Noob question about barber hones

Well, I've been lurking for a little while now so it is probably time to ask my first silly nooby question.

I have just ordered my first barber hone. Looking at these hones they all seem to have their brand name stamped into a third or at least a quarter of one side. To me this seems like it would make that side of the hone smaller and a lot less useful. Are you only supposed to use the other side of the hone or are the two sides for different things or what? Why wouldn't they put the stamp on the side of the hone?

I am probably missing something... But it just seems silly.

Not all of them had the name on the honing surface but IME most of them do. Some of them specify that one side is rougher than the other and should be used first. Whether they say so or not I believe they are meant to be used on both sides.

On those which have the names "stamped" on the front, I typically opt to lap and use tha backs. That is, for the single grit ones. I do this for the reason you mention - more honing space. It's not really much that is lost to the names, but given how short the hones tend to be it is a substantial percentage.

That said, I don't like barber hones in general because they are short.

Most barber hones that have two grits will be very obvious because the maker used grits of two different colors. Supposedly some of the imprinted barber hones that look to be homogenous somehow in some way still have two different grits. For the most part, because of the amount of time I have spent using them and looking at them under a microscope, I don't believe it. Regardless, in general the side with the imprint is considered to be the finer of the two sides if they do make that claim.

In general however, I think you're just fine with using the back side with the longer surface.

Also though, keep in mind that you should be using the X-stroke anyway so you really don't need a long honing surface. I've got some barber hones that are only three inches long and I can use them just fine.

If you'd like more specific advice, then please let us know what barber hone you ordered. A picture is also always appreciated since it might be one I don't have.

It is a sort of beige colour and has the word "Velvet" stamped in one end.

It is 5 1/16" long and 1 12/16" wide.

It seems in very good mint condition and the seller says it has been newly lapped, so hopefully it will do the job for me. I can take some pictures when it arrives (For some reason I have trouble cutting and pasting photos from ebay...)

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Originally Posted by holli4pirating

On those which have the names "stamped" on the front, I typically opt to lap and use tha backs. That is, for the single grit ones. I do this for the reason you mention - more honing space. It's not really much that is lost to the names, but given how short the hones tend to be it is a substantial percentage.

That said, I don't like barber hones in general because they are short.

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This is exactly what I do... I lap the back and use it that way unless they are two grit (two-toned as utopian mentioned).

Dave

Velvets are very good!

One thing has not been mentioned so far. The principal purpose of a barber hone is to "refresh" an edge that has begun to pull a bit.
They are not intended for restoring a antique store/ebay vintage razor.

There are exceptions to this. The "Little Devil" hone has a coarser grit that can take on more preliminary razor work. There are also some others whose name escapes me just now.


Just my $.02,:)

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Originally Posted by randydance062449

One thing has not been mentioned so far. The principal purpose of a barber hone is to "refresh" an edge that has begun to pull a bit.
They are not intended for restoring a antique store/ebay vintage razor.

There are exceptions to this. The "Little Devil" hone has a coarser grit that can take on more preliminary razor work. There are also some others whose name escapes me just now.


Just my $.02,:)

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Thanks. At the moment I might just want to do a very light touch up on my razor which is pretty close to being good to shave. I just feel the edge may have dulled a little from sitting unused for a couple of years since it was honed (By someone more knowledgeable than me)

I do think I want to have a go at restoring a razor or two in the future. I was thinking of getting a Norton 4K/8K for that. Do you think that would be the best choice to start with?

The Norton 4k/8k can be used for everything, but you may find yourself wanting a 1k before long. The Norton starter kit on Amazon is a great choice.

I used a swaty about a year ago to hone my grandfathers razor, it took me most of the night but in the morning I got a fair shave. He had been dead since '65. So what randydance says is true, its just for refreshing the edge unless you have nothing to do for days on end,

The Norton 4/8 has been my go to hone for a long time. Although I do have the Norton 1K it is no longer used. I use 1000 grit wet/dry sandpaper. Much faster cutting and easier on the edge than a DMT.....IMHO.

But... sandpaper is a bit of a PITA.

I have often thought that my 3 Line Swaty would be more effective if I would lap the bottom side of the hone to give it more honing surface. This thread is prompting me to think more seriously about it.

This particular hone is obviously the same on both sides so I will lap it with either a DMT 325 or a Carborundum 118S.

there is a reason barber hones made that size and type.
Most barber hones are very aggressive cutters.
for touch up purposes remember usually you don't have to do more then 4-6 strokes.
In this case in fact i don't think you should be worry about size of the barber hones.
hope this helps.

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Originally Posted by mrsell63

I have often thought that my 3 Line Swaty would be more effective if I would lap the bottom side of the hone to give it more honing surface. This thread is prompting me to think more seriously about it.

This particular hone is obviously the same on both sides so I will lap it with either a DMT 325 or a Carborundum 118S.

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Unless it has significant chipping, try just using it first. If it's loaded with gunk, clean it with oven cleaner first. I say this because it's always best to first try the original surface of the hone before irrevocably altering it by lapping.

I agree with all above. The Velvet is one of the really good barber hones, whose purpose is keeping, not getting, a razor sharp with minimal effort. If you want to sharpen razors, then you need alternatives and Nortons are excellent for that.

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Originally Posted by Utopian

If you'd like more specific advice, then please let us know what barber hone you ordered. A picture is also always appreciated since it might be one I don't have.

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Really? Seriously,what are the chances? You have the Noah's Ark of barber hones. That thing had at least 2 of everything.

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Originally Posted by HarleyFXST

Really? Seriously,what are the chances? You have the Noah's Ark of barber hones. That thing had at least 2 of everything.

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Hey, there are a lot of hones I don't have and pairing up the ones I do have has not lead to a single baby hone. I'm beginning to suspect that's not how new hones are created.

Most of the barber hones were manufactured by the same company out in Iowa and this woman there had the formula's for making them in her head and when she died the company pretty much closed down.

I used to have alot of those hones but pretty much got rid of them. I kept just one a swatty but I was never a fan of barbers hones anyway. The little devil is actually good to lap the other hones. A good example of a two sided hone is the peaches and cream.

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Originally Posted by Utopian

Unless it has significant chipping, try just using it first. If it's loaded with gunk, clean it with oven cleaner first. I say this because it's always best to first try the original surface of the hone before irrevocably altering it by lapping.

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I agree, first.....clean it and try it. Lapping a Swaty is a real bear to accomplish and not much, if anything, is gained.