Thread: question about new barber's hone

Hi everyone, I have some questions about a hone that I just purchased. I have attached the link to the ebay here (in case you need pics):

MINT VINTAGE CARBORUNDUM STRAIGHT RAZOR SHARPENING HONE - eBay (item 170616996733 end time Mar-24-11 17:12:55 PDT)

I have been reading for a while about honing technique, and I purchased this one just to refresh the edge of my razor when it is needed. I have read that I should lap the hone and feel comfortable with the method. Other than lapping, is there anything else that you all would recommend I do before I use it for the first time? I've read stuff about vaseline, cooking in vaseline, etc etc and I don't want to start off my honing experience by screwing up my new hone (kinda like I did with my strop! haha). Thanks for any advice and help!

josh

I wouldnt even bother lapping it. Put a bit of your lather on it, do 5 strokes on your razor, strop.

thank you very much for the response and expertise! much appreciated!

agreed. unless there is some damage to the hone that actually affects your ability to hone on it (most scratches shouldnt matter; you can probably tell if they have any effect by the feeling when you hone on it), or a manufacturing problem like an uneven surface, it should be good to go.

i have no experience with carborundums, but i hear some are softer than others (different model numbers). most barber hones are pretty hard and dont require lapping frequently, if at all.

some barber hones will get glazed, and as a result will cut slower and finer. if it is too glazed it will cut too slowly, so at some point it may require cleaning. while lapping is one way of providing a fresh surface, other people will have other ways of cleaning a glazed surface im sure.

if the thing looks fine (no major damage) go ahead and try it, see how it feels. if you want to check if its flat without lapping it (which will show you what the high spots are as you lap them away, but once you start youll probably want to finish) take a straight edge (not a razor, but some actual straight edge as a reference) and pass it over the surface in all orientations to see if there are any hills, dips, warps etc. this test is only as good as your edge is straight in the first place, but good enough is good enough.

its entirely possible that we are more picky about how flat our hones are then we used to be. blame our precision crafted dmt plates, and our _belief_ that it matters v.s. our _experience_ that it only matters so much. lots of coticule users for example lap infrequently, only when it gets noticably dished, and at least some coticule users from decades past kept using their coticules long after they were dished. they didnt lap them, didnt throw them out, didnt stop using them. this kind of wear may be a little different then some kinds of manufacturer error you may encounter with some barberhones. because its the normal wear of the razor on the stone by the stroke used, the razor and the stone can still make natural contact if the stroke isnt significantly altered. i guess if the stones new owner somehow has a wildly different stroke there may be more need to lap such a hone.

i hope you dont mind the ramble, and i hope this helps.

absolutely helpful, thank you!