Thread: What is a PHIG?

I hate to sound like the village idiot, but today that shoe fits me well . What is a PHIG (people's hone of indeterminable grit) ??? Is this a barber hone that has an unknown name to the person that owns it ? Does it have dual sides ? Does any one have a picture of this critter?

it's referring to a chinese hone from the Guanxi provence. if you find a good one it is good, unfortunately they are inconsistent in their grit from stone to stone so it is a shot in the dark unless you can find one that someone has tested. the good thing is that they are cheap. i'm on my third one and haven't found a good one yet.

Originally Posted by tintin

it's referring to a chinese hone from the Guanxi provence. if you find a good one it is good, unfortunately they are inconsistent in their grit from stone to stone so it is a shot in the dark unless you can find one that someone has tested. the good thing is that they are cheap. i'm on my third one and haven't found a good one yet.

Now that is dedication. And a surprising run of bad luck.

Blame it on Utopian / Ron and holli4pirating / Dylan

Way back in the early days hehehe

Way back Ron was trying to point out to people that there is actually no real grit rating for natural stones, and was saying that calling it a Chinese 12k is essentially wrong
Dylan IIRC came up with the saying well then we should call it the "Peoples Hone of Indeterminate Grit" PHIG stuck after that


Unfortunately Ron's correct assertion about rating naturals has fallen mostly of deaf ears and ebay sellers to this day continue to rate their different stones with ever higher ratings and ever higher prices to follow...


Here is an old thread I did about the stones, be sure to read it through as there a some new tricks about using the super hard scratchy ones

http://straightrazorpalace.com/hones...nese-hone.html

gssixgun, I tried to read "re-visting the Chinese hone" But I got cracked up ! My scene of humor sometimes blocks my understanding This brings up new questions for you guys ! Now my question is the Chinese created a stone or hone that they can't seem to name??? Or they have created a hone or stone with a goofy grit that they can't figure out a use for ??? I am going to read that revisiting the chinese hone again.

Originally Posted by AlienEdge

gssixgun, I tried to read "re-visting the Chinese hone" But I got cracked up ! My scene of humor sometimes blocks my understanding This brings up new questions for you guys ! Now my question is the Chinese created a stone or hone that they can't seem to name??? Or they have created a hone or stone with a goofy grit that they can't figure out a use for ??? I am going to read that revisiting the chinese hone again.

Mother Nature Created the Stone = Natural

The Chinese dug it up and quarried it in the Guangxi Province hence the "Proper" name of the stone "Guangxi Waterstone or Whetstone"

Natural = Unknown Girt

Some marketing genius along the way stamped 12000 on the box and the rest is history


Some fun Huh

AlienEdge,,,actually there are two well known PHIGS, as the name well precedes any SRP member. Only one has been seen by the public.

The Frankenphig is one of the rarest of natural stones, as there is only one known to the public. This stone was found deep in dark mountains of Ingolstadt, Germany. A very slow cutter, but strong stone. The slurry is created differently than in other naturals. The slurry in the Frankenphig is created by an electric charge running from the south end of the stone, exiting the north end of the stone. Most slurry is raised by abrasion; the slurry on the Frankenphig is expelled from inside the stone.

Behold the Frankenphig,,,,,,,

I have read old accounts of stones from "the orient" that were found in and along side of rivers. This was in the late 1800's and were not marketed like they are now via Internet, eBay, ect but were well known whetstones. Were these the Guangxi whetstones? No one knows for certain.

Originally Posted by Steel

I have read old accounts of stones from "the orient" that were found in and along side of rivers. This was in the late 1800's and were not marketed like they are now via Internet, eBay, ect but were well known whetstones. Were these the Guangxi whetstones? No one knows for certain.

The Shadow knows .........

(if you ain't at least 60 years old the above probably makes no sense)

Since purchasing my Chinese 13k I rarely use my Chinese 12k anymore.