Importance of surface prep

[Empire straights]

Essentially *

 

[JPO]

Interesting stuff. My original question is about the importance of dressing the surface after lapping. Is it required and does it make a difference?

I’m finding that the surface feels smoother under the blade if a stone has been dressed with another stone after lapping or had some hard steel run over it for a while.

It could be in my head. It might also be more important with harder or softer stones. It seems to make sense that eventually any roughness left by the lapping plate would be smoothed out with use. The effect on the edge may be marginal but the feel while honing can be quite distinct.

For me dressing the surface changes the feedback of the stones. It can also effect how it cuts, especially if the stone is hard.
If i dress/lap some of my coticules too fine they seem to get that glass like honing sensation, and the result does not seem to improve. I can lap my soft LV with just about anything, but my Les Lat, which is much harder requires a different treatment.
It also makes a difference if i use it with slurry or just with plain water. The slurry seems to smooth out the stone quite fast.
If i use the stone with water only as a finisher i like to burnish it a little with a slurry stone if it is just lapped. I have also found that it helps to rub a beater razor over the surface a few times.
I have a few convex coticules, which i just keep in shape with a ceramic concave dressing stone (2000/6000). In my opinion this gives the best feedback and result, for me with these stones.
I think that different surface finish on different stones can be used to affect the result and the feedback from the stone.

 

[camoloc]

Lately i’ve been using the naniwa cleaning stone to surface prep almost everything, i think its around 400 but its way soft.

I did something similar. lopped of the end of my King 1k stone to use as a surface cleaner for all my stones. works well to me.......but I don't have microscopes, etc. to see if it makes a difference or not.

camo

 

[captaincaed]

I think I found this thread at the right time.

New to the forum I got into razors recently, and started to resurface a vintage Norton Translucent Ark. I found a great bit of flat marble, and lapped the Ark flat with 60# SiC, then went after it with Cubitron and Rhynowet up to about #1k. I know that surface prep is important with Arks, but what's the process? It looks like the topic's already come up on the forum, would any of the veterans mind pointing me to a place I can read up?

Many thanks, and great to find another cool forum with good information (I'm a refugee from the knife forums)

A little progress work - erasing gouges from rough diamond plate with 220, then up to a nice 1k. Is that too far? Not far enough?

My goal is to get an old stainless razor (H.Eicker & Sohne 86 PAX) up to tree-topping, a task I've always struggled to do without a strop. Not sure if it's the steel, the stones or (more likely) my technique.

 

[Empire straights]

Interesting stuff. My original question is about the importance of dressing the surface after lapping. Is it required and does it make a difference?

I’m finding that the surface feels smoother under the blade if a stone has been dressed with another stone after lapping or had some hard steel run over it for a while.

It could be in my head. It might also be more important with harder or softer stones. It seems to make sense that eventually any roughness left by the lapping plate would be smoothed out with use. The effect on the edge may be marginal but the feel while honing can be quite distinct.

As long as your surface is flat how you finish or dress the surface is a matter of taste, technique and personal skill. I don't like burnishing or going to high or grits when lapping because it takes the teeth out of novaculite. For someone who hasn't prefected their pressure and torque techniques that might be a little aggressive and be rough on the edge or if they are using water instead of oil. A person using straight mineral oil who knows their stone well and can hone with an extremely light touch while keeping it even, might prefer the more aggressive surface because it means the stone is faster. So.... it matters if it matters to you.

 

[Empire straights]

I think I found this thread at the right time.

New to the forum I got into razors recently, and started to resurface a vintage Norton Translucent Ark. I found a great bit of flat marble, and lapped the Ark flat with 60# SiC, then went after it with Cubitron and Rhynowet up to about #1k. I know that surface prep is important with Arks, but what's the process? It looks like the topic's already come up on the forum, would any of the veterans mind pointing me to a place I can read up?

Many thanks, and great to find another cool forum with good information (I'm a refugee from the knife forums)

A little progress work - erasing gouges from rough diamond plate with 220, then up to a nice 1k. Is that too far? Not far enough?

My goal is to get an old stainless razor (H.Eicker & Sohne 86 PAX) up to tree-topping, a task I've always struggled to do without a strop. Not sure if it's the steel, the stones or (more likely) my technique.

1k is probably plenty high enough. Oil that sucker up and see what she'll do! That's a beautiful stone. Trans arks are usually a little more aggressive than blacks. My trans arks that are absolute finishers are about the only arks I take that high sometimes. If you do one side only up to 220 you'll be able to do a little lower work on it with pressure.