Thread: On Lapping a 4k/8k Norton

Hello I've just bought my first hone, a Norton 4k/8k and I was wondering how much I need to lap off before honing my razor? I have some general purpose Mastercraft 220 grit sandpaper and I wonder if that is something I can use? Do I need an alternate tool to lap the stone? What method and or tools would you guys recommend? Thanks.

It's not so much a question of quantity as it is a question of flatness. Once the stone's surface is flat and true, you can stop lapping.

Welcome , the Library above is your friend, enjoy the ride.

Hone Lapping 101 - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Thank you for directing me to the Library, and I apologize if my line of questioning into this topic has already been addressed countless times. I was specifically wondering if the 220 Mastercraft general use sand paper would be advisable to use on the norton 4k/8k? Can you speak to that at all?

Much appreciated,

Teghan

Just use your 220 on a piece of glass or mirror. Wet everything. You'll know when to stop when all the course suface grit is gone and the stone feels smooth to the touch.

Originally Posted by tnightengale

Thank you for directing me to the Library, and I apologize if my line of questioning into this topic has already been addressed countless times. I was specifically wondering if the 220 Mastercraft general use sand paper would be advisable to use on the norton 4k/8k? Can you speak to that at all?

Much appreciated,

Teghan

IMHO you'd be better off getting some wet/dry paper. I think it would be well worth the cost of a few sheets of that. The problem with the standard paper (in general terms, I haven't used MC sandpaper for quite a while) if that they tend to shed grit. Loose grit can mean bad scratching patterns, grit possibly being embedded on the hone's surface. And as jbtusa said - you want to do this wet.

Make sure you read the article Hirlau posted, and make use of the pencil grid pattern. Hones that look/feel flat can still be out of true. That test can help you be sure it is truly flat.

Probably not advisable to wet regular sand paper.

This helped me.

I'm getting ready to buy some hones and already have cheap ebay razors on which to practice and I'm glad I happened upon this thread, now I'll save a bit of cash on a lapping stone since the water-proof sandpaper in the video seems a perfectly viable option

+1 for wet/dry sandpaper. It's how I lapped my Norton, started with a low grit (okay, I lied I started with a high grit & realised I'd be drawing my pension before I got anywhere so went to a lower grit) & then finished with 400 or 600 grit paper on the 4K side & 1000 grit on the 8K side. As far as I'm aware 600 is good for both sides, this is just what I had available at the time.