Thread: naniwa super stones, lapping

just bought the 8,000 and 12,000 grit super stones, .....do these need, or is it reccomended to lap them right off the bat before use.........and i purchased the 220 grit naniwa lapping plate to lap them with, will this do a decent job, or should i have gone with a different lapping stone/plate??

thanks for the help

Welcome to SRP. I don't know anything about that plate but I would definitely lap the stones before use. If you haven't been there already there are many tutorials on honing, shaving, prep and what have you in the SRP Wiki here.

Because of those stupid tags that the Naniwa's come with stuck right in the middle of the stone they actually require a bit of extra lapping when you first get them...

You will also need to know several other things about the stones you purchased. mine required a lot of lapping and produced little spots on the surface. These spots are nothing to worry about though, and I was told by Lynn they are normal. Since you will be doing only 10 or 20 laps per blade, when you start to feel the blade drag, it is ready to move on. The 12k nani is the finisher. Mine also needed a lot of pre lapping before use. My 12k also produced those little spots, but don't worry about them if yours does either. Mine drinks water at an alarming rate, but don't worry about it. I find that when I wet the stone the first time and spread it around, before I can put the blade on it, it is dry. Wet it again and you will get about 6 laps and it will be dry again. This too is normal, acording to Lynn. You will also get a fast buildup of swarf on this stone as well, and it will require relapping often. You will experience similar drag when the blade is just about ready. Stop then. 10 to 15 strokes on this stone seem to be about average for me. I relap these two stones every 4 razors. I am finding the more they are lapped the better they are getting. These are very nice finishers and you will be pleased with them.

Hope this helps,

Ray

Originally Posted by rayman

You will also need to know several other things about the stones you purchased. The 8k is a yellow stone, and is equivilant to a 12k. It will require more than normal lapping and will produce little spots on the surface. These spots are nothing to worry about though, and are normal. Since you will be doing only 10 or 20 laps per blade, when you start to feel the blade drag, it is ready to move on. The 12k nani is equivilant to a 16k finisher.

I have no idea where these comparisons come from!
8000 grit rating is 8000, 12000 is 12000, and so on.

Please let's not propagate wrong and useless information.

I apologize for that. I always get screwed up trying to read charts. I have edited my original comment to reflect the change in misinformation.

Thanks for bringing that to my attention.


Ray

As far as I can tell, you read the chart correctly and according to the thread that discussed it, you provided the correct information.

I've noticed that drag its like the blade is cutting into hone i take it thats the feedback people mention that indicates the blade is pritty sharp

Originally Posted by Utopian

As far as I can tell, you read the chart correctly and according to the thread that discussed it, you provided the correct information.

Ron, this is completely wrong, and let me give an analogy
'1inch is equivalent to 2.54cm' is correct
'1 is equivalent to 2.54' is wrong

Abrasive A of grit B in binder C may produce the same result on steel D, as
abrasive X of grit Y in binder Z on steel W, but to make a meaningful statement you have to specify exactly all of A, B, C, D, X, Y, Z and W.

And there's something to be said about an answer being relevant to the question....

I like talking about anything razor just like anybody else here, but I keep stumbling on threads that are so confusing that they become completely useless.
I think this particular thread is a lot better now.

Originally Posted by gary haywood

I've noticed that drag its like the blade is cutting into hone i take it thats the feedback people mention that indicates the blade is pritty sharp

That is one form of feedback. For me, I know it's time to move on to the next step in honing when I stop getting that feeling on my shaptons.

Some people also talk about a stickiness to the feel of the razor passing over the hones. I'm not 100% sure if that's a different way to describe the same thing, or if they are describing a different effect.