Thread: Lapping question

Do you make the marks on the stove with pencil or pen. I used pencil because I thought a sharpie or ink would penetrate unevenly . I am using 220 grit paper on a 12000 stone. I am using figure 8 motions. The pencil marks are gone in 2 or 3 passes. How can I be sure the stone is lapped?

BTW it is a new stone

Use a pencil and do exactly what you're doing now: Make the grid on the stone, wet the stone and your lapping plate/paper and swirl the stone on the lapping plate. Once all the pencil marks are gone, your stone is lapped.

Some people find that they like to do the pencil grid lapping twice just to make sure the stone is totally flat, as sometimes the slurry from the stone can remove the pencil before the stone is totally flat.

If you've gone through this routine a few times and the pencil grid is coming off really quickly I would say that your stone is flat.

Do you thing I should do a few passes with 400 or 1000 grit paper?

You can do if you want to, but its not totally necessary. I hone all my stones from 1k bevel setters up to the high grit finishers and naturals on a 325 grit DMT and that works fine for me.

If you have the paper and you want to do it though, its the same process.

Originally Posted by ShoreBird

Do you thing I should do a few passes with 400 or 1000 grit paper?

I always finish with a 1000 grit. It gives a texture to the hone surface that agrees with me. It really is a matter of personal preference. Just be consistent.

With regards to going higher, I'd say let the stone dry and then look at it - you may see scratches that you could not see when the stone was wet. If you see scratches, go higher; if not, you're good.

The stone looked pretty good dry. I did do several passes with 1000 grit.
Anything special to look out for with a Norton 4000/8000?

If I remember correctly, certainly not a given, I think Norton recommends finishing with 600 grit wet or dry paper for their water hones. I did that before I got some diamond plates and it worked just fine.

Penciled grids, a really flat surface, two grits of paper - medium and fine, lots of water, some elbow grease, figure 8's, and you will have a well lapped hone.

This link really say's it all....Hone Lapping 101 - Straight Razor Place Wiki

A pencil is recommeded. Once the lines are gone, it's flat. As Dylan, said, the stone will tell you if you need to use a finer grit. If it looks all scratched up when it's dry, Go to 1000 grit, (usually available at auto parts stores) Barber hones especially need the high grits....

With the Nortons, you want to try and lapp off the "gritty" feeling and get down to the smooth stuff. It'll take a while...