Thread: Norton 4000/8000 prep

I took the advice on lapping with wet-dry sandpaper.

Works great for about $7 at home depot.

Thanks!

Great advice for a newbie. Thanks guys. I'm about to get a Norton 4/8k combo, and was wondering about this. Answered all my questions, almost . Thanks!

A newb stopped over to my place this weekend with a new DMT8C and a new Norton 4/8. We tried lapping the Norton with the DMT but ran into a problem. The DMT was not flat!It was high on one side!

I had to resort to using a 180 grit sandpaper to flatten the Norton and then used some finer sandpaper grits to finish the job.

Not all DMT's are flat! Check them first with a straight edge.

BTW, I use sandpaper to lap my Norton and have not had a problem. YMMV

Yea, wet/dry sandpaper and a good countertop are "simpler/cheaper" alternatives. I go all the way up to 1500 grit on 8K for the best performance of the stone. I won't even purchase a glass plate because its money that isn't needed.

And don't use wet OR dry sandpaper. It must be WET/DRY sandpaper, used wet. Wet it, slap it on the countertop, lap the stone, throw it out. Done! Re-lap every once in a while and your good.

This thread aside, I'm just trying to make sure that others reading it don't go crazy buying stuff. There are alternatives. Some people get into straights because their tired of buying stuff.

I have both the norton flattening stone, and the DMT 8C

Both are good at flattening stones, but the DMT will flatten any waterstone without needing to be lapped itself.

And it is very handy for creating new bevels, in case you dremeled the edge off a razor. I made a 6/8 into a 5/8 because the edge was completely ruined.
The DMT8C helped me a lot.

Originally Posted by AFDavis11

...
And don't use wet OR dry sandpaper. It must be WET/DRY sandpaper, used wet. Wet it, slap it on the countertop, lap the stone, throw it out. Done! Re-lap every once in a while and your good.
...

According to a 3M abrasive specialist: WETORDRY and WET/DRY paper is exactly the same stuff, no need to keep looking if all you can find is WETORDRY. That distinction simply means the actual manufacturer uses the older terminology.

Definitely use it wet though.

OK, so I am going to get me a DMT I think. I will get them to verify it's flatness when I get there.

Great thing about the D8C is that it always retains its shape... You never need another. If that one guy had an uneven one, it must have been a defected one, because they should definitely be flat. It is pricey though. If you will be lapping a lot of stones, get one!

Originally Posted by Sticky

According to a 3M abrasive specialist: WETORDRY and WET/DRY paper is exactly the same stuff, no need to keep looking if all you can find is WETORDRY. That distinction simply means the actual manufacturer uses the older terminology.

Definitely use it wet though.

As long as you don't confuse wetordry with wet or dry, right? Did you ever read the thread about the guy that tried to lap a Norton with Dry sandpaper?

Sorry, I confused your meaning. I thought you meant the labeling on the paper (I have some paper using both labels), as opposed to using it dry.

I'll bet the Norton lap with dry paper was fun to do!