Thread: I hadn't really considered this

I lap mine a few strokes every time mainly to refresh the surface and get rid of tape and other residues more out of fancy than anything, and that only with synths. I really never lap my Arks after the initial lapping but way too much is made of dead flatness. If you use an x stroke with limited pressure even if it is not dead flat is much ado about nothing. My dad used stones with big bellies in them and he could get a knife so sharp it was scary. He didn't do as many razors but when I inherited his barber hone I flattened it because it was bellied also. I like narrow stones better than wide ones especially for smiling blades or ones with geometric problems because it minimizes the effect of geometry.
All of this though is academic. If you really know what you're doing you can hone on a cinder block.