Thread: Lapping Synthetic Stones - Deformation

I am finding that while lapping, especially the Naniwa SS 8k (yellow), the stone does not seem to stay flat after use. I can mark it up, lap the pencil completely off, hone one razor, mark and lap again, and the effect of the lapping plate on the stone is not as expected. It also seems to take much longer on the 8k than the SS 5k and 12k. The Chosera 1k is not having the same issue.

I have been told that the synthetic stones can flex if not mounted/lapped on a completely flat surface, like granite, especially the SS stones as they are quite thin. Given this, the stone could be lapped while deformed from flat in the hand, leaving it not perfectly flat in the stone holder.

Has anyone else experienced this?

Has anyone mounted these to a flat/rigid surface like a granite tile? If so, what adhesive should be used?

Gorilla5 min two part epoxy is what I used. Hers my 12K on granite tile. I have a friend that cuts tile so he cut it for me.

Here is an old thread on this with a link to another. Since then I have done the same to my 12k. It seems like the Naniwas get more stable with time. I'm sure the backing helped, but I don't see any warping anymore. When I first glued them down I was still noticing warping, though much reduced, during use. http://straightrazorpalace.com/hones...blization.html

I used to wet mine, let them sit a while to stabilize, then lap, then check again, then hone. After a while, I knew how long each of mine took to stabilize. Then I got tired of that and went back to the Nortons. I much prefer the feel of honing on the SS5k as opposed to the Norton 4k, but I got tired of the wait time. Especially if I was only honing one razor at a time. YMMV.

I decided to mount the stones to either 3" X 8" aluminum or stainless steel plates which will be cut this week. Still undecided if I use bondo or two part gorilla epoxy to attach. Thank you for the input!

Here is what I ended up with, I used 3M Super 77 spray adhesive to attach the stones to the aluminum backing. They were each left clamped in a vice between two pieces of wood to ensure complete adhesion.

could you clamp 2 of the stones together? I have a 3k and 8k (my 5k and 1k are regular size)

I think that the effects are more from swelling/drying rather than warping.

By gluing them on one side you are affecting the absorption/drying of water on one side.

Has anyone tried shellacking these like a Jnat?

Originally Posted by Christian1

could you clamp 2 of the stones together? I have a 3k and 8k (my 5k and 1k are regular size)

Absolutely, that would be simple!

Originally Posted by 32t

I think that the effects are more from swelling/drying rather than warping.

By gluing them on one side you are affecting the absorption/drying of water on one side.

Has anyone tried shellacking these like a Jnat?

If you think about it, water stones, Chosera, Spapton, etc., are adhered to a aluminum backing on the guided sharpening systems for knives (wicked edge, edge pro, KME). I do not believe it will cause an issue.

As a matter of fact, when i went to stick the 8K to the backing, I noticed that the stone was a bit bowed. That ain't happening any more!!