Thread: I'm a simple honer

they both say,
FRANZ SWATY
WAHRING BEI WIEN
(AUSTRIA)
in caps..

Originally Posted by ZipZop

Aloha!

I'm actually ordering a Barber Hone for my travel shaving kit. I've wanted one for a while anyway, but just never felt the need. But recently I'm thinking, why not? I have a travel strop, I might as well get a travel hone. I only remember my grandfather having one hone. I was very young when he died (8 years old) so my memory is not the best, but my guess it he only had a Barber Hone and his strop. This is a man who shaved with Ivory Soap from the bathroom because it was there and it was inexpensive and it worked for him. So he'd for sure not have spent any more money than he absolutely needed to keep his razor sharp.

-Zip

right there with him, zipper. I've actually used Kirk's Castile bar soap a few times. Not to bad. ( I've used a belt and levi's to strop on too... 'ol skool, love it. )

Originally Posted by CamMorris

no, it says'
FRANZ SWATY
THREE LINE
DIAMOND HONE

OK, I've seen that one. It was a better clone sold by S.R.Droescher.

Originally Posted by Utopian

OK, I've seen that one. It was a better clone sold by S.R.Droescher.

it does have a small label that says "SRD Sole Distributor" so that makes sense, its a nice stone even if it is a clone! Thanks for the info!

Aloha!

I was holed-up in my hotel room yesterday afternoon and evening recovering from a 3:00 AM wake up call the morning before. I'm laying in bed relaxing and thinking about traveling with a Barber hone and it hit me that I actually had a travel hone. I used to be an avid fly fisherman and I rememberd that I bought a travel hone for fishing (blade and hook sharpening) from a fly fishing equipment store many years ago. It's actually a pretty good little travel natural stone manufactured under the brand name "Ocean Blue".

So I reasearched it online and sure enough, it got good reviews by gents using it for honing their straight razors. It's spec'd out at 12k grit but many are saying it is more like 8-10k grit depending on the actual stone you get. From memory, mine seems pretty fine, so it may be toward the 10k side. So when I get back home, I'll pull it out of my fly fishing cabinet and put it in my shaving travel Dop kit.



I'm still going to order a Swaty stone, but I might as well try this one as I already have it sitting around doing nothing. It even has a nice travel case with it, so it's good to go. It's amazing what you may already have stashed away somewhere that you have forgotten about.

-Zip

Originally Posted by ZipZop

Aloha!

I was holed-up in my hotel room yesterday afternoon and evening recovering from a 3:00 AM wake up call the morning before. I'm laying in bed relaxing and thinking about traveling with a Barber hone and it hit me that I actually had a travel hone. I used to be an avid fly fisherman and I rememberd that I bought a travel hone for fishing (blade and hook sharpening) from a fly fishing equipment store many years ago. It's actually a pretty good little travel natural stone manufactured under the brand name "Ocean Blue".

So I reasearched it online and sure enough, it got good reviews by gents using it for honing their straight razors. It's spec'd out at 12k grit but many are saying it is more like 8-10k grit depending on the actual stone you get. From memory, mine seems pretty fine, so it may be toward the 10k side. So when I get back home, I'll pull it out of my fly fishing cabinet and put it in my shaving travel Dop kit.



I'm still going to order a Swaty stone, but I might as well try this one as I already have it sitting around doing nothing. It even has a nice travel case with it, so it's good to go. It's amazing what you may already have stashed away somewhere that you have forgotten about.

-Zip

That should work as a barber hone with a good lather. I would recommend chamfering the edges of the stone and possibly burnishing it before trying it on your razor.

Originally Posted by kelbro

That should work as a barber hone with a good lather. I would recommend chamfering the edges of the stone and possibly burnishing it before trying it on your razor.

Thank you sir. Will do. Good tips.

-Zip

Originally Posted by ZipZop

Aloha!

I was holed-up in my hotel room yesterday afternoon and evening recovering from a 3:00 AM wake up call the morning before. I'm laying in bed relaxing and thinking about traveling with a Barber hone and it hit me that I actually had a travel hone. I used to be an avid fly fisherman and I rememberd that I bought a travel hone for fishing (blade and hook sharpening) from a fly fishing equipment store many years ago. It's actually a pretty good little travel natural stone manufactured under the brand name "Ocean Blue".

So I reasearched it online and sure enough, it got good reviews by gents using it for honing their straight razors. It's spec'd out at 12k grit but many are saying it is more like 8-10k grit depending on the actual stone you get. From memory, mine seems pretty fine, so it may be toward the 10k side. So when I get back home, I'll pull it out of my fly fishing cabinet and put it in my shaving travel Dop kit.

I'm still going to order a Swaty stone, but I might as well try this one as I already have it sitting around doing nothing. It even has a nice travel case with it, so it's good to go. It's amazing what you may already have stashed away somewhere that you have forgotten about.

-Zip

There was a thread here about that stone not so long ago if you're interested:

http://straightrazorpalace.com/hones...-blue-12k.html

A few folks here picked one up at the start of that thread. Most who used it reported pretty good results. Comparable to a good Cnat.

Originally Posted by Marshal

There was a thread here about that stone not so long ago if you're interested:

http://straightrazorpalace.com/hones...-blue-12k.html

A few folks here picked one up at the start of that thread. Most who used it reported pretty good results. Comparable to a good Cnat.

Mahalo Marshal, this looks like they are talking the full size stones.

My stone is a very small travel hone with case for putting in a a Dop kit (easily) as it really is small. Measures 4" x 1.6" x .6" so it's made for traveling. The thread you posted looks like they are talking about the larger table top honing stones. Still, same manufacturer (I would assume) so great info.

I'm looking forward to getting back home and pulling it out of the Fly Fishing mothballs cabinet and putting it to use as a Barber Hone. Although once I get a Swaty, I may put it back in the Fly Fishing gear again.

-Zip

-Zip

Yeah, most here picked up the larger bench stone size. But it should be same stone/same quarry. Only difference should be stone size and the usual variation from one natural rock to the next. A few guys did get a smaller one, I think they reported much the same - fairly good performance as a finishing stone.