Thread: Lap norton 4k/8k stone before first use?

ok, so maybe not before the first use, I tried the 3,3 1,3 1,5 pyramid last night and did not make any noticable progress with my new Dovo razor. It will not currently pass the hanging hair test, it only bends the hair without even cutting it. I dont believe that I overhoned it with the little honing test last night though.

I went for the gold and bought the Norton 4k/8k waterstone, the norton flattening stone, and the little white norton prep stone.

My question is should I lap the norton stone before the first use? It appears to be very flat right out of the box. I also bought a set of 400 and 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper and a 6x8" glazed ceramic tile from Lowes today to finish smothing after lapping the norton stone as I have read that the norton flattening stone is very rough.

From what I've read, you rub them in a figure eight motion to lap the stone smooth, correct?

I bought a tiny microscope today from Radio Shack too, its very cool to see the 100x magnified edge of the razor, and I think I can tell that it could be sharper by just looking at it.

Last, but not least, what do I do with the norton prep stone??

Absolutely lap the stone first, regardless of how flat it looks. Lapping is also a finishing of the stone to smooth it out. I suppose you use the prep stone to smooth out the Norton prior to each honing, got me though. You certainly don't need it.

I'm sure someone here uses one religiously though so we'll see who else chimes in.

Yes, figure 8 would be good. You don't really need to be to anal about it though. Circles seem to do well for me, twisting etc. I like an idea I read about putting pencil marks on the stone and removing them. Just keep in mind that the wet/dry sandpaper kind of wears out a little.

Personally I don't think its required to hone the stone before use. I used mine for about a year before I lapped it.Unless its defective it should work fine. At the same time I will say that lapping it will improve its performance. Its kind of like getting a new razor thats truly shave ready out of the box (yes that rarely happens). It will shave fine but honing it will improve it.

I have a shapton plate and usually use different grits to flatten and then polish the hone using an X pattern.

Another vote for lapping. You may luck out and your Norton may be flat out of the box, but chances are it won't be. 10min of work and $0.01 worth of abrasive would be well-spent.

well I did end up lapping it with the norton flattening stone, then beveled the edges slightly

I did notice that the grid pattern I drew on the stone wore away at different speeds, indicating that the stone was slightly less than flat (I think)

I also smoothed it out with some wet 400grit wet/dry waterproof sandpaper, its as smooth as a baby's bottom now

I tried again sharpening my new Dovo 5/8 razor, with the 3,1... pyramid, and I'm not sure that I made any significant sharpening progress. I still cant get the HHT to work, and I'll have to wait another day or so to test shaving with it

The HHT is not the absolute test of sharpness. There's no harm in shave-testing as long as you stop as soon as you feel some pulling and tugging. If that's the case, you need to work on the edge some more. Try lighter pressure.

Lapping the stone is just a baseline. Now you have a whole lot more to do and learn. Test shaving is important, more so than passing an HHT. But, if your goal is to pass the HHT I suggest a few more passes on 4K then lots of passes on 8K using perfect form (preferably an x pattern), your newly lapped hone, and less and less pressure. Finally, some guys never get to HHT without properly stropping the edge first.

Originally Posted by bwknight

I also smoothed it out with some wet 400grit wet/dry waterproof sandpaper, its as smooth as a baby's bottom now

While I've no doubt that bwknight's stone feels smooth to the touch, I just want to check in and see if 400 is a recommended grit for lapping (FedEX is showing my Norton 4k/8k was delivered at noon, and is waiting to be lapped so I can hone tonight).

~/Matt

400 is fine. It is considered good for the 4K and is considered the min for the 8K side.

I personally prefer to use 600, then 1K on the 8K side. Can't tell you if it makes a big difference as I only own two 4/8s.

You can find all kinds of wet/dry sandpaper at automotive shops.

Last night I re-lapped my 4k/8k hone with the norton lapping stone, then 400 grit, then 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper. I think I did a better job this time as I visibly tell the stone's surface is much smoother. I still want to get some 1000 grit paper from somewhere

I re-re-sharpened my new Dovo razor, and I believe I finally made some improvements, but I still have a way to go before I get it as sharp as many of you can do. It will almost pass the HHT, and last night's shave was much more comfortable than previous shaves

I want to compare what I've done with the new razor from joshearl and see how that stacks up