Thread: Finally got myself a real barber's hone

Hi All! I found a Velvet Edge (made in USA ) barber hone in a local flea market and picked it up. I plan on using it a a finishing stone after my Norton 4K/8K and as a general touch up stone. Will it be suitable for this? Does anyone have any experiencwe with this particular hone ( I see its not in the database yet)? Does anyone know how old it would be? How would it compare to a Swaty (which is what I was looking for when I found this)?

Sweeeeeeet

Originally Posted by AFDavis11

Sweeeeeeet

+1 on the sweetness.

If it is like my Velvet edge it is on a par with the 8K side
of my Norton and makes a nice touch up hone. Because
I hold my barber hone in my hand I feel as if I can give the
razor a lighter more compliant touch and the result is smoother than
if I set it down on the bench. Especially so when I touch
up using a bit of shave soap.

<opinion>
Do not lap a barber hone it unless it is a disaster....
</opinion>

Originally Posted by niftyshaving

<opinion>
Do not lap a barber hone it unless it is a disaster....
</opinion>

+1 on that..... just IMHO.

I like it. Looks to be in good condition.

compare to swaty velvet edge is fast cutter stone.will leave fine edge most likely 10_12k level.i have test couple of them.great stone to have congratulations

This might be a stupid question, but why would you not lap a barbers hone? Is it because lapping it would leave scratches or are they just too hard?

Lapping takes an awful lot of elbow grease.

Whether you lap or not should depend on how worn the hone is in my opinion. If it is flat and smooth, no need. The hone appears to be lightly used. Judging from the pix, I don't see a need to lap.

Thanks for all the respones. I was going to lap it until I read the comments so now I will wait and see how it works "as is".
It looks extremely flat to me (checking with a straight edge) and hopefully will not need it.