Thread: Which side

Originally Posted by dericandteri

So, do you folks think it's possible to change the characteristics of a hone by lapping it to a finer versus coarser finish??

-D

Strictly so no.

One possible exception is the first month after
lapping an extra extra fine Spiderco ceramic. These
are so hard and dense that they keep the coarse tooth
of a diamond lap for a long time. Eventually
they wear in and act very very fine indeed.

Also after lapping a resin bonded hone the groves
left by a coarse lap act like channels and wash swarf
and stuff clear of the surface so it might cut faster
for a short time after lapping and "feel" different/
more aggressive.

That makes sense. I suspected the very hard hones might be slightly affected by the finish grit used upon them, for awhile... FWIW, I have read some posts by arkansas aficionados over at B&B that seem to think it's very important to finish the translucents and blacks to a fine grit post lapping in order to get the desired high polish effect.

-D

Originally Posted by dericandteri

That makes sense. I suspected the very hard hones might be slightly affected by the finish grit used upon them, for awhile... FWIW, I have read some posts by arkansas aficionados over at B&B that seem to think it's very important to finish the translucents and blacks to a fine grit post lapping in order to get the desired high polish effect.

-D

Yes my black was just a rock until I used some 8K grit on it
with an old kitchen knife. Now it does polish nicely.....

on most old swaty type hones I have the surface bonding agent deteriorates. Before I lap them they cut really fast ~1-2k, after lapping they bump up to their intended grit.


EDIT- The surface is deteriorated when I buy them.