Thread: lapping norton for hours

Well got my new nortons out tonight 220/1k and a 4k/8k. I also bought the lapping stone. I was surprised that they needed as much lapping as they did being they were brand new. The 8k seemed to take forever I had to stop and rest while lapping it. Maybe it did not take hours but plenty long. Now i am glad I got the lapping stone and actually used it. I would have been chasing my tail worse if I had used them and then wondered why i could not get an edge. I did manage to get 3/4 of a blade shave ready . I could not get the tip to sharpen. I think i need to go back and flatten the whole edge so it makes contact.

having never used the norton lapping stone i cant say for sure but your stone is most likly flat . do a grid with a pencil and run the lap over it 3 or 4 times this should show the deep points if any. as for getting that last 1/2 inch of your blade sharp either lift your elbow higher when honing or rest your finger on the toe of your razor and use the x pattern watch the water in front of your edge it should be pushed in front from heal to toe. hope this helps

Originally Posted by knightwolf

Well got my new nortons out tonight 220/1k and a 4k/8k. I also bought the lapping stone. I was surprised that they needed as much lapping as they did being they were brand new. The 8k seemed to take forever I had to stop and rest while lapping it. Maybe it did not take hours but plenty long. Now i am glad I got the lapping stone and actually used it. I would have been chasing my tail worse if I had used them and then wondered why i could not get an edge. I did manage to get 3/4 of a blade shave ready . I could not get the tip to sharpen. I think i need to go back and flatten the whole edge so it makes contact.

It could be that you didn't get the bevel set down the entire length of the blade.

Stay on your 1k stone until the bevel is evenly set down the entire blade. Use the marker trick... take a permanent marker and run it down the entire edge. Stay on the 1k stone until the marker is removed down the entire length, and the entire blade effortlessly cuts arm (or leg) hair at skin level.

You can also use the TPT to check the entire edge. It should feel sticky down the full edge length.

After you get the bevel set down the whole length of the blade, then move to the 4k. Also make sure you're using a good X stroke to sharpen the full length. At each grit, make sure the entire blade progresses to the next level of sharpness before moving on to the next stone.

lapping hours ? something wrong somewhere.
norton lapping shouldn't take more then 5 minutes.
about the your blade 3/4 is sharp and rest is not.
this may be very well sign of your blade is warped?
don't blame stones just check the blade too.
hope this helps.

Also, when lapping- don't use a lot of extra pressure. Just keep the stones in contact and the lapping stone should do the work. Pressure could cause a slightly uneven surface, but really it shouldn't matter much. Most likely you could use more work on your honing stroke/technique if you only get 3/4 of the edge honed. Sounds like the remaining 1/4 of the edge may not have a good bevel.

Just to echo what Philadelph said..don't use extra pressure when lapping with the Norton plate, I learned this by doing it...it just does more damage than good and means more lapping the gentle way. Also what type of blade are you trying to hone? Try the marker trick to make sure you're getting an even stroke across the entire edge.

The only thing I've used for lapping is the DMT 325. When I lapped my Norton 4K/8K with my DMT, it did not take long at all. I would say less than 5 minutes. I have never used Norton's lapping stone. Try using the DMT line.

I am sure the honing is just my technique it is my first time for a razor. The lapping I did a grid on all the stones the 1k only took a few moments the 4k took 5 min or so. But the 8k took a long time it was high in the middle of the stone and took a long time for all four corners to level. It changed the stones color from a yellow/orange color to the smooth yellow it should be. I wish I had taken pictures but atleast they are ready to go now. I will continue to "hone" my honing skills.

Sounds like you have laparitus. Some poor fools start lapping and can't stop. Soon their hone is gone.

It should not take very long to lap a hone probably 10 minutes at most unless you are using something extra fine or the hone is in bad shape which it should not be if it's new.

One thing, lapping for 10 minutes sure does seem like an hour