Thread: Barber Hone worth repairing?

Just wondering if you think this Barbers Hone is restorable.

Brother in law picked me up this (and a sweet Boker) while antiquing, and new I liked wet shaving.

It`s got two major deep pips right on the sides. I`ve heard they`re very hard and don`t want to damage my lapping stones trying to chamfer the edges. I`ll probably carefully give it a go...

I`ll keep it for display anyway.

It;s usable as-is. Provided the anomalies are below the average surface level, they aren't going to have any effect on your razor. It's high spots that you'd need to worry about.

Certainly it is worth repairing. You can easily chamfer the edge with just a piece of sandpaper and just round out chamfer the chips by wrapping sandpaper around your finger. What is the condition of the back of the hone?

Back of the hone is about the same as the front, but not as deep.
Thanks for the help, I guess the chips are BELOW and not RAISED, as long as I smooth them out it should be fine.

Yes, the chips would be negative honing surfaces, but the reason you need to deal with them is the same reason you want to chamfer your edges. If you always did a perfect stroke and kept your blade perfectly flat on the hone, then you would not need to bother. The chamfering of the edges and chips is done to reduce the damage caused by a mis-stroke.

Originally Posted by MWS

Just wondering if you think this Barbers Hone is restorable.

Brother in law picked me up this (and a sweet Boker) while antiquing, and new I liked wet shaving.

It`s got two major deep pips right on the sides. I`ve heard they`re very hard and don`t want to damage my lapping stones trying to chamfer the edges. I`ll probably carefully give it a go...

I`ll keep it for display anyway.

If you take a big nail and worry the nicks you can reduce any edge that might catch a razor.
Same goes for an old worn out rat tail file.... The goal is not to eliminate the chip but
to soften and relieve the edge that can catch.

If you "Want" a chamfered edge look for a big old carborundum stone used by masons
to rub down uneven cement. Terrazzo workers... and the like.

Something like the Marshalltown 6 in. x 3 in. 20-Grit Concrete Rub Brick for $12 at
my local home depot will chamfer it as will a common brick or cement block.

Remember and be warned that barber hones were not intended to be lapped.
They may or may not be uniform inside and out. Pick the best side and
scrub it with a cleanser for sanitary reasons and audition an old razor or
two on it taking advantage of a magic marker. If it has a high gloss polish
from use just sanitize it with a bit of bleach and then rinse well and dry.

The gloss and polish is often but not always what makes folk believe they are fine as heck
so do not feel a need to blindly remove it.

I m by no means an expert...but I just recently lapped my hones, and I notice a Defiinate difference in performance.. Before it didn't seem to sharpen well. Now they give a smoking edge.

Originally Posted by Wintchase

I m by no means an expert...but I just recently lapped my hones, and I notice a Defiinate difference in performance.. Before it didn't seem to sharpen well. Now they give a smoking edge.

Tell us more -- what hones what razors.
In the end the only test is the shave test on your face.