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Hey guys I just bought a new norton combo 4000/8000 and it says it needs to be flattened before use. Was wondering what the easiest way to go about doing that would be; also whats a good technique so I dont mess it up. Any input on this subject is greatly appreciated.
There are a couple of ways to lap new stones: DMT11C or DMT8C diamond hone or wet/dry sandpaper on a piece of granite or marble tile.
Check this out: Hone Lapping 101 - Straight Razor Place Wiki
we have a lot fo threads about lapping,
I used the search function on the forum and came up with one of them
http://straightrazorpalace.com/honin...ing-101-a.html
there are many others too.
I soak mine and then flatten it on a flat piece of sidewalk--works good.
Gary
that makes me cringe.. do you flatten it with anything else after the sidewalk or just the sidewalk?
I just got my hones this afternoon, I'm paying particular attention to this. :)
Please do not recommend this to ANYONE. If it works fine for you, great.Quote:
Originally Posted by gtho150
Straight razors are precision/delicate instruments that require the use of good & relatively flat hones. I would not allow any of my stones to come in contact with a sidewalk on purpose. Sounds like your experience is more related with knives & not razors.
I once used concrete to grind the end of a chipped hone into shape.
It left a rough surface - I would not want to use it to finish the face of a stone.
That said; it could actually be useful for rough surfacing of severely dished hones to get them close to flat, then finishing with a DMT, etc...
When I get mine I'm going to use wet and dry sandpaper on a glass topped outdoor table. I reckon the glass topped table is probably the only truly flat surface I have...I'll also of course use the method where one draws a grid of lines on the stones, and when all lines are removed it's flat. This is probably not a REAL helpful post, but it's what I've learnt about lapping so far...
Carl, when all the lines are gone, I suggest re-drawing them and going back to the W&D just to make sure all is good. You can sometimes have the slurry produced erasing some of your lines pre-maturely.
Oh, thanks Mick, that makes sense!
No worries Carl, I did the process or re-drawing the lines about four times just to make sure it was the best it could be. I would also recommend starting at a heavier grit (400 perhaps) to flatten then go through a quick progression of something like 600, 800 and then the finest grade on hand to make the surface as smooth as possible. I got my instructions off the wiki if I remember correctly. Don't forget to round your edges a little when your finished.
Got my stones this afternoon. Went though the process and got them pretty flat I think. Will check each time before I use them, though. Gave the Platypus a run over the hones with a gently does it attitude the whole time and stuff me I can manage the HHT after the 8k! I don't know how well it will shave just yet so I don't know what the HHT signifies in my case with the hair I used, but I'll find out soon enough. Then I can work out if I can calibrate the test into something repeatable I can use.
woot! Flat stones!
Thanks MickR, I'll follow that process. Sounds like you've got it all worked out MickRussell!
Yeah ... worked out ... I'll be a honemeister by the weekend at this rate! :rofl2:
Attachment 74965
(in case anyone was wondering)
Oh, I'm ALREADY a honemeister, inside, I just need to bring it OUT..., nurture it...Quote:
Originally Posted by MickRussell
I touched my Packwood to the hone this morning. Took about two passes and looked at what 'n where, then cleaned it down and packed it back away. I won't be honing that any time soon. That one needs skills I don't have and won't for quite some time, if ever. It may just stay a display piece, for that matter. Pity, I really wanted to use it at least a couple of times. Maybe the next one will be better.
Hi Mick, can I ask what you mean by this (so I can gather some knowledge of when I get my hone?). What did you see when you looked at it? Did you see an uneven edge or something? Anything someone new to honing (and of course someone who ISN'T) will really help when I start soon. I really just want to refresh the edges, I really don't want to be sending my razors hither and thither for honing, I Do want to at least touch them up, even if I have to send them out one or twice a year. My one and only razor (so far, post seems slow from the US lately) is telling me he feels a little dull....Quote:
Originally Posted by MickRussell
My Packwood Old English (or is that an Old English made for Packwood ... still have no definite on that), besides wanting some time with the emery and buffs has both a smile and a frown on it's edge. A couple of passes over the hone showed that there are odd high spots and the blade is probably not quite straight, as well as having a smile to the spine and some very small chips near the heel. I think it's possible to get it back into shaving condition but I know for sure I'm not the one to do it and it will probably cost a bit as well.
