New Norton 4K/8K any prep req'd?

Hi,

I just bought a Norton 4K/8K and out of the box it feels like there are some inclusions, particularily on the 4K side. And, while delicatley honing blade I could feel a bump or two. So I look at the edge under a lens and I see the edge now has a couple of small notches. :mad:

So did I do something wrong? Is an inital lapping required? I did search the archive here and could not find any references of any sort regarding any kind of prep for a new stone.

Even the 8K side does not feel as smooth as my 8K ceramic hone. With this I can get a mirror finish, but it is too short for my liking. I want to get a longer sweep as I hone, hence my purchase of the Norton.

Someone throw me a bone here...

Emil

I wonder if you got a bad stone. Mine was fine when I got. I think the lapping is only required for a used stone.

If it's fresh off the line it will usually have a few abrasions on it. Swipe an old razor across each side a few dozem time. Try to cover the whole hone. You should be fine after that.

X

Or go ahead and lap it...I find this does change the surface of the Norton. We don't talk about it much because its supposed to be rare but I do it first thing, always.

You can lap the Norton with pumice stone. Soak it in water, and with circular sweeps with the pumice stone cover entire surface. That should do the trick. I also do this under very slow stream of running water...

Nenad

I think I will lap it. I do have a new pumice stone and the rest of the day off. So I will have all day to fiddle around with my razorz :D

Thanks! :D Emil

I lap my norton with a 2" X 6" Green DMT. I do my lapping under a running faucet. This works very well for me.

"briandorfino" has a video of him making his norton 4/8k perfectly flat on each side. Is that something to consider doing with a new norton water stone?

Fud

A new one is flat. It smooths out after the first lapping though. In the most fanatical concept though, the hone isn't true after the first razor gets honed.

I don't have much experience yet with this stone, but I just lapped it on my Shapton lapping plate after reading this thread. There were slight high spots on the 4k side. You can tell the high spots by the discoloration when you first start flattening. They were on each end, which is normally where they appear after dishing from extensive use. These however, were on a new stone..

Well I wish I had a propper lapping plate but I used a new pumice stone on both sides of the Norton. I didn't notice ant high spots, but there was a noticable difference in "smothness" from when I first bought it. The 8K side feels really nice now, as I expected it to in the first place.

Emil

I lapp often. I don't do this to flatten the stone, because I lapp often enough that it doesn't have a chance to get worn. I do this because it cleans the surface and refreshes the edges of the grit. I don't know if I need or should lapp this often, but it work for me.