Barber Hone Cleaning and Sterilizing

I briefly posed this question in another thread but wanted to give it it's own thread so it would get more attention.

Does anyone else here worry about pathogens in a vintage hone? I think of a scenario where a barber cuts a patron while shaving them then doesn't properly clean the razor before taking it to the hone. Assume said patron had a disease that was transferred to the hone. Given the porous surface of the hone, it seems like a good place for pathogens to live.

A follow up would be what is the best way to sterilize a vintage hone. I would think heating it up in water for a certain amount of time would be best. But would it ruin the hone? I think not since these hones are made under such extreme conditions.

I am only posing this possibly ridiculous question here because this is a forum for smart and stupid queries alike, so sorry if you find it a waste of time.

Hello. My name is Daniel, and I am a germaphobe...

To be honest you are indeed ridiculous, silly and a germaphobe indeed, listen to this:


STOP IT


There's not a chance in hell you can catch anything from a hone EVER. There's no need to even consider this.

throw it in a tub with some Water,add some bleach,let it soak overnight.
My stones are always under water with a little bleach added just to keep the water from smelling bad.
change it maybe once a month if I remember.

Ok, well a simple "No" would have worked, but thanks.

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Originally Posted by danxaz

Does anyone else here worry about pathogens in a vintage hone?

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Nope, I don't. It's a rock. Any cruddy looking hones I've bought got soap, water, and a scrub brush. It's worked so far. :D

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Originally Posted by Blix

To be honest you are indeed ridiculous, silly and a germaphobe indeed, listen to this:


STOP IT


There's not a chance in hell you can catch anything from a hone EVER. There's no need to even consider this.

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Thanks Blix for the tough love.

But really, not a chance..EVER?

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Originally Posted by pixelfixed

throw it in a tub with some Water,add some bleach,let it soak overnight.
My stones are always under water with a little bleach added just to keep the water from smelling bad.
change it maybe once a month if I remember.

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Interesting.

It is not a silly question really, but I daresay the chances of a hone either containing any pathogens, or passing them onto you via a honed razor, is so small as to be for all intents and purposes 0. It is all about risk assessment and management in my book - look to the higher risk phenomenon (like avoiding cuts) and manage those in proportion to their relative risk.

James.

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Originally Posted by danxaz

Thanks Blix for the tough love.

But really, not a chance..EVER?

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Well if an Aids, Ebola or Black Plauge patient bleeds all over it just before you hone your razor on it and cut yourself badly while shaving, you might catch something. But even in that worst case scenario you most possibly would not catch anything just by rinsing the hone in water before honing...
Germaphobia is just irrational , STOP IT (you should get the MAD TV reference by now) ;)

I disagree with all of you. The various disorders acquired from hones are well documented on this very forum.

HAD, for one, is worth mentioning.

One of the B-hones I acquired was a little cruddy on top so I used a cotton ball with 91% Isopropal alcohol that took some orange stuff of it. I fallowed that by with a glycerin shave soap lather painted on with a brush and smeared around with my hand. After that I rinsed it with plain old tap water. Good to go. I was worried about soaking something made of silicon carbide but Im tempted to try with my Alumine. Its fairly clean and doesn't suck up water like the carbos. Perhaps the aluminum oxide is denser.

To make absolutely sure, scrub the stone all around with the disinfectant of your choice then do it again with bleach, repeat as necessary.
Place stone in microwave on full whack for a half hour this will dry the stone off nicely and kill all the crafty germs lurking in the middle, then take your trusty DMT and lap a 1/4" off every side, just to be on the safe side.:rofl2:

just set it in a fire for about 25 min then drop it in ice water that will scock the germs and they will want to leave the area.



(this is a joke and deerhunter is by no means responsible for cracked or exploded hones that could result from doing this. so dont try it at home)

I have one thing to say to you'all...SUCK IT!:D

Blix, I never really got into Mad TV but I just Youtubed that sketch and I must say, well played.

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Originally Posted by danxaz

I have one thing to say to you'all...SUCK IT!:D

Blix, I never really got into Mad TV but I just Youtubed that sketch and I must say, well played.

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Haha awesome, you're a good sport.

Now best of luck, and don't worry about those germs, they are good for you... ;)

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Originally Posted by Deerhunter1995

(this is a joke and deerhunter is by no means responsible for cracked or exploded hones that could result from doing this. so dont try it at home)

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Unlike trick shots with sawed off shotguns! ;)

How about a good scrubbing with a stiff brush and some germicidal soap and call it good.

