Thread: Vintage hones

Are there any vintage stones to keep an eye out for on auction sites and other places?

Yes.

Hones are just glorified pebbles to most flea market sellers.
And any hone is good to have and hence to keep an eye out for.

Well back to the, I drive a Ford conversation. The good thing about hones is there are a ton of different ones to choose from. The bad thing about hones is there are a ton of different ones to choose from.

A lot of people will recommend synths amd they are reliable, predictable, can be more affordable than naturals but......where's the fun in that?

Then the big rabbit hole: naturals. Personally, I am partial to Arkansas stones. Some people wouldn't use them as a wheel chock. A while back everybody and his brother was after coticules. I have a number myself but if you are looking for blisteringly keen edges they won't do it. There are a ton of different slates, thuringians being the best known and they are definitely good, and easy to use.

My advice would be to read, read, and after that, read some more. BUT, understand that everyone has their own opinions and you know what they say about opinions. Just recognize that there is always bias in people's posts.

As far as Arks go, keep your eye out for vintage ones moreso than new ones, especially washitas. Really washitas are commercially extinct for all intents and purposes. There have recently been some new ones on the market but what I have seen is good for sharpening a hoe or an ax and that's about it. I'd love to see good new ones but I feel the good ones are just mined out. What you do want is a Norton/Pike especially the Nº 1 Washita or a Lily White and make sure you see a label until you know how to recognize phonies, don't just take their word for what it is. Old Smith's are good for blacks and transluscents although most of theirs aren't that big. They were mainly focused on knife users. They had good sets back in the old days with a "soft" on a block which was often a washita and a smaller "hard," normally a trans. It takes a little getting used to but some of those small stones give a wicked edge once you learn to hone on something that small. Buck sets were similar and I suspect that at one point they were made by Smith. Norton is the main seller of the big stones but their 6" and moreso 8" fetch quite a price, especially for 8x2x1. An 8x2x1/2 works just as well and go for better prices. Also, anything sold by Dan's is good.

So there's some muddy water for you. Remember what you paid for that advice.

I am just learning to Hone and I seem to have betrer luck with arks don't know if they are more forgiving than water stones or not

Just to further muddy the waters, I’ve found I get superior edges with a coticule using oil or glycerin on the final finish passes. I don’t have an ark to compare with however.

I was just asking for what kinds and brand names to watch for

You want to do a 5 minute search for what others have spent years doing and learning.

No wonder you don't get an imediate and specific answer.

I suggest that you keep a lookout for 2 barber hones.
The Apart. It will function as a finishing stone.
The Swaty. It will function as an almost finishing stone.
Both are manmade. Both are from Eastern Europe.

Just my 2¢

Randy has touched on an important topic. With a few exceptions and even those are limited, there is not just one hone you'll need. The Norton Nº 1 Washita will go a long way through the progression but even it is not a one stone hone. In yester-year they probably did use one or two stones for the whole honing process but even then they likely use pasted strops to go a bit further. I actually have an old two sided razor honing block (gigantic thing) of my Dad's and I can go from bevel set to finish on the two sides but it is the only one of its kind I have ever seen.

There is another rabbit hole, barber hones. I have a Panama that I particularly like. Also I have a frictionite that I’m very happy with.
I have quite a number of finishing hones. They all work quite well. The thing about natural finishers is they all have a bit different feel on your face. If you want to figure out what you like, you can get someone to finish a bunch of razors for you on different finishers and see what edge appeals most to you. Then find one that is what you are willing to pay.
If you are looking to build a selection/collection, the list is long.