Thread: 'feel' of the norton 8K

This is perhaps related to the 'norton roughtness' thread, but it's different enough to start another thread.

I have only started using the 8K a couple of days ago.
I lapped it on waterproof 600 grit 3M sandpaper.

When honing (light pressure) it sometimes feels as if something snags the blade.
I can't feel anything with my thumb, so I can see 3 possibilities:

1) that is embedded grit from the sandpaper
2) there are micro burrs along the edge that get snagged by the stone which is much softer than the 1K or 4K sides.
3) unlikely, but something is wrong with the stone.

So how is the 8K side supposed to feel?

It should feel very light and smooth, but perhaps a little gummy or with a slight even drag along the length of the blade. if you're getting a catching sensation then something is likely wrong. You should lap with medium coarse, very high grade, wet/dry automotive sandpaper or else lapping compound or a lapping plate. Then smooth off with ultra fine, very high grade, wet/dry automotive sandpaper, 1k or 1.5k.

X

Before you do anything else make very sure what your feeling isn't drag. Many times when I start off on the 8K the razor has kind of a grainy feel to it but after a few strips it stops and then I'll get a slight draggy kind of sensation for a bit.

Usually after I hone my 8K if I hold it up to the light and look straight along its length at a very shallow angle it appears shiny like it was polished. Thats how I know its ready for action.

When it catches, does it do it in exactly the same place on the hone, and does it do it every time or only sometimes? If so there may be a piece of grit embedded in the stone.

If it only happens sometimes then the hone may be hitting a rough patch on the blade, or the blade may be hitting a particularly suction-y patch of the hone. Or the hone could be catching on a wired part of the edge and tearing it off.

I had a similar problem with 600grit paper. Switching to 1500grit seemed to clean it up nicely.

Do a search in the hones forum for the words "Norton's shredding my edge."

I had a lot of problems with the 8K side of my first Norton; I got it replaced and now it's wonderful.

Josh

Originally Posted by rustyblade

I had a similar problem with 600grit paper. Switching to 1500grit seemed to clean it up nicely.

I was beginning to wonder if you even had a keyboard.

X

If the blade is going smoothly down the hone, and then it feels like it snags for a fraction of a second and then moves smoothly again, it sounds like you have a small piece of sandpaper stuck in the hone.

If you have a flat piece of metal (like a key edge), gently run it down the hone to dislodge the sandpaper piece. Alternatively, you can do a progression on the sandpaper from coarse to more fine. I started on 600 grit and finished on 1200 grit sandpaper when preping my Norton.

E

Bruno,
I've been getting reports from my customers that they've been experiencing roughness problems with Norton 4k/8k stones. One fellow reported that it micro-chipped his Double Duck and he had to redo the edge completely with his belgian stone. I sell Nortons because people want them and they're an inexpensive way to start learning about honing straightrazors. They usually graduate to a coticule fairly quickly and then call me exclaiming about the virtues of the belgian stones. The belgians are more expensive but in this case you're getting what you pay for!

Lately, I think that St. Gobain (owner of Norton) has changed the manufacturing process and possibly are even making them offshore. A guy I know who sells tons of Nortons every year told me they're now making them in Asia. I have noticed that the new Nortons no longer have a chamfered edge. At least one company I get a catalog from has spun this as a good thing. I don't think so. I think it will lead to pressure flaking of the edge and that's not attractive. I think that by eliminating that manufacturing step they are saving money and that would be consistent with moving to offshore production.

I doubt your 600 grit sandpaper, used to lap your Norton, would lead to roughness felt in the blade. The grit would wash off when you're finished lapping. BTW, I always lap stones under running water in the kitchen sink and that seems to work really well.

Howard

Howard,

That's alarming news, and I think we should try to chase this down and find out if it's true. If so, we may need to find another "standard" hone to recommend to newbies, although I'm not sure what alternatives are out there...

I'd be willing to lap and test out hones if anyone is having problems. Maybe getting a few senior members to compare newer stock to our current Nortons would help answer the question.

Josh