Thread: Great grandfather's old barber hone

I got my great grandfather's barber hone fron a relative today. He have been using it to sharpen tools on, and when i got it it was coverd with a thick messy oil. Do you have any idea how to clean it?

Shaving lather is actually good to clean oily hands, i noticed by mistake once. So that might actually work. Do anyone have a better idea?

I'd let it sit in a bowl of Simple Green for a while, then remove & use a toothbrush to scrub it.
Then see what it looks like.

If no Simple green available,,, then a bowl of lemon dish soap.

If simple green or dish soap don't work brake cleaner might be good, if the hone isn't porous and the oil isn't soaked in. I haven't tried it on hones, but easy off oven cleaner, with lye, is great for getting old grease off of cast iron skillets. I read that it is equally good on natural hones. Not sure if it would harm a synthetic. Yours is probably ceramic. If I was going to try something that strong I'd probably dip a corner into the chemical and see if it did harm or good.

The oil is soaked in... When it stands still, the oil comes out a bit under it... We dont have Simple Green in Finland so I will try some dish soap. Hope it works!

There are other methods, such as Jimmy advised, but this is a barber hone & an heirloom,,, plus by looking at the photo, upper right corner,,, this hone may be starting to break down in the binder that it is composed of. That area of the hone, upper right, is not a "crisp" break,,,this is my concern for using a heavy cleaner like EZ Off,,, which I use often,,,If this is an indication of a breakdown of the hone,,, then EZ-Off may destroy this hone.

Always start mildly cleaning it,,, progress to a more harsh/active cleaner if the hone can take it. Evaluate as you go along.

Is the back side better or worse in condition and oiliness? Because it has a larger honing surface, the back side is more desirable for use, depending on its condition.

Originally Posted by Utopian

Is the back side better or worse in condition and oiliness? Because it has a larger honing surface, the back side is more desirable for use, depending on its condition.

In oiliness, they are pretty much the same, but the back side is more worn. A bit hollow in a place actually so I dont think I can lap it flat on the back side without making it too thin... Unfortunately... Here is a pic:



But the good news: I tried the bowl of dish soap and it seems to have done a pretty good job. I will let it be for a couple of days to let it rest and see if any more oil comes out on the bottom side and maby repeate the dish soap process once more if needed!

It did change color a bit after the bowl, and left with some dark spots. Hope my phone pic can show it to you...

WOW!!!

I have never seen a barber hone worn to that degree. Yes, if the back side is the one that is more dished, then I certainly would not attempt to lap it flat.

Before we go further, I should ask, what do you want from this hone? Do you just want it as a cleaned up momento or do you want to be able to use it as a razor hone or what?

Originally Posted by Utopian

WOW!!!

I have never seen a barber hone worn to that degree. Yes, if the back side is the one that is more dished, then I certainly would not attempt to lap it flat.

Before we go further, I should ask, what do you want from this hone? Do you just want it as a cleaned up momento or do you want to be able to use it as a razor hone or what?

Yep, I told you. It have been used by my relative to sharpen tools on for many years. And he is a wood worker so it have been used a lot...

If at all possible I want to get it usable as a razor hone! I also have my great grandfathers razor, witch I have gotten cleaned and honed, and his strop witch Im working on now to get back in use. So my hopes are to get the hole gang back in use!

Great. Hope that you al get back in use. Always fine to use from family