Thread: How much time/effort should it take to lap a Norton 4k/8k

Sounds like you got some good advice. I lap my Norton after every razor because I like how the surface feels when it's fresh. I use a DMT 325-grit hone, so it's quick and easy. If you're honing an eBay razor from scratch, it would probably be a good idea to lap the hone after you work out the edge damage, but before you start trying to get it really sharp.

Josh

Great advice indeed.

Especially when I had lapped my stone until the pencil grid disappeared and then read the reply about doing it a second time. Lo and behold . . . more flattening to be done. Just finished it and what an amazing difference it makes to the look and feel of the stone. The amount of ground up steel powder in that thing was very shocking, but I suppose it should be expected.

I for one, was just amazed at the amount of yellow and white slurry juice that got washed away to get this stone flat again. After dropping the $$ for the stone in the first place, I was almost tempted to put the sandpaper juice through a coffee filter so I could weigh the debris and put a price tag against it.

Anyway, thanks for the advice. My hone is now in better shape then when I bought it.

I am not keen on the sandpaper route unless you attach it to something flat. If your using your hand it is luck of the draw I would recommend some sort of lapping stone worth the investment.

Like Josh, lap my stones after each use. That way I can always start my next honing session with a flat hone. When I am removing nicks on my norton 1000 / 4000 I sometimes lap in between too.

Think of it like this: if you lap after each use, you only need to remove a tiny bit of material, so it will be done very quickly. If you wait, you need to spend a lot more time.
I heartily recommend using a flattening stone.

They are a lot quicker than the sandpaper, a lot less messy, and easier to use.
The norton flattening stone costs 30$, and in bang per buck it was the best investment I ever made for honing.

Currently I am using a DMT 325 grit (55$). It cuts a bit slower, but the diamond plate can also handle all other types of stone without problems.