Thread: is it smart to blunt the edge of Norton Water Hones?

is it smart to blunt the edge of Norton Water Hones?

Title says it all.

its generally smart to round off the edge of any hone

A lot of people prefer to chamfer or round off the edges of their stone. It is a matter of personal preference and I have never bothered with it.

If you're talking about the Norton 4/8K, you need to lap it a lot to get the white side very smooth to hone razors. Other wise the surface is rough to the razor's edge. When you do this also round all the hard angles on the stone, the top edges and round the side edges also so the razor doesn't hit the edge which will counteract your honing.

When you chamfer the edges they only need to be taken down a small amount - barely enough to see.
More than that is overkill.

I do it with all of mine regardless. It may not be necessary if there are no divots or chips to catch the edge but like Ben Franklin said, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

Look at the video section of the Forum Stubear did a very simple Vid showing just how easy and minimal it needs to be...

This is not off-topic --- I also sand just a bit off the corners of my leather strops besides chamfering my stones.

Jerry

Originally Posted by Disburden

If you're talking about the Norton 4/8K, you need to lap it a lot to get the white side very smooth to hone razors. Other wise the surface is rough to the razor's edge. When you do this also round all the hard angles on the stone, the top edges and round the side edges also so the razor doesn't hit the edge which will counteract your honing.

Hmmm... Does this mean that the flattening stone for Nortons is too coarse? I just picked up one from Lee Valley for my 4000/8000 (the $28 flattening stone with diagonal slats) but the grit is coarse and I am worried that it will leave the surface rough. I should add that when I bought the hone it came lapped flat and smooth.

Should I take it back?

Originally Posted by Atchbo

Hmmm... Does this mean that the flattening stone for Nortons is too coarse? I just picked up one from Lee Valley for my 4000/8000 (the $28 flattening stone with diagonal slats) but the grit is coarse and I am worried that it will leave the surface rough. I should add that when I bought the hone it came lapped flat and smooth.

Should I take it back?

No, what Disburden is referring to is lapping the Norton in general. If not lapped properly (removing the rough texture off the 4k side, as well as the 8) the hone can do more damage than good.

If you bought the Norton flattening stone you should be okay. Many guys use them for their Norton stones and swear by them. As for a "pre-lapped" hone, I have a tendency to doubt it, especially from Lee Valley. I'd recommend lapping again just to be sure.