Quote Originally Posted by Utopian View Post
I have a few barber hones so I can help you. Beyond this thread, if you need any further help, you are welcome to PM me.

I don't know of a single barber hone that needs to be soaked. They are all about speed and convenience. Think of it sitting in the pocket of a barber who notices his razor is not quite up to snuff. He's just going to pull it out of his pocket, do a few strokes, strop, and shave.

Try putting water on your hone and see what happens. Unlike a water hone, barber hones for the most part do not absorb water. Instead, water just beads up on the hone. When you try to hone with just water, most of the water gets pushed off of the hone. You only need a very small amount of lather, or soap, or detergent to break the surface tension of the water. You just want a layer of moisture on the hone, that's all. You really can't get the lather wrong. Any amount of diluted lather will work.

Regarding how to move the razor along the hone, please read the beginners section of the Wiki regarding honing. The same X-stroke used for normal honing is used on a barbers hone. The difference is that with a barbers hone all you need are about 4 to 6 strokes. This is because the density of grit in a barbers hone is much higher, so it cuts faster, but with a fine grit.

Some barber hones can be used dry. A few specify that they are dry hones, but others that are meant to be used wet can also be used dry, if you wish. In general though, I'd use diluted lather. If you have any more questions, just ask.
Thanks, that was helpful for me as well. I have a nice old Swaty, but have never used it. I go my full set of Naniwas before I got the chance.

But I think it is worth the experimentation to try it so I can speak from an informed voice.