Thread: Lapping an Escher

A big razor and shaving supply seller on Ebay told me that an Escher needs to be lapped every 20 PASSES or so. I am not going to mention his name but I am sure most of you are familiar with him. Thats seems absurd to me, any opinions on this?

Well, if that is the case, then I'm doing it horribly wrong.

Seriously, lap it initially and use it.
I have honed at least 200 razors on mine without a single lapping after the initial one.

I do raise a slurry on it quite often, as per instructions, still flat as can be

Gotta luv eBay sellers.. one is funnier than the next...

I don't do anything even remotely like that. I go many, many honings on many, many razors without lapping various Eschers that I have. Same with coticules. YMMV. I do indeed lap them ...... as often as I think they need it. After all, they are a low pressure finishing stone. Not a bevel setter.

Waste of stone in my opinion. That is absolutely unnecessary. Not exactly wrong, but totally uncalled for

Forgive me but I'm somewhat opinionated about this type of situation. It strikes such a chord with me that I almost want to ask the OP who it was so I can send him an email.
I think the harm here is that this person is telling others that this constant lapping *needs* to be done. Perpetuating misinformation, for whatever reason, does nothing but confuse people. When I was starting out - anyone with a few razors and stones seemed like they were an authority - doing what they said was 'right' seemed like a good idea. So with someone sharing this kind of advice, I'm sure there are people all over the globe lapping the snot out of their hones right now because thiis 'well known' person said it's the right thing to do.
That kind of misdirection could have an army of uninitiated owners of nice Eschers (or whatever) wiping out millimeters upon millimeters of valuable real estate that can never be replaced.
Ok - done ranting. I apologize for the extreme POV but this stuff really irks me.

He just wants you to get laparitus. That way you hone the thing down to a sliver in no time and then you have to go back to him to buy another.

Originally Posted by Lesslemming

Waste of stone in my opinion. That is absolutely unnecessary. Not exactly wrong, but totally uncalled for

+1

In my opinion a finisher may never need to be lapped.
Use your rubbing stone to build a slurry from the normal
high spots at each end. Hone using the entire length of
the hone. If you use circle hone strokes concentrate
these on the high spots.

And: IME a little dishing can give you the micro
bevel that some folk get by adding tape for the last
hone.

Lapping a hone flat is important in a progression
of hones because moving from one to the next
works best when the two hones have the same
surface profile. "Same profile" does not demand
flat but flat is easier to reproduce.

The last hone is the exception in a progression.