Thread: Lapping a Keen Kutter Kombination

Chaps (And chapesses)-
I have a Keen Kutter hone here in very fine condition, excepting one point- it has a fair bit of dirt and what looks like 120-grit SiC embedded in the fine side. The coarse side is also, almost imperceptibly, dished.

How would you go about lapping this? It is an incredibly freakin' hard stone!

Originally Posted by BKratchmer

How would you go about lapping this? It is an incredibly freakin' hard stone!

Slowly.



In all seriousness, there's no magic trick to lapping a hard barber hone. Start with a coarse grit, like 120, and spend how ever long it takes to get it flat and uniform, then jump up to at least 300+, and then keep jumping up grits until you're happy. Personally, I'm happy with just using my 325 grit DMT for the whole process, and simply taking how ever long it takes.

Thanks, Steve! I figured it would take a while, but I had no idea what kind of grit to start working at- and was afraid of hurting a very nice old hone if I started too low.

Picture will help.
if that spot is small then you don't have to lap.

Thanks, Sham. I'll put up a picture for the sake of garnering info and showing off, but it's more of a long streak through the middle 2/3 of the hone. Kind of where you would see dishing if someone tried to polish a chisel or such on the hone. (I feel bad for anyone so foolish...what a lot of work!)

I've used 220 wet/dry to lap afew barber hones with no ill affects.

It can take some time if the hone is dished at all.

Here you go, a couple of close ups- one showing the general condition of the fine side- which is pretty glazed- , and then a close up of the scratches and embedded grit on the coarse side. It really doesn't need lapping so much as cleaning, so I might do a few passes on 220, then work my way up to 1000 or so.

I really love the old metal case for this hone, and its delightful cracked oil paint... so a couple of pictures of the whole shebang.

I really love the old metal case for this hone, and its delightful cracked oil paint... so a couple of pictures of the whole shebang.

I agree, regardless of the hone it's the nicest box I've ever seen.

i really don't think you have much to do in there. light lap 220 that is it .Don't worry about small scratches it will not hurt your blades. Anyway you will need to do x pattern and as long as surface flat enough that is all you need.

Benjamin, how is your Keen Kutter Hone working for you? I am looking at one now.