Thread: Norton 4k/8k sandpaper lapping

so i scraped together the cash to buy a norton combo 4k/8k after much searching and reading and i will be picking it up tomorrow. are there any suggestions if i plan on lapping it with sandpaper. i would get the lapping stone but seeing how this will be my only real stone and it took a while to find the cash for it i thought i'd use the paper for now. i have a good piece of glass to use the paper on.

so i am looking for all suggestions, like how to, how often, what to look for, all the good stuff and i know you guys are the ones to ask.

BTW i am really pumped to get this thing as i have been thinking about it for a while.

I've had good luck lapping my 4k/8k with wet/dry 600 grit sandpaper. I soak the stone as I would normally do before honing and wet the paper. I've had good luck getting the wet paper to stick to the glass without using some other fastener or adhesive though I do use a couple of fingers to hold the paper still with one hand while lapping with the other.

Use a pencil to put some x patterns on the stone. When the marks are gone, you should be done. If the stone is good and flat, you should feel a suction between the stone and the paper.

I use circular motions with little more than the weight of the stone for pressure.

I used 600 grit paper to lap the 1k side of my norton and 1k paper to lap the 8k side. I splashed some water on the hone and on the paper, and I set the paper on my hard, flat kitchen countertop. It worked

For starters, you need to put it on a really flap surface.. A marble or granite tile (machine flattened). You can buy'em at HD for $5 or so. I draw a 3x5 grid on the Norton and I lap it on a 320 grit paper first. That will speed up the process and reduce the wear and tear on the 1000 grit paper.. Once you make the grid disappear on 320, twice (on each side of the Norton), you can do the same with 1000 grit with a lot less effort.

i'm such a newb i never even thought about drawing on the surface. thanks.

The second time I lapped my Norton on abrasive paper (Imperial WOD 600), I got grit embedded in the surface that I could not remove (you feel and hear the razor hit it). The hone was unusable until the flattening stone arrived. I flatten other stones (coticule, Chinese 12K) on abrasive paper but, IMO, the Norton (being a synthetic stone) is too porous and easily gets contaminated with embedded grit. Good luck, but you're going to be forced to buy a flattening stone, or diamond hone sooner rather than later.

Good point. I forgot to mention that I use a stiff bristle nylon brush on the hone after lapping with the paper. In my experience, that takes care of those particles that try to get embedded in the hone's surface.

2 more things..
1) PENCIL in the grid.. Inks and paints tend to stay. Pencile drawings sand right off
2) I use an abrasive pad and abrasive powder to clean the grit off the hone
With all that being said, I'll probably swing by Lee Valley and pick up the flattening stone. Just a lot less of a hassle for $20.

i'm going to Lee Valley tonight to get my stone. they seem to be the only ones that carry that kind of stuff. i found a car parts store that can get them as they deal in Norton products for bodywork but the price was up there and it would take a bit to get it in. the closest Lee Valley store is an hour and a half away for me but oh well.

It would probably be cheaper to have'em ship it to you, unless you're going there anyways or in a real rush. There and back will run you about $30 in gas.