Thread: Preparing to hone

I've got a new set of Norton hones, 220/1000 and 4000/8000 that I've never used. The set also came with a SiC flattening stone. My question is, should I use the SiC on all of them or only on the 220/1000 and lap the 4000/8000 with something else? Thanks in advance.

I've never heard of the SiC stone. What grit is it and what is it made out of? Is it made by Norton?

I use a DMT 325 grit on all my Shaptons from 1k up to 16k and it works fine. But I wouldnt want to comment on your particular set up, due to lack of familiarity with the items in question, without the backing of some more experienced hands..!

If the SiC lapping stone is the Norton lapping stone with the diagonal slots in it (grey, roughly 325 grit) it will work fine with all your stones except the 220, which is coarser than the lapping stone. I'm not sure what to do with that one.

I would start with the 8K grit surface and work down to help prevent any coarse grit particles from contaminating the higher grit stones.

As a side note, my 4/8 Norton had a lot of porosity and texture on the 4K side. I had to lap off over 1/8th inch to get down to a smooth surface (which is what you want). Don't forget to round off the long edges of the stones.