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Originally Posted by danxaz

I have one thing to say to you'all...SUCK IT!:D

.

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sorry bud get a gf for that, and in all honesty i dident mean be a smart a... but i had to when the other guys started that.

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Originally Posted by nun2sharp

Unlike trick shots with sawed off shotguns! ;)

How about a good scrubbing with a stiff brush and some germicidal soap and call it good.

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yea well we all have our clam to fame mine is just extremly dumb way, wait till my buddie gets another one hes looking at im gonna do one in each hand and touch them off.

It is possible to get infected by anything. The straight razor shaving needs a little more attention on this matter from the disposable ones, and germs are living everywhere including the hone and the razor. Our mysophobia made those germs dangerous. Every time we disinfect something, a few of them remain alive, because they have developed resistance on this disinfectant or higher temperatures. 50 years ago penicillin was able to kill every living microorganism. Today it's so ineffective that it's not even used. Before shaving, clean your razor with pure alcohol and everything will be fine.

There is a HUGE difference between "possible" and "remotely probable". It's "possible" to throw yourself at the ground and miss ... possible, but incredibly unlikely to the point it's never happened in recorded history. It's plainly not necessary to be quite so paranoid about the whole deal. Disposable razors are not even remotely sterile, either. If you want to be thorough when you first acquire a second hand razor or hone there's some merit to that, but before EVERY shave is just being excessive. Of course if you regularly insist on cutting HIV/HEP/Ebola/Staph/etc/all-of-the-above infected drugs users with your razors then those measures may be called for, but I would suggest you have far more weighty issues to consider if that's how you treat your blades. If you keep your razors to yourself then putting them away clean and keeping them dry is more than enough.

I have to agree.HAD is a very serious condition. After i bought my Naniwas i could feel it festering under my skin. It has only been a few months since i got the naniwas and have lost count how many hones i bought after them. HAD germs are not a laughing matter. Lol!

Getting rid of germs or any other micro-creatures, is really quite simple; just use the "salt" technique.
Sprinkle some salt on the hone and hide around the corner to watch. The little guys will get thirsty and head to the refrigerator for a beer. Sneak in and move the hone to another room. The germs will return and not be able to find the hone.
Problem solved!

Seriously now, you know that salt is one of the worst enemies of steel. It's a matter of hours before your razor becomes spoon that can't hold soup if it comes anywhere near salt. Salt actually kills microorganisms but it also destroys steel. Even stainless, it just needs more time.

Y'all are killing me.

really, any germ that could stick around after what could be deacades sitting on a stone is not going to be harmed by anything you could do to it. Most germs cant even survive outside the body for more than a few moments.

After you disinfect the hone, be sure to disinfect any surface that it, or it's packaging has come in contact with.
If any cleaning materials come in contact with other surfaces prior to going in an appropriately marked haz-mat bag, be sure to disinfect those surfaces as well.

It would be best to do this in a negative ventilation environment, and preferably in a class A suit, as the pathogens could potentially become airborne.

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Originally Posted by Vasilis

Seriously now, you know that salt is one of the worst enemies of steel. It's a matter of hours before your razor becomes spoon that can't hold soup if it comes anywhere near salt. Salt actually kills microorganisms but it also destroys steel. Even stainless, it just needs more time.

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Vasilis,
It's a joke ! ";"

Hop in...

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Originally Posted by osdset

To make absolutely sure, scrub the stone all around with the disinfectant of your choice then do it again with bleach, repeat as necessary.
Place stone in microwave on full whack for a half hour this will dry the stone off nicely and kill all the crafty germs lurking in the middle, then take your trusty DMT and lap a 1/4" off every side, just to be on the safe side.:rofl2:

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Wrong! If you remove 1/4" of material you will be exposing prehistoric pathogens that were included in the sediments when the stone was formed. :aargh:

rough crowd.....

"Now best of luck, and don't worry about those germs, they are good for you... "
Absolutely right!. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
I have to agree with the posters that say the risk is vanishingly small. If you're really really worried about it, a soak in some bleach water will take care of things.

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Originally Posted by nicknbleeding

I have to agree.HAD is a very serious condition. After i bought my Naniwas i could feel it festering under my skin. It has only been a few months since i got the naniwas and have lost count how many hones i bought after them. HAD germs are not a laughing matter. Lol!

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And here I though HAD was caused by a virus.

Be careful with the acidic and basic solutions same goes for the oxidants. They kill microorganisms, and your steel, especially a so thin edge. It reacts like powdered iron. In our case it might not be visible, but you will notice it when you start shaving.