Thread: Franz Swaty hone, Austrian

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Well a literary quote is as good as a comparison with speaker cable AFAIC. When people who have been honing razors for years, with many different rocks, say there is a difference between the results depending on which rock is used, I would give them the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps yours is a more inquiring mind.

And I know enough about confirmation bias and the kinds of failures in perception and thinking that everyone is subject to, that I am skeptical of claims made with out proper data.

For example look into Dr. Nicolas Gonzalez he has an alternative treatment for pancreatic cancer than upon proper testing at best does nothing to lengthen patient lives and only lowers their quality of living. Of course this actual data did nothing to discourage people from seeking his treatment or for him to provide it.

link

He is a doctor he knows what he is doing right?

Or how about all the doctors who deny that HIV causes AIDS? They are doctors after all they went to school for years and have practiced medicine for many years as well, they must know what they are doing right?

Do what you want to do, but your reasoning and rational is very weak. The thing is that these same poor reasoning abilities do kill people, and while here all you might be doing is wasting your money.

Originally Posted by PonderingTurtle

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Or how about all the doctors who deny that HIV causes AIDS? They are doctors after all they went to school for years and have practiced medicine for many years as well, they must know what they are doing right?

Do what you want to do, but your reasoning and rational is very weak. The thing is that these same poor reasoning abilities do kill people, and while here all you might be doing is wasting your money.

I know little or nothing about doctors or medicine. I do know a little bit about honing and shaving with straight razors. One thing I've learned is the way an edge honed on an Escher feels on my skin and it feels better than one honed on a barber hone. I know, from my own experience that a Swaty works well to touch up a razor that I find not as sharp as I'd like it to be while I'm shaving.

I didn't read this in a book or on a forum but found these things out as a result of hands on honing and shaving. I don't need any blind testing to confirm the results beyond my own personal experience. I won't draw any more analogies nor argue the point any further. (refer back to the literary quote in my previous post) Enjoy your shave however you decide to hone your razor.

I got in the Franz Swaty stone today, nice shape, nice and flat. Also, along with it was an Emerald Pike. Very nice flat stone, but defenitely emerald green. Anyone ever heard of them?

Back on track of the OP, me, the Franz Swaty might be alright as a touch up stone, but that would be about the limit of it's use? What about the Pike Emerald Green stone I also got in this deal? It is about the same size as the Swaty, but says "Emerald" on it and it defenitely is green. Are both the Swaty and Pike used with water? They both have some minor chips around the edge of the hones in places, should I pay them no heed or do I need to do someting about rounding the edges a bit?

Originally Posted by Gibbs

Back on track of the OP, me, the Franz Swaty might be alright as a touch up stone, but that would be about the limit of it's use? What about the Pike Emerald Green stone I also got in this deal? It is about the same size as the Swaty, but says "Emerald" on it and it defenitely is green. Are both the Swaty and Pike used with water? They both have some minor chips around the edge of the hones in places, should I pay them no heed or do I need to do someting about rounding the edges a bit?

Barber hones were made to touch up a razor's edge. Not to finish a razor in the same way that a Naniwa 12k does. OTOH, when I got started I had a the Norton starter set and a Swaty. At that time in SRP a lot of guys rated a Swaty at 10 or 12k, I have no idea if that is accurate. One way or the other I would do pyramids and 'finish' on the Swaty with water only. Seemed to be alright but as soon as I got a high grit sure enough finisher I relegated the Swaty to a touch up stone. A Swaty, according to the instructions that came with the hones, can be used dry, with water or lather, or with "Swaty Oil". Probably a thin honing oil.

I always round edges but chips can be ignored if they don't make contact with the edge of the razor. I don't know anything about the Emerald Green stone. Pike made good synthetics so it is probably a decent touch up stone. All you can do is try it and see what your results are. If you are lucky it will be the equivalent of a $100.00 bottle of wine instead of a pint of Night Train.

Originally Posted by Gibbs

Back on track of the OP, me, the Franz Swaty might be alright as a touch up stone, but that would be about the limit of it's use? What about the Pike Emerald Green stone I also got in this deal? It is about the same size as the Swaty, but says "Emerald" on it and it defenitely is green. Are both the Swaty and Pike used with water? They both have some minor chips around the edge of the hones in places, should I pay them no heed or do I need to do someting about rounding the edges a bit?

You CAN do more extensive work with a barber hone. In fact, you can go all the way from setting a bevel with one, but that is not its intended purpose. Its strength is in maintenance of an already sharp edge. That pretty much applies for most barber hones.

I have no experience with the Emerald hone. Most barber hones are to be used with water or lather, though some do better when used dry. The Swaty is not porous, so water beads up on it and is easily pushed off the hone. By adding just a little lather to the water on the hone, surface tension is broken and water is evenly distributed on the hone.

Chips can be problematic if they are on both sides of one face of the hone. If chips are only on one side then they will not impact honing if the chipped side is positioned away from your honing hand. If chips are on both sides, then you might need to deal with them. Using sandpaper, just chamfer the edges of the hone along its long sides and chamfer the edges of the chip as well. For smaller chips, wrap the sandpaper around a pencil, using either the shaft or tapered part of the pencil depending on the size of the chip.

Edit: Sorry for the post redundancy with Jimmy's. I started to respond and then walked away for a while. Jimmy, if you send me both bottles, with the labels removed but coded by you, I will test both bottles for the sake of science.

Thanks Ron, and Jimmy! Ron, you forgot I have a 1" X 30" belt sander, so I can probably put on a 120 or 220 grit, and kiss the edges of the stones. They both have those small "flakes". Kind or reminds me of when I flint knap, and I purposedly try to strike a flake across the stone face.

I'll try and find some more info on that "Pike Emerald" I can take a picture if you want. when wet it is really green.

I also have a Belgian yellow Coticule slurry stone. It makes a milk white slurry when I rub it on a stone. A light skim of garnets wouln't hurt anyting now would it?

Sure, you can smooth the edges with the belt sander. On the edge of the belt, you can probably smooth out the interior of any chips so no need for the pencil.

If it's convenient, pictures are always appreciated.

Are you asking about slurry on top of the barber hone? Honestly, I've never tried that, so I'm not sure how it will go. Barber hones are already fast for touch ups, but I suppose it might help if you really wanted to play with one for bevel setting.

Originally Posted by Gibbs

I got in the Franz Swaty stone today, nice shape, nice and flat. Also, along with it was an Emerald Pike. Very nice flat stone, but defenitely emerald green. Anyone ever heard of them?

Vern I can't help with the Pike either I am sorry. I have a red one called a 'Pike Handihone' that I have seen sell occasionally for quite high prices but I do not rate it much higher than about 8k.

Just purely out of interest, have you attempted to lap your Swaty yet?

When I lapped mine it felt a lot like this

Originally Posted by MykelDR

Just purely out of interest, have you attempted to lap your Swaty yet?

When I lapped mine it felt a lot like this

By lapping you mean using my razor on it? If that is the question, then yes. If you mean have I put it on a flat stone with a lapping screen to get it absolutely flat, that answer is no. If you are meaning, did I "lap" it, like like it with my toungue, that is yes.. it is chocolate.