Thread: Just got my Barber Hone, now some questions...

I just picked up a "Genuine Sunasack Razor Hone" on the bay. Irwin Leather Goods, Co.; Chicago USA is printed on the box. It is a fairly standard hone - 5.5 in long and looks to be about 2 inches wide. The hone is in near new shape with no nicks, chips or scratches. It is perfectly flat and looks brand new.

Unfortunately, no directions were in the lid. A look at the stone has a decal on the side to "Use this side first, then use this side". It is obviously a two sided barber hone. Now for the questions:

Does anyone know anything about this hone? A Google search of Sunasack turns up strops, but no hones. Nothing comes up for Irwin Leather Goods in Chicago.

I am guessing that I would most likely use water and not oil on this stone. Would that be a fair assumption?

How many passes would I make on each side? Lynn's video talks about 5 passes for a barber hone, but doesn't mention a two sided barber hone.

Thanks for the help in advance!

I would use a double sided stone the same way be it coticule/BBW, norton 4k/8K or barber hone.

5-6 strokes on the fine side when the razor starts to pull, when a couple of sets of 5-6 no longer brings the edge up to snuff then just do 5-6 on the coarse side followed by 5-6 on the fine and strop. YMMV

I believe you could do 4-6 laps on the fine side and then a thorough stropping when the time comes. You can probably bypass the "coarser" side altogether. Experiment with it and learn the hone.

You never know about those old barbers hones. You just need to use it to determine it's grit level.