razor land know what grit the old Keen-Kutters were??? It's dark gray, almost a blue hue to it. It shines even when it's dry and dont feel like it would cut anything but it sure works great.

See my answer for #2.

The Norton is so rough I am scared to take a straight razor to it.

That's a good thing, because if you took a razor to it before lapping it properly, you'd probably do serious damage to your razor.

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Hope that helps.

Strange that Norton doesn't mention this in what little bit of paperwork they send with the hone. I should have known I was supposed to guess the hone needs to be lapped. Not doubting your info...I knew something had to be up. Even chinese made toys have half-a$$ directions.....Thanks again for the info.

You have to remember that the main this norton hones are manufactured for is polishing bevels on chisles, and other sorts of professional applications. The fact that they work very well for razors is coincidental. They generally expect that anybody buying one already knows all they need to know about their use. Also, a perfectly flat hones isn't as important if you're polishing a chisel.

You should spend some time reading through the wiki. There is great info on lapping, and proper use of norton hones to get you up to speed.

Chisel drizzle, let's just say a flat hone is not important to the casual sharpener. less flat ultimately means less sharp

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Originally Posted by kevint

Chisel drizzle, let's just say a flat hone is not important to the casual sharpener. less flat ultimately means less sharp

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That's fair.

Casual sharpener doesn't care, professional sharpener is expected to know without instructions.

Cool. It's just that people say that stuff all the time, when actually it depends.

One would think there would be some instructions; if for no other reason to market other items. "If you need this; you may also need________,______..."

Welcome to SRP. As VeeDubb65 said the hone should be flattened ideally. If you have a flattening stone draw a pencil grid.... kind of like tic tac toe on the surface of the hone. Go to the kitchen sink and let water trickle down on the work and rub the stone with the flattening stone until the pencil grid is gone.

Norton makes one but most guys around here prefer a DMT D8C continuous diamond plate. Here is a tutorial on lapping and here is the SRP Wiki where you can find a lot of good information on all things straight razor related. Ask any questions you may have on the forum. Members will be happy to help. Enjoy your shave. :tu