Thread: Norton Roughness

I have a new 4k/8k, and I was told I would need to lap it. I also bought a flatting stone. I used the flattening stone first after penciling a grid on both sides of the Norton. It seems the 4k/8k was quite uneven (I could feel it when honing a razor, sort of a wave in it). I lapped it against the stone and then against some wet 600grit sandpaper so smooth it out (again using a pencil grid to ensure I'm getting it flat). Now the stone feels rough when I run a razor along it. The 8k side is worse than the 4k. It seems pretty flat though and I am getting a lot of suction on the sandpaper, just damn rough.

Is there any way I can get this thing smooth?

Run it under cold water and rub it down with a brillo pad.

I will try that, thanks. I just felt it now (dry) and it feels very smooth to the touch.

Ahhh, if it isn't one thing, it is another. This straight razor trip isn't as straight forward as it first seems.

You may have picked up some grit from the sandpaper. You will need to scrub it off.
It does take a bit to see the light, but once you do, you´ll never want to go back.

You might want to lap it with some higher grit sandpaper.

A surface of 8000 grit is going to be a bit rough after scratching it with 600 grit paper.

I've heard of some members using an old razor on their Nortons after lapping just to smooth them out as well.

Just my 2 cents worth

And yes it is more confusing than you first think but anything worth doing .... blah blah blah... and once you get the hang of it it's not so bad (so I've heard)

You might want to finish it off with some 1k wet/dry paper.

X

The 4K side on my Norton feels kind of smooth and hard but slightly scratchy when I hone with it. Like running the razor along a piece of glass with some grit to it... But the 8K side feels velvety. It has more friction than the 4K side.

I'd second X's suggestion to finish it with a higher grade of sandpaper. I usually lap mine with my 1K Norton waterstone. But 1K to 1500 grit sandpaper will do very nicely.

Josh

Do you have to lap a brand new Norton? I haven't yet done any honing, but I would think that if it were brand new, it would already be flat (is this just my newbieness showing through or what?)

You should lap any time you are uncertain if it is flat. If it's already flat, then the lapping process only takes a few seconds and removes insignificant amounts of material. If it isn't flat, then you'll be glad you did it.

When I first started, conventional wisdom was that new hones didn't need lapping. I thrashed around for nearly a month before I threw conventional wisdom out the window and lapped it, resulting in an immediate and significant improvement to my honing, and I was finally able to produce a shave-ready edge.

FWIW, this issue of getting lapping grit stuck in the hone only seems to happen the first time you lap it. It hasn't happened to me since then. I suspect that the hones have a sealant on them, and the grit is sticking to it that first time you lap it.

Yes, I would definitely recommend lapping a new Norton. I've had two of them, plus the 1K, and none of them was flat when new.

The factory finish isn't really well suited to honing, either. It forms while the hones are baking. Taking it off is a big improvement--much smoother.

Josh