I have a set of 2 Arkansas and 1 Washida Stone. Can I use the Norton flattening stone to make sure the faces are flat?
Norton flattening stone on a Arkansas stone
- Thread starter turbine712
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I've heard some people are reluctant to use a synthetic stone (the Norton flattening stone is silium carbide I believe) on natural stones. It also depends on how hard your stones are (the Norton is rather soft I believe). I've also heard that it can leave a rough finish on harder stones (granted this can be fixed with a quick polish on high grit sandpaper).
I've used the Norton stone to lap Norton synthetic stones and it's quite quick. So it could be an option to get through the heavy work, then just finish with wet/dry sandpaper. But as always, "your milage may vary".
When I first got a few stones I had the same question:
http://www.straightrazorplace.com/forums/basic-honing/33866-norton-lapping-stone.html
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=82603&highlight=norton+lapping
I ended up getting the norton stone and using it for other Norton stones, and using sandpaper on natural/harder stones (i.e. my Chinese 12K). The plus for sandpaper too is that it's got a larger surface area than the Norton. I hope that all helps!
I've used the Norton stone to lap Norton synthetic stones and it's quite quick. So it could be an option to get through the heavy work, then just finish with wet/dry sandpaper. But as always, "your milage may vary".
When I first got a few stones I had the same question:
http://www.straightrazorplace.com/forums/basic-honing/33866-norton-lapping-stone.html
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=82603&highlight=norton+lapping
I ended up getting the norton stone and using it for other Norton stones, and using sandpaper on natural/harder stones (i.e. my Chinese 12K). The plus for sandpaper too is that it's got a larger surface area than the Norton. I hope that all helps!
+1 The Norton Flattening Stone is only good for lapping synthetic stones, period. I lapped a coticule and a Chinese 12K on it and it got dished out immediately. Even when I'm lapping my Norton 4K/8K, about half of the swarf in the sink is from the flattening stone, which worries me somewhat. I think the NFS wears rather quickly and, all in all, I wish I'd bought a DMT 8C instead.
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