Thread: Fenslers Ruby hone

I just tried lapping one of mine and you're right. I forgot about that. This is odd because the hone feels soft when honing.

Will I be able to lap this hone with my Dmt8c and does this hone need to be soaked or can it be used dry?

Yes, you can lap it with your DMT8C, but it will take a while. You certainly don't need to soak this hone as it is non-porous. I do believe that you can use this one dry or wet, but water tends to bead off of it so I prefer to use diluted lather.

The instructions with mine recommend rubbing a little petroleum jelly into it thoroughly every few months. No need for water or oil, just make sure you use a little vaseline when it begins to dry...maybe every 3 months to a year depending on how much use it sees

What I've been doing with barber hones is scrubbing them to get any gunk off and not lapping them. I try them first and see if they work alright without lapping and in many cases they do. I don't like to take the original finish off. I use mine dry when I use them which is rarely.

For those that own one and have lapped them, does the hone load the lapping plate?

A shellac based hone is very light, feels nothing like stone, seems soft when using but is very hard to lap. Shellac based hones seem to load in random areas of the lapping plate though.

Chris L

Originally Posted by ChrisL

For those that own one and have lapped them, does the hone load the lapping plate?

A shellac based hone is very light, feels nothing like stone, seems soft when using but is very hard to lap. Shellac based hones seem to load in randome areas of the lapping plate though.

Chris L

Chris you got it dead on.

It loads my DMT8XX and everything you described fits it, so apparently this is a shellac based hone.

I had a hunch. I think you know what I'm talking about, Ron, but for those that aren't sure what I mean about "loading". Think of using a piece of sandpaper to sand some woodwork that is coated with urethane, etc. After use, you'll see some random areas where there are hardened built up bits that are elevated above the surface of the sandpaper and quickly reduce the effectiveness of the sandpaper.

I'm only taking a stab in the dark on this Ruby hone since I don't own one in regard to its composition.

Chris L

Originally Posted by JMS

I have one but it is rectangular. I also bought mine under PapaBull's suggestion. Cant say that I have had much luck with it but haven't gone all out in testing it either

Feel free to send it my way, I will be happy to test it out thoroughly for you.
And if you have not had much luck with it, you might want to be rid of such an unworthy chunk of space killing red rot before it brings bad juju your way.... Just sayin is all

A shellac based hone is best lapped by using a wet/dry sandpaper whetted with a lot of water, and keep it very wet.
Use very light pressure, almost none. It will take a bit of time to get it flat initially but it can be done. I have started with a 400 grit and see what rate of change you experience ,drop to a 220 only if necessary. The 220 will load up easier. If the sandpaper starts to load up then take a paring knife and scrape it off the sandpaper.

Hope this helps,