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found this hone at the local antique store today for $5.00! hopefully it's usable for razors. it is labeled AM hone co. Olean NY. one side is a light tan and the other side is brown. Is this natural or man made? the dividing line is uneven so it looks natural to me. what would the grit be and which is the coarser side?
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the lite side (pictured) has a chip in two corners but the dark side doesn't.
American Hone Company was a major maker of most of the Barber Hones in this country and some that we think are from other countries. The company was started by folks from the old country in Olean NY. and moved to Moravia, IA. and was active into the late 80's.
The hones were from ~6K grit to about a usable 15K.
Yours looks a bit rough so i would test it after lapping with a 8K edge and only a couple strokes on a side of the blade. Look at the edge with at least 40 power to see what the stone did to the edge. Lighter side was normally the fine.
I shall PM you with more info.
~Richard
+1 ... Richard knows his stuff! I have just about every hone that the American Hone Co ever made...sometimes 2-3 of each brand. IF that is a Frictionite 00 then IT COULD be a good one depending on the condition. Many of the old American Hones (especially the Frictionite and the Little Devil Hone) tend to 'break down' over time if they were not well cared for. You can usually tell if this was the case based on cracks in the hone surface sometimes referred to as 'crazing'. Sunlight, heat, and even Hot water will cause these stones to break down.Quote:
Originally Posted by Geezer
If you see these defects then the effectiveness of the hone will be suspect...if it is in good condition then IMHO you have one of the best and finest hones ever made, comparable in many respects to some of the very best natural hones on the market.
Here is a pic of a NOS Frictionite that you can use for comparison:
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it does appear to have some crazing when i look at it under magnification. should i waste any time trying to lapp it.(all i have is sandpaper) or would that be a waste of time?
Lap it on a flat surface with a wet dry sand paper and find out what you have.Quote:
Originally Posted by tintin
~Richard
lap it and try it. If it is a Frictionte 00 its actually very worth while to use and actually sell for quite a bit of moola compared to what you paid. The color of them varies so it's not easy to tell. Is there an ink stamp on the opposite side?
You'll never know until you have it lapped flat whether it will be an effective hone or not. You've got nothing to lose but a little time and effort. Look at it this way: these hones normally sell on EBAY for 20 - 60 times what you paid for it. You might just have a gem...Quote:
Originally Posted by tintin
WP34
no, there's not any other marks on it. did they also make them with out the 2 textures? (they had another one there that was just the light tan that i didn't buy because there was a chip in the middle on one side.) I'll definitly do some lapping and see what i've got. thank you all for your help and info!Quote:
Originally Posted by RezDog
The most information you can find on barber hones is here:
Barber Hone Reviews
Modine is breaking ground with these studies. Currently he is testing Randy Tuttle's collection from the Am hone co.
I remember seeing some of the reviews & wanted a comparo to the same hones that were not lapped.
+1 ...Me too...Quote:
Originally Posted by pinklather
New out of the box, they were lapped flat by the factory. Age, heat, chemicals, moisture all make a difference over time. and few are true to the way they were when produced.Quote:
Originally Posted by pinklather
~Richard
Here Here! In my opinion...and this is JUST My Opinion... That's why 'definitive tests' and absolute pronouncements of how effective particular brands of decades old 'manufactured' hones are (let alone definitive 'grit rating' pronouncements!), are in my opinion extremely subjective, and can really only be accurately descriptive of the Individual and Specific Hone being tested.Quote:
Originally Posted by Geezer
Just as all 'Natural Occurring Hones' are different, and made so by Mother Nature, so too are manufactured hones (as you point out Richard) that have been degraded (or 'changed) over the years by too many imagined and unimagined factors, not the least of which is the passage of time. These tests, while appreciated for the endeavor, can only be anecdotal at best...
FWIW....Just IMO.
WP34
Got anything better to judge what we may find in the antique stores and yard sales..or are you just filling band width? The guy s spending an inordinate amount of time making better choices possible for us.Quote:
Originally Posted by Wolfpack34
~Richard
Richard...please don't misconstrue what I am trying to point out. I'm not intentionally trying to be contentious here....nor am I trying to waste band width. I am just expressing my opinion, as gentlemen do that differ from time to time. I Do Appreciate the time and efforts that Mike is putting into these tests, and having read many of his posts for a few years now, I am quite impressed with his knowledge (and his collection!!!) of hones, and honing. And as I said: "I appreciate his endeavor (efforts)...", and am thankful for it. Certainly, only someone that is quite knowledgeable and talented would even attempt it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Geezer
However...I am just trying to point out what you had already expressed. NO TWO HONES are the same unless both are NOS examples, and even then there are occasional factory produced imperfections. Since that opinion may be obvious to you and most experienced users here on SRP and other forums, it may sound somewhat redundant to you. It may not to the original poster or many other New Folks, that will sometimes spend inordinate amounts of money on certain well known hones based on a limited amount of knowledge, only to end up with a barely useable hone because of it's 'Brand Name'.
As to having "...anything better to judge...", I only have my opinion, and my experience using many examples of many different hones that I have used. And yes...you can quite accurately point out that my experience is anecdotal at best as well.
If my post offended you...I am sorry. I don't post that much, but I would never want to be accused of just filling up space.
WP34
