Norton 4k/8k lapping cheap?

[bluefoxicy]

I'm not sure if my Norton is perfectly flat; though my hand is probably just way unsteady. What's the cheapest effective thing I can get to lap it flat?

I'll see if I can figure out how flat it is before bothering. Or if I'm just incapable of honing a razor.

 

[DoughBoy68]

Start with a 12"x12" piece of 1/4" glass for a flat surface, I got mine at the local glass shop for $6. Next get some 220 & 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper from your local auto parts store, roughly $4-$5 each grit for 5 sheets each grit. Total investment less than $20, or you can spend $26.99 plus shipping at Wood Craft for a flattening hone.

 

[Malacoda]

If you don't have a glass shop nearby, another option is Home Depot. Check out the tile flooring ailse for a few smooth ceramic or granite tiles that look to be very flat...

THEN, take them over to the hardware section, grab a 24" steel roofing square, and use it to check them until you find one that is perfectly flat (e.g. stand the square on the tile surface and look for an light shining between the tile surface and the edge of the roofing square).

While both types of tile are typically machine sanded and polished so as to be flat and true, I've come across granite tiles that are actually dished a bit. The good ceramic ones seem to be the better bet.

Either type runs about $3-6 a tile.

 

[Hammer]

Start with a 12"x12" piece of 1/4" glass for a flat surface, I got mine at the local glass shop for $6. Next get some 220 & 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper from your local auto parts store, roughly $4-$5 each grit for 5 sheets each grit. Total investment less than $20, or you can spend $26.99 plus shipping at Wood Craft for a flattening hone.

Thats the way I lap my Norton stones. I picked up a nice 1/2 inch thick glass sheet at a junk shop for a couple bucks. Mark a grid on the stone with a pencil, soak the stone, spritz down some water on the glass lay down the paper spritz again and go to work. Been working good for me like that, By the way I use 220, 380 or 440 grit wet dry paper or which ever one I have on hand. Good luck and have fun

Bruce

 

[Chimensch]

A couple of thoughts:

A lot of people have been able to lap the Norton with abrasive paper. It didn't work for me because, on two occasions, I got grit from the paper embedded in the stone, causing a point that you could hear the razor hit. I ended up buying the Norton Flattening Stone.

As far as worrying about the hone being flat, the more I get into honing, the less important I think that lapping is, simply because, even if the hone is flat, the razor may not be. Hones are stones that have an abrasive particle (harder than steel) in a matrix that is softer than steel. This means that every pass of the razor is wearing away matrix and releasing abrasive grit. But it also means that, from the very first stroke, the hone is no longer flat. I guess my point is that, if the hone looks flat and feels smooth, it's probably flat enough to hone a razor because, if there are any spots that are higher than others, the razor will scratch them off.

 

[thanks]

A couple of thoughts:

A lot of people have been able to lap the Norton with abrasive paper. It didn't work for me because, on two occasions, I got grit from the paper embedded in the stone, causing a point that you could hear the razor hit. I ended up buying the Norton Flattening Stone.

As far as worrying about the hone being flat, the more I get into honing, the less important I think that lapping is, simply because, even if the hone is flat, the razor may not be. Hones are stones that have an abrasive particle (harder than steel) in a matrix that is softer than steel. This means that every pass of the razor is wearing away matrix and releasing abrasive grit. But it also means that, from the very first stroke, the hone is no longer flat. I guess my point is that, if the hone looks flat and feels smooth, it's probably flat enough to hone a razor because, if there are any spots that are higher than others, the razor will scratch them off.

My Norton kit ended up being cheaper to buy the stones with the 220/1000 combo plus the lapping stone than buying a few separate things, so I also lap my stone with the Norton. It takes a little while I've noticed, and the thing gets clogged so do it under running water with no downward pressure. Pencil marks on each side like Joel's fantastic guide are an almost foolproof way to do it.

 

[GsSixgun]

DMT 325 8x3

Done !!!! Flat !!!! smooth and you don't ever have to buy anything again...

Shop for it because the price varies greatly for the same thing..

 

[bluefoxicy]

My Norton kit ended up being cheaper to buy the stones with the 220/1000 combo plus the lapping stone than buying a few separate things, so I also lap my stone with the Norton. It takes a little while I've noticed, and the thing gets clogged so do it under running water with no downward pressure. Pencil marks on each side like Joel's fantastic guide are an almost foolproof way to do it.

Yeah, the kit is like $120 and comes with 3 stones and a lap or something. When I teach myself to hone razors really, really good I'll start honing my friends' razors for cheap I guess, to recover the ~$300 I'll probably eventually put into hones. Also I guess I need Barbicide for blade disinfection.

One day I need to recover my losses by buying a bunch of antiques on eBay that I don't particularly care to keep; restoring them; and selling them as shave-ready shavers. :| This crap is expensive.

DMT 325 8x3

Isn't that a coarse hone? I'm using the 4000/8000 grits as high grit hones... though I just grabbed a 12k Chinese hone as a polishing hone

 

[Alacrity59]

A couple of thoughts:

A lot of people have been able to lap the Norton with abrasive paper. It didn't work for me because, on two occasions, I got grit from the paper embedded in the stone, causing a point that you could hear the razor hit. I ended up buying the Norton Flattening Stone.

As far as worrying about the hone being flat, the more I get into honing, the less important I think that lapping is, simply because, even if the hone is flat, the razor may not be. Hones are stones that have an abrasive particle (harder than steel) in a matrix that is softer than steel. This means that every pass of the razor is wearing away matrix and releasing abrasive grit. But it also means that, from the very first stroke, the hone is no longer flat. I guess my point is that, if the hone looks flat and feels smooth, it's probably flat enough to hone a razor because, if there are any spots that are higher than others, the razor will scratch them off.

Which applies to every hone except a Norton which you advise lapping before every time you use it?

 

[Chimensch]

Which applies to every hone except a Norton which you advise lapping before every time you use it?

Did I say that? When I first got my Norton 4K/8K, I followed the advice I was given. I haven't used it in a while, prefering natural stones. I did lap all my natural stones before I used them for the first time but I recently noticed that I haven't lapped them in quite a while and they don't seem to need it. In fact, my comment was really a "come to think of it" off the top of my head kind of thing.