Lapping

[Paul]

If you've been around for long enough, I'm sure you've seen my posts about how I don't find lapping to be all that critical. In some circles, that would almost seem absurd enough to be ostracized over, but I don't think I've seen so much as a sarcastic remark about that. Today, decided I would lap 2 of my stones (for the first time since owning them), and it was an eye opening experience. Those stones were seriously uneven (when compared to mathematically flat); some of them were visibly so.

I haven't lapped a coticule prior to today, and I suspect that none of the stones in the vault are lapped (considering I have not bought a coticule that hasn't gone through Bart). What are your thoughts? I'm not necessarily advocating that cessation of lapping; in fact, I can see some real advantages to it (especially for new honers). I'm just asking if there's a dominant philosophy.

Thanks

 

[Bart]

The hones in the Vault were all lapped by Ardennes, as they do with any Coticule they produce. They lap them on a coarse lapidary machine (spinning disc with carborundum cemented on the surface, I estimate grit 60). Maurice says they are not mathematically flat, but "flat enough". It occasionally happens that I have to round the edges a bit better than they did it.

Having used:1. Coticules that were lapped to great smoothness and flatness, 2. Coticules as they come from Ardennes, and 3. Coticules that are starting to show a visible curve, I can share the following:

—They all allow the same great edges and I find no special difficulty to get those results
—When Ardennes' lapping plate was freshly replenished, the coarser scratched surface has an influence on the feedback of the Coticule, but not on it's performance.

My usual advice is to lap, if one feels more confident doing so. It is not going to harm the stone. But I have yet to read a post from someone who was experiencing problems with his honing, lapped his hones, and declares the instant solution of his honing struggle.


Kind regards,
Bart

 

[Paul]

Bart,

I guess that's my point. The "flat enough" stones certainly seem to be just that. I will say that the eggplant colored one that broke of mine was significantly more uneven than the normal coticule from Ardennes, but it was a function of them being rather narrow coticule layers and to get it flat meant some BBW was exposed (and that didn't bother me either).

Thanks,

Paul