shapton hone

[jasonny]

i just bought a shapton 16k glass stone

will this need to be lapped as new, if so how do i go about that

also, can i go from a norton 8k to this, or should i add a stone in between?

[Shooter]

If you finish on the 8k by using a very light touch and letting it work to dry it shouldn't be a problem.

[StraightRazorDave]

From what I understand about the Shaptons, they should be lapped even when new. You could just use a DMT (D8C or something...) to lap it, or if you don't have a DMT stone just use some sandpaper. From what I remember the Shapton site recommends using the 600 grit sandpaper. I would use some good 600 wet/dry sandpaperpaper, I have some made by Norton, and use it on a known flat surface (piece of glass, countertop, anything that you know to be perfectly flat). Just be sure to use gridlines to be sure it's flat when you're done. Check out the wiki, Hone Lapping 101 - Straight Razor Place Wiki, it's a good tutorial on lapping. It shows the lapping of a coticule, but the same principle applies to other stones. If you feel rich you can always spring for the Shapton DGLP (Diamond Glass Lapping Plate)! But $284 is hard to justify no matter how well it works...

Best of luck, I'm heard nothing but great things about the 16k stone!

Dave

[Bruno]

You also don't need anything in between. Going from 8K to 16K is just fine.

[JimmyHAD]

You also don't need anything in between. Going from 8K to 16K is just fine.

+1 keeping in mind that the 8 and the 16 are for polishing the edge on blades that have a set bevel and are already sharp from the 4K.