Thread: Evaluation Requested

Hi guys,

I just wanted to see what you guys think of a hone flattening method I've been using for a while now.
It's kind of the "poor boy's" method I think, because my wife would kill me if I spent a lot of money on the "nice" stuff!

Materials and Cost

12" x 5" x 1/4" piece of glass - it was a free scrap!
1 sheet 220 grit sandpaper - $1.29
1 sheet 600 grit sandpaper - $1.29
1 sheet 1000 grit sandpaper - $0.89
Norton Hone Flattening stone - $20 (I can't remember)

First I flatten out the hone flattener, per Norton instructions with the 220 on the glass plate.

Then I draw my grids on the Norton 4K/8K and my chinese 12K and rub them off with the Norton flattener.

This seems to leave a rough surface so I redraw the grids and put the 600 on the glass and rub off the grids on all three stones again.

I call the 4K/8K done at that point, and I redraw a grid on the 12K and rub off that one with 1000 grit on the glass plate.

I find that once I have the grids rubbed off, all of the stone makes a heck of a vacuum and I have trouble getting the stones to separate from the sandpaper and glass, so I'm guessing that means we have some sort of flatness going on.

I just wanted to see what you guys thought and maybe you all have some tricks that I could use to improve my method without spending a bunch of money.

Thank You all for supporting my hobby!!!

Sounds about right, and about three steps more than I do currently. I've never lapped the Norton lapping stone - I assume that a lapping stone will be true until I lap a significant number of hones.

I also consider my Norton hone "finished" once it comes off the Norton lapping stone - I find that if I then rub my hand over the stone a few times on either side, it is as smooth as it needs to be.

As for the Chinese 12k, well, I really don't have any good idea - I use a Belgian coticule I got from Howard at The Perfect Edge, which comes pre-lapped...and since it's such a hard stone, and I don't use a slurry, I never lap that one.

But long story short, you're doing great - no need for more than you already have!

Mark

I use my 325 grit DMT plate, and only that.
I did try higher grit paper once, but honestly, it didn't add anything to the way the hone behaved.
When I have only the norton flattening stone, I used only that.

Hi Gothamitic,

I think you do a very thorogh job indeed. I only use a flat kitchen worktop and sandpaper, one very coarse of unknown grit followed by 220 and 400 to lap my Thuringers and Escher.

The norton lapping stone is unnecessary, as others have pointed out.

Sandpaper on a flat surface is all you really need.

Originally Posted by Russel Baldridge

The norton lapping stone is unnecessary, as others have pointed out.

Sandpaper on a flat surface is all you really need.

And I believe that drawing the second and third grids is also unnecessary. If it's flat after the first one, it's flat! It seems like re-drawing them would cause you to take off more stone.

Originally Posted by Russel Baldridge

The norton lapping stone is unnecessary, as others have pointed out.

Sandpaper on a flat surface is all you really need.

+1 Sandpaper will do it although I use a DMT8C since I have one.

I think I'm a broken record on this point but in my opinion the Chinese 12K is just way too hard for the Norton flattening stone. All you'll accomplish is to trash your Norton stone and tickle your Chinese stone.

Thank you so much for all of the valuable insight. I only know one other straight shaver in my area, I converted him! So having a place to ask questions is fantastic. Looks like my method is a little overkill based on what you've said. I only have one razor to look after though, so luckily I don't have to do it very often.

I'm a bit of a perfectionist, I guess that's why I ended up with a sort of "progressive" approach. I just like to be sure those babies are FLAT!!

Next time though I'll keep in mind what I've learned from you folks!

Thanks again!

Originally Posted by Utopian

I think I'm a broken record on this point but in my opinion the Chinese 12K is just way too hard for the Norton flattening stone. All you'll accomplish is to trash your Norton stone and tickle your Chinese stone.

That seems highly dependant on the stone, at least by how long people have reported it took to lap their chinese 12k's. Some report hours with a D8C others minutes.

I got mine yesterday and it took about 15 minutes to lap both sides(well on one side at the ends it is not yet flat, but when I got 95% of the stone and the entire center flat I didn't see the value in trying to get the ends flat)

As the norton is silicon carbide, it is certainly hard enough to cut the stone, its grit would cut anything that isn't diamond, but you might get unacceptable ammounts of wear.