Thread: Does Anyone Know If These are Brass Hones??

Was in Hobart, Tasmania a month ago looking for razors at this antique store where the owner had recently purchased deceased estate goods from a barbershop.
Found a couple of razors for my beginners collection and was shown this (below) brass items inwhich the owner had no idea what function they performed. He was keen to get my opinion, however I had to point out (after I had purchased 4 x razors) that I only own 1 razor and was not the best person to ask.
The brass "hones" as we called them were close to 8kgs and were not perfectly curved but pretty close.

I am not associated to the owner in any way or form but thought that I would share this with the intentions of finding an answer for all.
I don't know how to make a link, so here is the address.
Rare Antique Barber Shop Cut Throat Razor Brass Hones Rare!Rare! | Collectables | Gumtree Australia Hobart City - Hobart CBD

Those are interesting, I am interested as to what they are used for now.

The only curved hones I've ever seen were meant for DE blades. Usually glass. I haven't seen anything like those before. Interesting. Copied the photo and posting it in case the link ends and no one knows what we're talking about in the future.

"His wife said they were used to cool the blades after sharpening. "
Say what?

I can't imagine those have any role in straight razor maintenance. What purpose could they have? Brass is softer than steel, and it isn't abrasive. The curve would be inconsistent with a real hone, that should be flat.

I don't know what they are, but I'm pretty comfortable saying that they are not hones.

Originally Posted by robellison01

I can't imagine those have any role in straight razor maintenance. What purpose could they have? Brass is softer than steel, and it isn't abrasive. The curve would be inconsistent with a real hone, that should be flat.

I don't know what they are, but I'm pretty comfortable saying that they are not hones.

Well, you can hone on brass, I've cut and fasetted precious stones on brass, copper, aluminium and tin, all you need as something on them like diamond, SiC, tinoxid or the like, you add it as paste or powder and there is hones that are concave for honing razor blades. But these look strange to me, hopefully we can get some more info on them.

As above you can charge any non-ferrous metal such a brass with abrasives and use it as a hone.But the tools above I have no clue what they may be.

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

As above you can charge any non-ferrous metal such a brass with abrasives and use it as a hone.But the tools above I have no clue what they may be.

Ferrous works fine too, like this one; Polierstahl (Uraoshi) | DICTUM GmbH - Mehr als Werkzeug
My father have some old Swedish cast iron plates that has been flattened and used with SiC for plane blades and such, I'm gonna steal them some day!
Why did you think ferrous wouldn't work?

Never said ferrous would not work.

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

Never said ferrous would not work.

Ahh, sorry, I read it like that when you wrote non-ferrous!