Thread: initial prep of new hone

Originally Posted by obsessis

what about working up a slurry, do you have to do that for both the 4k and 8k side before you sharpen or just go at it? I figure it might be a pain if you are doing a pyramid and flipping it a lot.

do you keep it in a dish/tray of water when you are honing? what about when you are storing it?

I store my Norton in a plastic container filled with water and a little bleach ( to cut down on funky stuff) This way it is always ready.

do you set it in a tray of water when you hone or the plastic case it comes in or both?

The plastic case is designed as a hone holder, so the hone belongs in it, when honing on a table top. The rubber feet are nice adition. I, however, hone holding the stone in my left hand...

have fun,
Nenad

I soak the hone righ tin the Blue container with a little water in the under side. that way when I flip it the side I was just using gets freshly wetted. The short side with the rubber feet doesn't usually hold quite enough water to we the 4000 side completely because it absorbs the water a lot when it's dry so you'll have to eithter fill it twice or soak it in the deeper 'top'.

X

Originally Posted by superfly

The Norton is as flat as it can be leaving the factory cutting (or leveling) machine.
Nenad

I had a Norton 8k that was arched like a banana, though not nearly as exagerated. I had to sand on it for a long time ( on 1/4" glass plate ) to get it flat. I would suggest you watch Brian Donofrio's videos; they're excellent, and worked well for me. You can test the flatness by placing the stone up against a wet plate of glass and feeling how well it 'sticks'. Be careful not to let go of the stone completely, you wouldn't want it to drop.
E