Norton 220,1000 & 4000,8000.......

[Brando]

I just picked up my Norton water hone set along with a Norton flattening stone. So I set out to the garage to get a few razor in order. I never used this set before so I read the instructions, I soaked the stones for 10 mins and then took my first pass on the 1000 hone and to my disbelief the stone was terribly uneven and strangely gritty coarse. No where in the instructions did it mention the hones need to be flattend prior to use. Thank Goodness I picked up the flattening stone also, it took me an hour to get the stones flat and the 8000 was extremely stubborn. All in all, after the hones were flattend they did work well and I am pleased with the results.
A word to the wise for new Norton water hone owners flatten your hones prior to your first use. Has this happend to anyone else, did your new Norton water hones need flattening prior to your first use?