QUESTION ABOUT HONING /BARBERS HONE

[thewatermark]

Okay, so i was wondering if i got a new razor and shaved with it then eventually it starts to tug 6 or so months later and needs to get touched up , i would use a swaty or a barbers hone, so then how often would i need to actually hone up the razor like with the norton ect.? i just got a new dovo so dont need to do any of this but was just curious, thanks

[MrDavid]

Should be just about never. Once I have a razor honed (by someone else; I don't have the experience or equipment to do this myself), I'll touch it up on a barber's hone every six-eight weeks to refresh it. Unless I chip one of my blades, I doubt I'll ever send them out for re-honing.

[holli4pirating]

MrDavid is right. So long as your razor doesn't need too much work, a barber hone will keep it shave ready. Using a barber hone is "actually honing" your razor.

[Joed]

Yep, +1 on what Dave and Holli said. The Norton 8k can be used for touch ups but with a good barber's hone you may get better results at a lesser cost, just for touch ups. Nortons and other hones discussed here on SRP, other than Barber's hones, are used to put the initial bevel and finished cutting edge on a razor.

To go a step further a coticule hone can be used for touch ups using water only and full honing using slurry but the cost may be a bit more. May be worth some research though. In the end you can live very happily with a Swaty Barber's hone, if you don't develop HAD.

[thewatermark]

cool, well then its just a matter of me winning a swaty on the bay, and i should be set , thanks yall

[JimmyHAD]

cool, well then its just a matter of me winning a swaty on the bay, and i should be set , thanks yall

Another member who used to rely on barber hones was Utopian. He posted more than once that he maintained a number of straights for 4 years with only a couple of barber hones. If you are going for a Swaty on the bay try for one that isn't too chipped up. A little edge chipping can be lapped off but if it is a deep chip it may interfere with your honing and be too deep to get rid of.

[holli4pirating]

Also keep in mind that while Swaty is a well known name, they are not the only great barber hones out there, and the name can easily drive up the price. Hi_bud_gl started a thread about lots of different barber hones and what they are like, and he's also extremely knowledgable about barber hones. I'd suggest checking that thread and/or shooting him a PM to see if he could recommend a good one.

Maybe a good Wiki entry would be a few barber hones that are fine and fast cutters so that new guys will have a place to look for suggestions.

[JimmyHAD]

Also keep in mind that while Swaty is a well known name, they are not the only great barber hones out there, and the name can easily drive up the price. Hi_bud_gl started a thread about lots of different barber hones and what they are like, and he's also extremely knowledgable about barber hones. I'd suggest checking that thread and/or shooting him a PM to see if he could recommend a good one.

Maybe a good Wiki entry would be a few barber hones that are fine and fast cutters so that new guys will have a place to look for suggestions.

+1, very true, I think this is the thread here.

[nun2sharp]

I used a barbers hone for years before I found SRP and all it entails. RAD, HAD, etc.

[thewatermark]

yeah i def check his thread out thanks