Thread: Pumice Stone

I bought one of these but am not 100% sure what they are used for, or how they are to be used. I've read that they can be used for cleaning hones, and for smoothing out strops. Is this correct? How exactly would I go about using it? Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

Andrew

Hi Andrew,

I use mine for cleaning (lapping) all my hones. It really works nice on the Norton and the old Barber hones. I simply wet the hone and the pumice stone and make sure the entire pumice stone is coving the hone. Then with minimal to no pressure rub the pumice back and forth across the surface of the hone. I usually try to do this under running water. It's important to get all the stone covered at the same time, if possible, to prevent more pressure in any area of the hone. This is usually not a factor on the barber hones and on the 8K side of the Norton, but the 4K side can become uneven if you're not careful. Good Luck. Lynn

I use mine to lap/clean my Norton 4/8K hone, and a couple of barber hones as well. I do it in the sink, under running water also. I have found that as the stone cleans-up, and gets relatively flat, that the pumice stone will actually 'stick' to the Norton, sucked-down to it as two flat surfaces will.

You are right, Lynn, that you must cover the ENTIRE edge-to-edge surface of the hone while lapping it, to assure even wearing.

I would be careful with anything lower than the 4000 side, as I think the pumice might wear down too fast.

Best -

is this the same as a nagura stone?

Originally Posted by ronski

is this the same as a nagura stone?

No! The Nagura stone is designed to develop a slurry that is kept on the hone to aid the abrasion
process ( honing). The pumice stone is used to remove the metal filings from the hone.

Hope this helps,