Thread: I just got my Norton 4/8 now what ?

I was told that I did not need to lap it right off but there seems to be a high spot on it . how do I take care of it without a lap stone. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Get a sheet of glass or a tile and put some 220 wet/dry sandpaper (wet of course) and start working on it. There are videos and wikis on this subject that will help you on you way.

Hone Lapping 101 - Straight Razor Place Wiki

You absolutely DO need to lap it

Yep, as stated before a glass cutting board will do. Make sure to soak your stone prior to lapping though.

Thanks guys.

Hession, just kudos for asking. You can bet there are others that wonder the same. I've not heard of *not lapping*, but it would seem its not widely known.
'Hope you enjoy that Norton. I'm certainly enjoying mine.

When I got my Norton 4/8 (a very long time ago) I knew nothing about lapping these things and I used it as is for quite some time before I lapped it and that was only because it started to become obviously off. Maybe I was lucky and got a good stone to begin with however I used it and saw no ill effects from not lapping it.

However, these days I'd be lapping it out of the box.

You MUST lap the new stone to get the coarse granules off of the surface. Once you lap that scale off, you will see and feel the differernce. Big dif! Use 220 wet/dry sandpaper on a piece of glass. Soak the stone first and keep everything sloppy wet. You will feel when you get the coarse scale off. You can get a finished shave ready edge off of the 8K side. Don't worry about a finishing stone until later. You don't need one, it's just a luxury.

Originally Posted by jbtusa

Don't worry about a finishing stone until later. You don't need one, it's just a luxury.

Not only is it a luxury, it is a complete waste of time and money until you learn to get a shave ready edge at the 8k level.

And if you are setting the bevel on the 4k side, don't go to the 8 unless its set. Really set, armhair test, thumbnail test etc.