In your case, with a razor that just needs a little refreshing, the info in the wiki here should get you on the right path, although first practising on a blade that isn't your "one and only" would be a good idea.
Great, thanks for the reply. Sounds like a difficult job. The 'one and only' will become my most humble (and cheapest) but nevertheless treasured, soon (as soon as the US postal system get off its bott bott, maybe they're not paying postal workers now:-) and will be joined by two brothers. It's then I intend to attempt to refresh the edge on a 12k Naniwa.
Generally, I stuff up EVERYTHING, I'm NO tradesman; I use a 5 kilo door stop as a hammer, and my tool kit consists of some screwdrivers, a mallet, a hammer and a file. When I cut a piece of wood and invariably get it the wrong length I make it the RIGHT length by rubbing the edge on the back step. I use a block splitter as an axe. When I replaced the light globes in my house a few years ago I ended up breaking almost ALL the light globe holders, we went without lights in some rooms for months. The hole in my bathroom ceiling was taped up with masking tape and held there with gyp-rock glue. Last year the dog fell through the floorboards (seriously) the hole's still there; it's got a cupboard neatly positioned over it. My wife always says we should 'get the little man from the village round' to mow the lawns (my lawn mowers generally last a season, dieing a horrible death due to be used as mulchers and fed with a weird assortment of fuel and oils). My sons have learnt the trade from me. When I asked my young son the other day to bring me a hammer (I do have one, without a grip), he brought a screwdriver. I said, no, a hammer, he said that'll do, just use the handle. I insisted on a hammer. He bought a rubber mallet. We went with that. This should be VERY interesting...
I'm cringing just reading that. I'm an electrician by trade, instrument technician by chance (did that for about 5 years), did some joinery in high school (still have and use the bed side table and ladder I made) and am now studying IT while picking up some work here and there as a hardware tech. My Dad taught me very young to use the right tool for the job, and although I'm a tad more flexible about it these days it's stuck with me. I'd suggest being as OCD about using the right tools as possible when it comes to your razor. An edge that is less than 0.5 micron across isn't all that tolerant of abuse.
Yes, I can understand your cringing. Shaving and stroppign have tought me some amount of control. below is a post I posted on the Fountain Pen network forum a little while ago, there were very few replies to the thread after this one from me, I think I know why...
Well, sometimes, force is appropriate, I've fixed it! Now I know all you aficionados will CRINGE, but pushing the piston in, screwing the cap on, wrapping a rubber sheet around the barrel, and BASHING the pen on its end cap on the kitchen table has fixed the problem! I've been able to force the cap back to where it should be after several attempts. I know this is rather unorthodox, and before you apply to adopt this poor abused pen from its abusive parent, it's fine, unhurt and writing beautifully. I PROMISE to never treat it badly again, and to be KIND, GENTLE and LOVING...
Thanks for all the help and advice...
If that's the forum I think it is, Beth may shoot you for that alone! O_O
I admit to learning my honing skills out of frustration and without due regard for my razor. This was before I found this place. I had got the sh!ts with failing to get a decent shave and took on a 'do or die' approach to my very first razor. Thankfully it survived and I found this place a week or two after, read up on honing, found out that a cheap oil stone and a small fine diamond hone just wouldn't suffice for razor sharpening, and duly rectified the situation with the purchase of a series of hones between 1000 and 12000 (ish) grit.
All is good and right in the world of Mick now.
I plan an starting with a 12k Naniwa (I reckon I'll do less 'damage' with that) just to try and refresh the edge, maybe 2 strokes and see what happens. I'' then get a Norton 4k8k and maybe buy another really cheap razor to practice on. I think I'll read and view the Wiki, but then just ask the guy in Canada I got my W&B from (Maxi). I think if I ask TOO many people I'll get confused. That's the plan anyway...
As far as I can tell the basics are pretty consistent, it's knowing when and how to use the other little things like the rolling x-stroke and the swooping x-stroke that make things complicated. Reading about these things, I think, will only get us so far. Sooner or later there's no substitute for personal instruction.
