Thread: Ugh...... sharpening..........

Lapping the norton is critical. Lapping is the flattening of the hone. For the Nortons, this also involves removing enough of the outer layer of the 4k side of the hone to eliminate the coarser grit in the hone. Both the Wiki and the honing section have a thread entitled Honing 101 that describes lapping. Basically, you need either a diamond plate such as a DMT, or else a coarse lapping stone, or the cheapest option which is sandpaper on a flat surface. Regardless of what is used, lapping should be done under running water.