Honwell stone

Hi!

First off- Newbie. -Haven't even got my razor yet. And yes, I'm getting it honed professionally before my first shave.

A year or so ago I picked up a Honwell stone at an estate sale. It looks to be in good shape. Any tips on cleaning and/or maintenance for it? I have no reference as to what it should look like new.

Do these need to be flattened like wetstones? I flatten my 6000 King waterstone on wet/dry adhered to granite.

What "grit" could it be compared to?

And for what its worth I'll probably be getting another wetstone soon @8000 or above, which is why I ask about comparable "grit".

I am adequately able to sharpen chisels (really freakin' sharp) so I'm hoping to be able to take care of my razor(s) on my own in the future.

Really curious as to where the Honwell will fit in to the routine.


Thanks -Dan

It would be helpful to post pictures. There are many brands of barbers hones and sharpening stones, many if not most of them are unknown to us. If you find someone who has another one, you are lucky. If not, from the way it looks we can help to some degree.

I was afraid you guys would ask that. I'm lousy for pics.

I borrowed a couple from "somewhere-bay" to give an idea:

Attachment 151902Attachment 151901

Mine is in slightly better condition. No cracks, but very slightly glazed. Maybe from dry use.

Yes it is possible to flatten barber hones...but if it is not really needed you should avoid. I think there are several Posts on SRP dealing with this...try the search engine....

Many of the Barber hones could be used to keep the edge keen that the razor cuts very nice...but as you might know there were quite a view different of these around, so as far as i know there was up to date no test concerning this Honwell Hone. Also there are many differences concering the gritrange of these hones....

some are very fine and fast cutters, other ones are coarser and some of them could not be used to keep an edge
keen...

So the only chance is to test this one by yourself, or to hope that someone is around who already had some experiences with this one...

In that case, give it a good lapping, use sandpaper to smooth out the scratches, and use it as a barber hone,
gssixgun Barber Hone.wmv - YouTube
I should place this video on my favorites, I frequently need it, thank gssixgun for it.
They usually are finishers, 6-12k. Try it and see if you like it. Good luck.

Thanks.
I'm not so sure it really needs flattening. Hones for chisels and hand planes MUST be kept absolutely flat whereas I see a difference in plane geometry with razors. Different animal. Different form.
Truly interesting.
I'll try a mild detergent and warm water to clean it up a bit.

Thanks again.


Oops! just got previous reply before posting this. I'll flatten 'er too. Piece of cake.
Great vid. Very informative.

Razors also need flat stones. If one of your stones is not flat, then every stone you'll use has to have the same wear on the same spot.
No matter what you hone, you have a bevel, and grit progression. If it cuts wood, hair or meat just changes the angle of the bevel or grit of the last stone.Everything else remains the same.

Got it. See above.

I like flat. Flat I know. Perfect reference point.

Thanks Vas

You've not been watching the razor honing vids long eh?

Any single-stone operation can be carried out with whatever shape the stone is. BUT when using multiple hones in a progression, each stone should match the other. Whatever shape you like. Flat is easy.

(simul-post, yes you got it now :D)

Its beginning to look like I'm over-thinking things.

The barber hone was from a company that hold barber and shaving supplies made for them. They sold very good products. SRD razors and hones are excellent, I expect that your barber hone will be as well. If you are interested in barber hones Modine has been doing a lot of work on establishing grit equivalence on them at http://www.razorandstone.com - The Front Page The general rule with barber hones is start with 4-6 strokes and check it. They can be very aggressive and will over hone easily.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dapper

Its beginning to look like I'm over-thinking things.

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Don't we all? ;)

Just note that sharpening knives and tools is quite different from sharpening razors. I guess your really freaking sharp chisels still pale in comparison to a razor's edge. No wonder, as the razor's job is a lot easier on the edge!

I know little about barber's hones, but they are called barber's hones for a reason. I expect you'll get nice edges from it. Good luck and don't hesitate to ask for more help!

It is threads like these that really get confusing


1. The Ebay pic is rather deceiving The box is from an SRD Quick and Easy Barber's hone it is not the same as a Honwell
2. The pictured hone has a rather questionable surface that might actually benefit from a proper lapping
3. Lapping a BH is NOT advised unless the hone really needs it, the Factory finish is part of what makes them work
4. If you must lap the BH, you must try and bring the same level of polish back to the surface it isn't a Waterstone per se and they require a bit of work

5. I have sold a couple of the Honwell BHs in the past and find them to be rather dead center read "Standard" in the scheme of Barber Hones


As to approximate grit, I try and stay away from that, it either feels good on the face or it doesn't, it is used for a quick re-touch and for maintenance on a razor so it by the very nature of it's use would always be a final hone..

Thank you Good Sir!

This cleared up just about everything I needed to hear, and it is clearly something I suspected about the flattening. It seems so different from a waterstone in composition (read "feel") to me that I had to inquire. I wish I knew the composition! I'm glad you refrain from grit typing as it would, for me, put more confusion into the mix.

I apologize for the pic, I only wanted to exemplify the product for recognition's sake.

Thanks to all for their help in this!
"Dapper" Dan