How to use sandpaper for lapping?

Hello, and sorry if this has been answered in the past. I have searched the threads, but not found a thread explaining a newbie honer how to use sandpaper for lapping.

I have bought myself a Norton 4000/8000 and a Naniwa 12000 for Christmas, and hope to hone myself in the future. I also bought some 240 and 320 sandpaper. I have read about sandpaper and a glassplate, but what do you actually do?

And is it necessary to lap a new stone? Again, sorry if this is answered before, I can delete this post if so.

Thank`s

Arild

You'll definitely want to lap your new hones. If you are using wet/dry sandpaper, Just wet it and put in on a flat counter-top. Place the surface you want to lap face down onto the sandpaper and move it in circles. Just make sure that you let the weight of the stone do the work, and don;t bear down on it at all. It sometimes takes a little while, but it works. You may want to get some higher grit sandpaper for your 8k and 12k, however, since lower grit will leave a rougher surface.

Good luck

I use a peice of 3/4 x 12 x 18 inch tempered glass that has rounded edges. I place the sand paper on the glass, place it under the faucet and let the water run. I then make figure 8's on the paper with the stone. Oh, I mark the stone with pencil as a guide.

Hope that helps.

Try this......

Hone Lapping 101 - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Instead of glassplate you may find something like melamine shelf/plate very handy.

ama015,

You might also want to arrange something to keep the carbide paper flat during the lapping process.

Wetting the back of the paper is supposed to keep it flat against the substrate, but if your paper is anything like mine it starts to curl up pretty quickly !

I suppose plastic backed 'paper' would be less prone to this :)

Have fun !

Best regards

Russ

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Originally Posted by randydance062449

Try this......

Hone Lapping 101 - Straight Razor Place Wiki

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Thank you all for your help. This explains it perfectly:), I think even I can do it!

Great reply's, just the info I was needing

I have now successfully lapped my Norton 4/8 and Naniwa 12 using a 600 grit sandpaper and the method showed in this thread. Especially the Norton was not plain at all. I now understand why that stone has given me problems honing in the past, lol. The Naniwa was easily lapped within two minutes.

I took a Thiers-Issard Historic 6/8 that was quite nice to shave with already and gave it a few laps on the Naniwa 12. It certainly got sharper. Honing is actually quite fun when it works;) So now I have to practice and be able to set a bevel on a bad razor. I think I need a Naniwa 1000, then I should have the stones I need?

Thank you all for the help, much appreciated:)

Congrats on your success! :)

A 1000 grit hone should be all you need to restore the edge on old razors.

But please remember that restoring an edge is where the bulk of the work is done. You will be removing old oxidized steel, nicks and possibly "shaping" the edge. The Wiki should have info on that process.

Hope this helps,:)

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Originally Posted by ama015

I have now successfully lapped my Norton 4/8 and Naniwa 12 using a 600 grit sandpaper and the method showed in this thread. Especially the Norton was not plain at all. I now understand why that stone has given me problems honing in the past, lol. The Naniwa was easily lapped within two minutes.

I took a Thiers-Issard Historic 6/8 that was quite nice to shave with already and gave it a few laps on the Naniwa 12. It certainly got sharper. Honing is actually quite fun when it works;) So now I have to practice and be able to set a bevel on a bad razor. I think I need a Naniwa 1000, then I should have the stones I need?

Thank you all for the help, much appreciated:)

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Nice!!!!! Enjoy

Sorry to necro this thread, but...

I have a Naniwa 12k on the way, and I plan on using the method referenced in the SRP wiki to lap it the first time. Can I also use the sandpaper to lap it between honing razors? Should I use the same method (upside-down) or can I simply run a few figure-8's on top of the hone with some sandpaper? (If yes, is 600 grit ok for this?)

It will be easier to have the sandpaper on your flat surface, and hold the stone upside down on it.
600 grit will work fine. I would use 400, only because it will be a little quicker for the initial lapping.

After the initial lapping, you will need to "lap" the 12k, but for removal of swarf, not so much for flattening (if you are dishing your 12k with razors, you are doing something really really wrong).

Shot in the dark here, anyone ever try a light mist of Spray Mount on the back side of the wet/dry, silicon carbide sandpaper, to hold it to your glass plate?

Here is a tip. Use women's hairspray to glue the sandpaper to a glass plate. Before setting the paper down let the spray sit for just a while so that it becomes little sticky.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Hex

Shot in the dark here, anyone ever try a light mist of Spray Mount on the back side of the wet/dry, silicon carbide sandpaper, to hold it to your glass plate?

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by MikkoK

Here is a tip. Use women's hairspray to glue the sandpaper to a glass plate. Before setting the paper down let the spray sit for just a while so that it becomes little sticky.

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If the surface you are using is smooth and flat, you shouldn't need anything more than the surface tension of the water to get the sandpaper to stick.