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Has anyone tried circles on a barber hone?
I am wondering if anyone has tried this and on what
type of barber hone.
I ask because I have a potato chip of a WB razor
that does not lay flat on a big hone but seems to
like my small carborundum brand barber hone. Parts
of the edge are not yet well tamed yet and I was pondering
ways to make a good shaver out of it.
I played around with it a while back on a long Swaty that I had. I found that it worked quite well, so long as I ensured I totally replaced the random scratch marks from the circles with regular scratch marks from X stroke when I finished the razor.
I also tried it on a C12k to cut down on the lap count, but here the scratches were too fine for me to see with the naked eye so I'm not totally sure what happend on that front. Regardless, the results were quite nice.
I've had nice results on a 2" wide finishing hone doing conservative circles to refresh an edge. Shaved like new. Don't know what potato chip means but the razor in question was 13/16th. It laid flat, however. I would think rolling strokes/x-pattern are important for getting the entire edge actually honed.
There is a stroke that has an almost full circle at each end of the hone and then an X stroke in the middle...I have used this on Barber hones to great success, there was a vid of an old barber using it on a Coticule on here...
If I were going to name it, I would call it a Pigtail...
This one?
YouTube - Razor Sharpening
Quote:
Originally Posted by gssixgun
I never get tired of watching that video. The thing that is unique about it, to me anyway, is that I don't get any sense at all that he is honing the razor. Instead, it looks more like he is shaving the hone! I often try to remember this difference when I am doing finishing strokes at the end of honing.
Thank you Ben that is the one, exactly....
I think you can do circles on the barber hone without any problems. Sometimes I will do 20 circles on each side followed by 5-10 X strokes on finishing hones when a razor is almost there. I have done the same thing with barber hones with varying degrees of success. Definitely worth trying.
Have fun,
Lynn
I've used them on a Swaty, Frictionite 00, Dubl Duck, Apart, and a couple of others.
I reserve circles for removing steel faster than a straighter stroke will. That means I only use circles on a barber hone if I believe that it will be quicker than breaking out (and then cleaning up) a somewhat coarser hone to do the same work. That doesn't happen very often; but it does happen.
In watching the video, I get the impression that the intent of the circle stroke is not so much a honing stroke so much as a redistribution of the slurry across the width of the hone following the x-stroke.
Any opinions?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Utopian
HUGE +1
I agree, but it also works on the Barber's hone with Shaving Lather... That was how I ended up trying it, I saw the vid and then put 2 n 2 together and thought it would work to keep the Lather on the Barber's hone too....
Thanks Glen for stating the obvious that wasn't obvious to me. I did NOT put 2 and 2 together. I've been using barber hones for several years now and probably first saw that video at least two years ago but I never made the connection. I guess it's time I start using barber hones the right way now!Quote:
Originally Posted by gssixgun
Thanks Ben, for the great video and Glen for mentioning it in the first place. As a honing greenhorn, I've wondered what the cirlce is that I've read about in various threads but haven't been able to find in the wikis. There's nothing like an actual visual demonstration.
The circle stroke in that video is not the circles that are constantly being discussed lately. For an "actual visual demonstration," click on the Webcast button in the toolbar at the top of the forum webpage. You will see Lynn's demonstration of honing including the circles.Quote:
Originally Posted by leadduck
Well pigtails with lather it will be...
When I said potato chip I should just say warped
blade. If I lay a straight edge near the sharp part
there is clearly a warp. On one side I can see
an air gap.
The spine has problems that are less clear.
I think it has been over honed to flatten the warp
and that made it worse. At this point the
goal is to sharpen it, not correct it....
Some days I wish someone had a micro TIG welder to
rebuild the spine with.
The carborundum hone I am working with
is a No. 102 hone and is about 1.5" (3.75cm) x 4" (10cm).
It is thin enough that I get a local alignment of the spine
and edge.
I ended up using the side of a Velvet Edge barber hone.Quote:
Originally Posted by niftyshaving
The warp and previous honing gave it a terrible bevel.
So lots of laps on the thin edge of a barber hone seems
to have put an edge on it. Finished with 2μ diamond
on leather followed by 0.25μ diamond on leather,
clean canvas, clean leather.
I am still not happy with the edge but it is much
improved...
I think he may also be removing any burrs that may be dangling on the edge.Quote:
Originally Posted by Utopian
No doubt that motion would remove a burr but I doubt he'd be producing a bur on a coticule. I've never been able to find any evidence of a bur on a razor.
Just an idea, maybe someone can email the gentleman and find out.
I've used circles on the courser side of a two sided barber hone.
This Pigtail stroke also works very well on the Japanese hones for working the slurry.. If by chance you like that technique of honing... Just like this guy is using it on the Coticule...
I bet most anyone that sees it and uses J-Nat's has already realized it though..:)