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I just recently won an auction at the bay for a barber stone "CLIMAX", and a natural stone. I have no idea about the stone? And really only know that the barber hone is mostly likely old. Will either of these be good for my razors?
Attachment 216652
Can anyone shed any information about either of these two items?
Thanks
djamm
The oval stone is a scythe or sickle hone.Nothing to do with anything but field blades.
The other could become a good hone but clean it well and try it on a junk blade.
~Richard
Man, you have to get yourself a nice razor and put it on that velvet (?). Too nice to put some ratty old hones on...
I agree with Geezer about the use for the two hones. The one with the imprint has to be a good finisher given its name!
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,:gaah:
Hey, I could have said that this hone will give a happy ending to your shave, but I didn't.
(Mods welcome to remove if over the line. I figure it's close to it but not sure of which side it's on.)
Its really great about your experience with finishing....but can anyone actually tell me anything about the climax barber hone? Other than a brand name I had to get?
Yeah, good point. Sorry about that. I have been using barber hones for quite a while and used to regularly watch ebay for them and I don't recall ever seeing that hone before. I'm pretty sure the obvious 5th grader remaining in me would have not only helped me to remember it but also would have encouraged me to buy it. For that reason I consider it to be relatively rare.Quote:
Originally Posted by djamm
HERE is a previous thread about one.
From the look of it, I would guess that it will work as a typical barber hone--perfectly capable of maintaining a serviceable edge forever with nothing but that hone.
Is this your first barber hone?
His first Climax! WoohooQuote:
Originally Posted by Utopian
Barber hones are awesome, not sure about the hone itself I just get excited when someone posts about one. I love Barber Hones!
Good catch. Clean it up and test it out.
Sometimes you find a rare barber hone. I've got atleast one and I've never seen another anywhere so the chances of finding information about it is slim. This may also be the case with yours.
Best thing to do is test it and if it works well for you keep it and enjoy the mystic power of the barber hones.
You're not helping.Quote:
Originally Posted by S0LITARYS0LDIER
:)
I used two barber hones exclusively for the first 5 years that I used a straight razor. A barber hone alone is sufficient to maintain a razor for the rest of your life.
What brand were these two? Out of curiosity I ask.Quote:
Originally Posted by Utopian
The climax stone has a similar shape to my keen kutter and the tiger hone. I'm thinking that has nothing to do with this stone but the shapes are similar. Could it be a "cookie cutter" stone that was made for different hardware companies by the same hone company?
They were a Swaty and a Carborundum 102. I happened to luck out by starting with two of the best barber hones. I maintained a 7 day set of razors with nothing but those two hones for nearly 10 years.Quote:
Originally Posted by S0LITARYS0LDIER
Quote:
Originally Posted by Utopian
You sir, are one bad a** man. I have the upmost respect for you. 10 years with nothing but a barber hone and you survived and shaved happily I'll bet. No crying about an Escher or jnat! Content with what you had. I am getting to that stage, content with my stones.
Really humbling to know you don't need $1000 worth of stones to shave happily. It's what you can do with what you've got.
Nope, you've got it completely wrong. I started with razors that I honed and maintained with just barber hones for about 5 years THEN I found SRP and learned of the existence of the other hones and I wanted to try them all. (Seriously, if you saw my honing lair, I mean pretty much all!) I was far from "content." I started trying other hones and razors but chose to leave my 7 day set, that I kept in a locker at a University gym, pure and untainted by all of the newer hones. That way I had a control set to be able to compare my old method with all of the new stuff I was trying. As my honing improved, I could tell that my edges were better with all my fancy Eschers and jnats etc. but my old set still continued right on shaving just fine.Quote:
Originally Posted by S0LITARYS0LDIER
( sorry I deleted what was here utopian)Quote:
Originally Posted by Utopian
Some of us are never content :)
Perception is a funny thing isn't it. What one reads and interprets in words another interprets completely different. I got from the post that you enjoyed your edges for 10 years and were happy. Either way. It shows barber hones are effective for keeping a shave ready edge shave ready.
Sorry OP,
At Least you know a barber hone can work :)
No, I would not NEED them. However, I have had a lot of fun playing with them and serving as a bad example for other people on the forum!
Yes, in fact I must say I am a real freshman when it comes to straight edge shaving. Purchased a vintage blade, supposedly recently honed... tried it and felt it needed to be sharper.Quote:
Originally Posted by Utopian
Attachment 216679
Therefore, I bought a barber stone with a great brand name wanting sharpen and maintain an already honed blade.
You are going to want to clean it up before using it, I would anyways.
Also just because it says climax doesn't necessarily mean it's going to be a good hone. There are many different names on barber hones and really the only way to know if it's good is trying it on a razor that's pulling. Some barber hones are lower grit and some are higher. They are not really measured in grits though. Some just are better then others. This one isn't seen often so it's not like many people have been using it to give a good review on its properties like a Swaty or similar hone.
I'm sure you will enjoy it and if you don't there is always someone, somewhere who would want it :)
Nice Henckels, I would ask the seller if he honed with tape on or no tape and how many layers he used (if used) because you will need to know his when touching your razor up.
Quote:
Originally Posted by djamm
OK, in that case some issues come up. A barber hone is best used to maintain a previously sharpened razor. Now, that is not the way that I did it but I was monitoring my progress with a microscope to help me figure out what I was doing. A jeweler's loupe is a cheap alternative. Regardless, it really would be helpful if you started out with a properly honed razor in order to learn how to shave. That's because it's harder to learn how to hone and shave as you have no proper means to assess both ends of the process. It would be like learning how to drive a manual transmission car while learning how to replace the clutch in that car.Quote:
Originally Posted by djamm
As a novelty, yes, you have barber hone with a great brand name, but it is an unknown brand of barber hone as far as I know. It is unlikely that you will be able to get much more information about that specific hone.
Only after you have gotten a sense of a decent shave from a properly honed razor will you be in a position to be able to shave to assess your own job of honing.
Where is North Van? If someone else is near you they might be able to help you assess your hone and also to help you learn how to hone.
NORTH VANCOUVERQuote:
Originally Posted by Utopian
Vancouver's North Shore Tourism | Official Travel Website
OK, good!
I was in Vancouver about a year and a half ago for a conference and it was a very nice city. I arranged a mini-meetup for while I was there so I know that there are other straight users in your area. If you do an advanced search in the member list you will be able to find the members in your area who have listed their locations. You might want to contact Cobre and see if he would be willing to meet with you. I guarantee that one on one time in person definitely will speed up your learning process.
djamm
I think it is pretty difficult to determine sharp when you are beginning this endeavour. Here are couple scenarios:
You get your first 'shave ready' razor. You are instructed to shave with it (not strop it). You shave with it and because there are about 23 other variables besides the sharpness of the blade, you feel like the blade is not truly shave ready.
You then strop the blade which you do not think is sharp enough, and it becomes immediately less sharp due to less than optimum results from the steepest of all learning curves, stropping.
I also have a barber hone, a nice one. With mine, honing on it is like honing on glass, zero to no feedback. Plus, I think it takes more skill out of the gate to use a palm held hone.
You might look into a well known and fairly inexpensive finisher like a 10K Naniwa Superstone.
I agree with what has been said above, finding someone to demonstrate honing would be the shortest route to caring for your razor. Until then, you have SRP. I would add that a loupe can also be a valued friend.
This is how I started out almost 7 years ago and I do not recommend it. I managed to become a pretty decent honer, but not having a decent gauge at the beginning sets you back a lot.Quote:
Originally Posted by Utopian
