Thread: How often to lap a hone

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.