Thread: Help with resurrection

PM Utopian about your Carborundum barber hone. He collects them, so should be able to get you squared away on it.

Out of the 6 barber hones in my possession, none polish less than an 8K stone. Most are beyond that. But I don't personally own a carborundum, or a 103 so I can't comment on it specifically. If I remember right I was told it gives a shave about equivalent to a Swaty barber hone, which is pretty decent - around 8K give or take a bit. I have a razor in my rotation that gets maintained exclusively with a Swaty and linen/leather for what that's worth.

Yup, frown. Edge need to be reshaped to match the spine.

Here is a good thread on how to do that. (Make me Smile)

Skip the Carborundum and pick up an 8k as said. And perhaps a diamond plate or file.

It is a pretty involved repair, if done properly and you seem to lack the tools to do so. Not saying it can’t be done, but you do need more tools and possibly experience, making repairs on razors.

The repair must be done first then properly honed, two very separate tasks.

Originally Posted by Marshal

But I don't personally own a carborundum, or a 103 so I can't comment on it specifically. If I remember right I was told it gives a shave about equivalent to a Swaty barber hone, which is pretty decent - around 8K give or take a bit

i've not seen one for a 103, I have seen one for a 102 it's on razor and stone.

Carborundum No.102 Barber hone test

But it isn't relevant as a 103 could be massively different. The 102 is also a pretty poor barbers hone in general. The review link shows it to be about 6K grit. That doesn't mean the 103 is a poor stone at all, but it still means the forum is 100% in the dark about it's properties unless another owner shows up. The 8K speciality for the money is a fine alternative with known values, That the whole community can pretty much comment on.

Utopian might have a 103 as was suggested earlier. If he does then he will have tested it.
http://straightrazorpalace.com/members/utopian.html

Actually it is relevant - and Modine's test somewhat mirrors what I said earlier, he said 6-8K equivalent. Depending on technique and honing media (water, oil, smith's, lather etc.) I believe that. My Swaty is around an 8K hone and the shave feels much the same as my Norton 8k. Much quicker to get the job done though, in spite of a 5x2 profile compared to Norton's 8x3. That little bugger can peel a lot of steel away in a very small amount of time for a finishing hone.

I got curious and did a little digging, there's a good bit of info in this thread about them:

http://straightrazorpalace.com/hones...dum-hones.html

101a through 105 are all roughly the same material/grit, and should be decent stones. I use the term decent as '8K equivalent/comfortable shave if utilized properly.' YMMV. If you've got a tough beard, you may want more oomph than it provides. But most should probably be able to get a passable shave from it.

I may regret saying this because next time one pops up on Ebay I'm liable to see more competition, but the 201 is the Carborundum I have an eye out for.

Thanks for the link and suggestion to PM utopian.

Ok. Please believe me...i am listening. I have reviewed more old threads and gotten clear feedback/advice in bite sized pieces i think i can start to chew: 1) make sure i get the initial geometry right in relation to the spine 2)get my pressure balanced, light, under control, 3) start with tape=end with tape4) barber hone is maintainer, not finisher.
I can't resist the urge to be "that guy" one more time: with what i have now, I'm best off to get a norton 4k/8k combo for @ 20 bucks more than a kuromaku 12k, and to get the combo next. I'm just torn due to price and probably as a symptom of still trying to walk before I crawl. Thanks for your time, input, and patience.

Small off topic rant here, but I've come to dislike the "barber hones are maintainers, not finishers" line of thought. When I use a finishing stone it is the last thing in my progression. I have 4 shave ready blades right now that were honed on nothing but a Norton 4K and different barber hones. 1 of the 4 has seen nothing but a Swaty from bevel set to final polish. There's nothing I can do with a finisher that I can't with a barber hone, and vice versa.

To steal a quote from Gssixgun:

"No amount of money spent on a Stone can ever replace the value of the time it takes learning to use it properly"
Very Respectfully - Glen



With that said, you have the King 1/6 right? I want to say you'd be better off getting the Shapton, and maybe finding something to slip between the 1 & 6K later down the road. But the Kuromaku takes a light touch and can be unforgivingly harsh. So I'll frame it this way:

If you want to be able to make a wicked sharp 12K edge, get the Kuromaku and a play razor that you can hone the stuffing out of, and spend time learning to use it in conjunction with the King stones.

If you want an easier time learning to get a blade shaving sharp, get the Norton 4/8. I find it a bit more forgiving, and a 1/4/8 progression will likely be easier to learn than 1/6/12. We also have a massive JaNorton thread on it with a lot of tips, and everyone's got one in the stable just about so it's a very well known quantity.

Or you can save money and learn to use the King and the barber hone. Which brings me to the question I haven't seen asked or addressed yet, are you using magnification? If not, I would recommend getting some sort of 30x jeweler's loupe regardless which path you choose. And if so, are you seeing the Carborundum improve the edge after the 6K?