Quote Originally Posted by weirdbob View Post
so, I've been working on my honing skills and getting less than stellar results and it could have been b/c i didnt lap them right out of the box? I'd have thought this was done at the factory. They're new.
When lapping a hone, either a Norton or a Chinese 12K, both of them should feel smooth in order for them to be lapped good. When I lap my hones for the first time, I feel the different parts of the hone as I am lapping. If I feel a little rough patch, I go back and lap it until it is smooth. Your less than stellar results could be from a hone that needs more lapping, or it could be from honing too little.