Thread: is norton 4k/8k all I need

I just ordered a norton 4k/8k and Lynn's dvd. I have a Tony Miller 3" wide honey brown already and a number of razors. I was just wondering, is this the only stone i need to get my other razors sharpened and ready to shave or do I need to pick up something finer for a final polish. I was just wondering if the 8k side was fine enough to get that final edge. And can somebody tell me how to mark the pencil grid on the norton to get it lapped and ready to hone.

Originally Posted by celticstone

I just ordered a norton 4k/8k and Lynn's dvd. I have a Tony Miller 3" wide honey brown already and a number of razors. I was just wondering, is this the only stone i need to get my other razors sharpened and ready to shave or do I need to pick up something finer for a final polish. I was just wondering if the 8k side was fine enough to get that final edge. And can somebody tell me how to mark the pencil grid on the norton to get it lapped and ready to hone.

Mark a line out about an inch from each end with a pencil and draw a grid within that. Use 1k wet/dry sandpaper (soak in water), it might take about 10 sheets give or take. You can get a 12"x12" fine (I got the black) granite tile from Home Depot to use as your flat surface. Do figure eight's on it till the grid is gone. Scrub clean with comet and repeat the process.
A lot of people finish with a higher grit whetstones. (like the Belgian Yellow whetstones). You don't need too, but they put a finer polish on the blade and tend to give a smoother feel to the shave. That will also depend on the blade though.
There's all sorts of options but another that is supposed to be even better than Belgian's (German forumites say any way, and one that I'm looking into getting to see how they perform) and less expensive are the Thuringian stones that are being cut again (supposedly same stone used by Escher Co.). A member of the forum sells these (MST cuts) as a set with a really good razor (Wapienica).

http://stores.ebay.com/classic-razor...QQftidZ2QQtZkm

I've always used lower grits as the one time I tried a higher grit the stone became loaded iirc. Just like the lapping stones you can buy which always seem to be quite rough and often have places to let the slurry escape.

That stone is all you need. It's a workhorse and a good one at that. For any extra keen, I'd recommend an 0.5 micron pasted paddle only and I prefer chromium oxide. That's a great shaving edge.

X

Originally Posted by xman

That stone is all you need. It's a workhorse and a good one at that. For any extra keen, I'd recommend an 0.5 micron pasted paddle only and I prefer chromium oxide. That's a great shaving edge.

X

I agree with X. For lapping I agree that a lower grit sandpaper is best for lapping, 320-600, and then after the grid is gone then finish with a 1000 grit. The finer grits might clog up the hone. Be sure to rinse the hone at the end under running water. This is to remove any embedded grit from the sandpaper.

the combo stone will get you a shave ready edge. everything else is icing on the cake...you'll find that icing can be addictive!

Originally Posted by randydance062449

I agree with X. For lapping I agree that a lower grit sandpaper is best for lapping, 320-600, and then after the grid is gone then finish with a 1000 grit. The finer grits might clog up the hone. Be sure to rinse the hone at the end under running water. This is to remove any embedded grit from the sandpaper.

Randy is right. I forgot that I used a 600 grain (I might have even started with a 320 and then a 600) on the 4k for a while before I finished off with a 1k. The Norton 8000 side will loose its grid in a few minutes just using the 1k wet/dry.

Funny thing about the 8k side of a Norton. Its just as smooth to the touch as any hone I've ever felt.

I think as long as you don't let the razor read the stone's grit rating, you'll be fine. Razors are kinda dumb and they don't really know the difference.

They don't open thier eyes up until after they've been honed and are being stropped, and by then its all a wash anyway.

If you can't feel any difference on a hone using your finger with pressure there is a big likelihood that your either shaving with too much pressure, your imagining the benefit of a higher grit, or your not stropping correctly.