Thread: Small stones

What do you feel is the smallest stone you could use on an average size straight razor

I have one that is about 1" by 2".

Aaron, are you looking for a "name that tune" type of contest or did you have a particular size of hone in mind?

I will say that an experienced honer, who is better capable of keeping the blade flat on the hone, can use one much smaller than an inexperienced honer.

Originally Posted by Utopian

Aaron, are you looking for a "name that tune" type of contest or did you have a particular size of hone in mind?

I will say that an experienced honer, who is better capable of keeping the blade flat on the hone, can use one much smaller than an inexperienced honer.

It was a pure curiosity question. I know that when dealing with knives it is recommended that your stone be at least as long as your blade but because razors are honed differently I was curious if there was a different rule.

No real rules as such, though there are a few threads about quartons (quarter nortons) that someone was selling. I think the consensus was that they were not that useful.

Not so much here, but other places google searches have led me, I've seen posts from people that actually prefer something smaller. Like the quarton. Something that will fit in the palm of their hand, that they can hold while they hone. I didn't get it at first, but after I obtained a barber hone I kinda 'saw the light.' I still prefer a full size bench hone, but a 5 or 6x2 hone is fine by me these days.

Oh sorry. I thought this was a discussion about Kidney Stones.

Actually some folks like a nice small stone for honing. One that will easily fit in the palm of the hand is all you need.

Personally I like em big.

One of my favorite coticules is a 'La Veinette' natural combination stone that measures in at just under 2" x 4". The last razor I finished on this was a 15/16" Filarmónica Sub-Cero, a snug fit but no problem to hone.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Oh sorry. I thought this was a discussion about Kidney Stones.

In that case, I prefer them to be quite small.

In the case of honing, most barber hones are 2"x5." One of my favorite barber hones is the Carborundum 102, which is 1.5"x4." There are a lot of boxed Thuringian hones that are 1"x 4 or 5."

My 100+ year old coticule is 1-1/2" by 6-1/4". The layer of coticule is 5/8" thick. I lap the thing once every couple years and use it for a finisher.