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Until now all my hones have been well used and lapping them was more of a cleaning effort rather than making sure they were flat.
Now that I've got a couple brand new ones that I've lapped flat (by drawing the pencil grid, lapping, repeating the grid and lapping again just to make sure) I'm wondering how often I should do the grid thing? Is this a once in the beginning sort of thing or do most folks repeat it...and if so how often? :confused:
it is a great reference point to use. personally, when i lap, i can see the changes in color from where the hone has been worn. still darker and more predominant in certain areas. as you lap, you will see the color from the freshly lapped stone spread until the entire stone looks new again.
i used the whole gridline thing a few times, but now i just use the color and shading. has been working for me for a while.
good luck.
vgod
If your talking about hones like the Norton 4K or lower they wear very fast and the grid is the best way to ensure they are flat. When I can eyeball the thing and begin to see a dip I know its time to lap it.
Austex,
How long is a rope? The answer is the dreaded "Depends...." You only need to lap your hones as often as they become less than flat. If you hone a bunch, then more often, if you hone a little, then less often.
Some people give their hone a few quick passes before every honing session to ensure absolute flatness everytime. If you don't hone much, then this wouldn't be a big deal. You hones will probably wear faster than absolutely necessary, but it will still take a long time to wear out a hone.
If you want to evaluate the flatness of your hones without lapping them, you could buy a starrett straight edge (expensive).
If you wanna be a guinea pig, then go to Lowes and buy a piece of granite tile. They are just as flat as my machine shop granite reference plate, they just don't have a certificate to prove it. Get a piece of notebook paper and a pencil and color the entire sheet of paper on one side. Put the paper on the granite colored side up, and then lightly swirl your stone around on it. Look at the stone - clean spots indicate dished areas and the need to re-flatten. I imagine this would work well for lighter colored stones. If you try it on the chinese 12k it probably won't be worth a lick, as the pencil and the 12k are the same color. But, then again, flatten the 12k once and you'll probably never need to flatten it again - at least not for a long time. Let us know how it works.... :)
Addendum: I just tried that for a 1x6 light colored stone I have, and it worked great. YMMV.
I always use a pencil grid every time I lap.