Thread: Speckled hone?

Any idea as to what the speckling on this hone is?
Ebay item number 190377296053
Thanks,
Adam

The speckles do not look like they are part of the original hone. I would guess calcium or some other mineral oxides from using the hone with hard water and not drying it off immediately, in which case it would certainly come off with lapping or with Flitz.

I've seen a few with speckles - especially after lapping. This one has them in the brand logo area, though, so the speckles have not been revealed by lapping the hone.

If you look at one of these darker type barber hones that has never been lapped and not used much, the surface is very fine and even with a sheen or shine to it - like concrete that has been poured into a mould and vibrated.

I think that the surface finish depends on how the hone was cast, to a certain extent - even concrete with relatively large aggregate in it looks shiny and fine and even on the surface when the mould is taken away. Mould-release agents like wax or oil help the thin slurry-like matrix to flow to the surface and sides and sometimes to form a layer on the bottom - maybe the same happens to barber hones? Also, unlike concrete, I suspect that barbers hones are fired in a kiln to vitrify them.

I don't really know the answer, but that hone looks just the same as a black one I just lapped - homogeneous shiny black skin giving way to the speckly aggregate beneath when even only slightly lapped. Doesn't seem to affect performance though.

Regards,
Neil