Thread: Raven Barber Hone

Originally Posted by tedh75

The instructions say to clean it by rubbing it with fine emery paper. I really don't want to do that and was wondering if I could just clean it with dish soap and hot water?

Originally Posted by tedh75

I cleaned it up with the toothbrush and dish soap.

Yes I didn't want to use the emery paper for fear of it changing the surface. It was just gunk on the stone really. I am just a little concerned after reading your post as I did use hot water with the soap and toothbrush. It seems OK, but time will tell and shave testing tonight so we'll see.

So a very nice shave. I would say it is pretty similar to the shaves I get off my 12k SS. Many people have estimated this hone at about 8k-10k. I'm curious. Are there any barber hones estimated higher than this?

Originally Posted by tedh75

I'm curious. Are there any barber hones estimated higher than this?

Apparently there are. Look up Lakeside Blue, 00 Frictionite, Norton.

Originally Posted by Leatherstockiings

Apparently there are. Look up Lakeside Blue, 00 Frictionite, Norton.

Fernsler Ruby Hone, Monarch and a lot more from AM Hone ;-)

Originally Posted by doorsch

Fernsler Ruby Hone, Monarch and a lot more from AM Hone ;-)

+1 ...As Doorsch says....many others especially those from the AHC line of hones as well as others such as the 'Panama' (a Great Hone by the way!), Swatty, Apart, etc., etc., etc.

Originally Posted by tedh75

So a very nice shave. I would say it is pretty similar to the shaves I get off my 12k SS. Many people have estimated this hone at about 8k-10k. I'm curious. Are there any barber hones estimated higher than this?

I've not really found any that work as finely as some suggest they are. Zowada's page gives an image of an edge after a swaty and shows it to be coarser than the 12 to 15k they're often described as.

I've got a few hones (This raven, an OVB and a frictionite 821/825 bench stone set - which is 8 inch long separate bench stones of the material in the #00s), I'd say that none of them are really that fine, they'd have to have super fine al-ox in them from those days, and they don't. But if they're hard they can wear in fine. I'd rather use them they way they were intended, which is to establish an edge and shave with it for a while and then use the barber hone to keep the edge thinned without working the hone all the way to the edge.

The only difference i can see between the different types is that the frictionites will make a reasonably comfortable edge even if worked all the way to the edge of a hone.

There is some art to keeping the bevel thin without getting deep abrasive scratches right at the edge, and i think it's worth learning. It creates a very comfortable shaving edge.