Thread: How often to lap a hone

in reality you need to lap it as often as it needs, how often will depend on use.
When you take it out of the box it will need lapping, you need to make sure it is flat, and also that you have removed all the residue from the label on the stone surface.

I purchased a Naniwa 12K SS several months ago, and I've had difficulty keeping
it flat ever since. No written instructions came with the hone, but my understanding
was that the stone should be soaked for 10-15 minutes, and then lapped. so, I
soaked it, penciled on a grid, and then lapped on a DMT 325.

My understanding was that I would seldom need to re-lap the stone. However, it
required re-lapping every time I used it. (I checked it with a pencil grid each time)

I tried soaking it for various times, from 5 to 20 minutes, and it needed re-lapping
no matter how long it soaked.

Now, there is quite a variety of advice here:

Lynn says lap it after use and then give it a quick soak before using it again;

Glen says soak it, but just give it 6 figure 8's before use, and never mind the
pencil grid;

Sham (in another thread) says soak it or just sprinkle water on it, it doesn't matter,
as long as you do the same thing every time;

JimmyHAD says use a splash of water and let it sit for a few minutes;

niftyshaving says much the same, but doesn't expect perfection.


You guys know more about this than I do, but I'm really confused now.

Paul

Few of us hone as many razors as Glen or Lynn or some of the other hobbyists. If all you are doing is using it to maintain your own small collection then IMO frequent lapping is not required at all. The 12k isn't a work horse of a hone like a bevel setter or a Norton 4/8, you're really only using it for 10 laps at a time before putting it back into the closet, so there won't be any appreciable wear or swarf buildup.

That being said, since Naniwas are soft stones, if you notice that your hone isn't providing adequate touch ups anymore I would recommend a light lapping session before trying again. Or in other words, lap it when it needs it

I suppose it could look a bit confusing.

I had to lightly lap it before each session on my 12K.
I made sure to give it a good pool of water to soak in for a few minutes before lapping, lapped it under running water, and then sprayed water on it during honing as needed.

We all have slightly different approaches to it, but I guess we have all used them a bit, and then found what works best for our individual needs and preferences.

As in most things, I guess that is the important thing, trying it out and finding a way that makes it work for you

Originally Posted by PaulKidd

I purchased a Naniwa 12K SS several months ago, and I've had difficulty keeping
it flat ever since. No written instructions came with the hone, but my understanding
was that the stone should be soaked for 10-15 minutes, and then lapped. so, I
soaked it, penciled on a grid, and then lapped on a DMT 325.

My understanding was that I would seldom need to re-lap the stone. However, it
required re-lapping every time I used it. (I checked it with a pencil grid each time)

I tried soaking it for various times, from 5 to 20 minutes, and it needed re-lapping
no matter how long it soaked.

Now, there is quite a variety of advice here:

Lynn says lap it after use and then give it a quick soak before using it again;

Glen says soak it, but just give it 6 figure 8's before use, and never mind the
pencil grid;

Sham (in another thread) says soak it or just sprinkle water on it, it doesn't matter,
as long as you do the same thing every time;

JimmyHAD says use a splash of water and let it sit for a few minutes;

niftyshaving says much the same, but doesn't expect perfection.


You guys know more about this than I do, but I'm really confused now.

Paul

the SS do not need to be soaked for more than 5 min, technically they are not soakers at all.
As far as having to lap every time, they tend to change shape because they are resin bound.
I solved my problem with my SS by getting 2cm ones and gluing them to bases, they have not moved ever since.

Originally Posted by mainaman

As far as having to lap every time, they tend to change shape because they are resin bound.

That could be more the result of over-soaking the SS stones too

Originally Posted by Ryan82

That could be more the result of over-soaking the SS stones too

I do not soak mine

Unfortunately, no, I don't think that is it. I had that same problem when I simply sprayed a light mist on each one. This still lead to non-uniform distortion. I have switched to Lynn's method of pre-soaking and lapping after use. This seems to be the most consistent. I used to soak, lap, and hone in a manner similar to what Glen later outlined in his "seeking Naniwa users" thread but that still lead to more distortion than I wanted to tolerate.

Edit: My post was in response to Ryan82's post but someone got in the way!

Originally Posted by mainaman

I do not soak mine

Neither do I, but PaulKidd said he's experimented with various soaking times and has had problems. It seems that many of us have different responses to these stones and I would suspect it has something to do with the stones themselves (softness perhaps?), so each user will likely have to find the techique that works best with their stone rather than using a single step solution.

Like I said, I've never soaked mine and have had no problems at all, but bear in mind that I only have the 12k in the Naniwa line and can not comment on the others in the SS series.

Originally Posted by Ryan82

Like I said, I've never soaked mine and have had no problems at all, but bear in mind that I only have the 12k in the Naniwa line and can not comment on the others in the SS series.

Ok, so you have not seen the varied response to soaking. If you look at this thread I started, you will see that some hones respond differently than others.