Thread: what is the best lapping stone/hone?

Originally Posted by kevin007

I have been lapping this Naniwa 5K for what seems to be an hour and the surface still is not uniform in color and now I can't tell if it is suppose to me a smooth blue or have speckles through it!
For a DMT I feel it takes a long time to lap, not to mention the capillary action or suction on it is very strong, especially when you are trying to hold onto a thin, smooth, hard surface with running water.
If you ask me there should be a handle on the thing. Maybe one of you skilled craftsmen can make a holder for it with a handle like a plane has. Basically that is that you are doing to the stone right?
So my question is when do I stop lapping this damn thing because I don't want to waste surface area if I don't have to?

Don't worry about speckles in Naniwas. It is normal. Did you grid the hone and remove the grid? That is what counts. Based on the suction (I believe that is cohesion and adhesion, not capillary action), it sounds like she's pretty dang flat.

I lap naniwas all the time, 1,3,5,8 and 12. I do it under the tap in the kitchen sink with a steady stream of water to was away the swarf. Once the pencil grid I've drawn is off I know the stone is flat. Usually a fairly fast process.

yes, but some of the stone is still light blue, as if the top smooth covering is not all the way off. hell, i have done 10 grids if not more! still not even color!
even tried my Norton lapping stone but it was slower, lol.
also, my 12K gets buildup pretty fast. is that normal or do I need to polish a bit more on the 8k before moving onto it.
and lastly, i just got a 5k naniwa. can i go from the 5k to 12k or do I need to hit my Norton 8k in between? is the 5k for bevel setting?

Buildup is a result of metal coming off the razor, it doesn't tell you anything other than that the hone is cutting.

As for your other questions - the best way to find out is to try.

I just thought the higher up I go the less I would have to hone because the stones would be harder but I guess the superstones are man made and softer than other finisher.
live and learn.

Originally Posted by kevin007

yes, but some of the stone is still light blue, as if the top smooth covering is not all the way off. hell, i have done 10 grids if not more! still not even color!

Once the pencil grid is gone, stop lapping.

Originally Posted by kevin007

is the 5k for bevel setting?

The 5k is for sharpening a bevel. You can also use it to set a bevel, but that will take quite some time.

Originally Posted by kevin007

I just thought the higher up I go the less I would have to hone because the stones would be harder but I guess the superstones are man made and softer than other finisher.
live and learn.

It's hard to make generalizations. I don't know about the superstones, but with natural stones, while the finishers can be harder, they are also of higher grit. The speed of the stones also vary independent of hardness - e.g. the nakayamas are quite hard, but on the slower ones, you need to do quite a lot of passes. The spyderco UF is also hard, but very fast.