Thread: Why can't I find a brand new barber hone?

I am new to straight shaving, and brand new to honing. I am interested in a barber's hone as i have heard they are great for touch ups, which can make your edge last longer between bull honing sessions if done properly.

I would prefer a brand new, never used barber hone as I dont trust myself to lap a stone correctly, or even be able to identify a stone that needs to be lapped. but this seems like it is impossible to find.

are all barber hones vintage? do they not make them anymore? and if so, why? it seems as though there is at least a small demand for a brand new barber hone, but i cant seem to find one, am i missing something?

Also, if i am forced to go the vintage route, how would i identify a hone that needs to be lapped?

thanks everyone. the knowledge ive gained from this forum has made my shaving experience much more enjoyable, thanks for sharing!

james

There are no current mfgs of barber hones though a member here has been working on just that. He may eventually get up and running but is still in the experimental stages. NOS barber hones come up in the SRP classifieds and on the bay from time to time. As far as lapping, I hung out with old barbers in the 1980s, guys as old or older than my 63 years now. I picked up a few coticules, a barber hone , and some razors from them back then. I received instruction in honing/shaving and never once did any or the few that I was conversant with mention lapping a hone. I don't think they ever did that.

When I came around here I lapped some barber hones I had. I determined for myself that , in most cases, it is not necessary. Now I check them with a straight edge, maybe knock the corners and edges down with a diamond plate if they have chips, and clean them with dish soap and a nylon scrub brush. I prefer them with the factory finish. I may be right and I may even be wrong but that is my advice.

Hi James,

Spyderco make an ultra-fine hone that can be used for razors. One side of it appears a little roughly milled, but the other side is usually quite flat enough. Its inventor originally saw it as a modern barber hone.

However, why confine yourself to the unknowns of buying a used vintage barber hone (might need lapping - they are extremely hard to lap; lapping sometimes destroys the surface of some barber hones; you will not know the grit rating - could be anything from below 9k to around 12k - the upper ratings are rarer) when you can buy a new final polisher of known grit at a fair price? Lapping is not hard - plenty of advice here on how to do it - and if you get a stone that has a softer formulation like a naniwa superstone they are a breeze to lap. The Naniwas, incidentally, are very good value for money and the 10k or even the 12k would be the one to use in this instance.

Final polishing stones can be used for touch-ups in exactly the same way as the barber hones - you may need more laps (barber hones were fast - usually only half a dozen laps on a small stone) but you may find that the extra length of the stone more than compensates.

For what you have said you want, you don't even need a stone. Some green chrome oxide powder is cheap and worked onto a flat piece of balsa wood (plenty of articles here on how to do it) would serve you admirably, using 5 - 10 laps it is quick too!

Regards,
Neil

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

... I may be right and I may even be wrong ...

Wrong????

C'mon Jimmy, I don't believe it - that would be twice!

If you are currently using a norton 4K/8K to hone you can use the 8K like you would use a barber hone. Just wet it and do 2-10 strokes to touch up the edge

The problem with vintage barbers hones is that they were typically used to sharpen knives and who knows what! They are often dinged and scratched. Frequently, just the age and storage conditions makes the surface oxidize or become corroded or something and so aren't good for honing. Almost every vintage barbers hone I have purchased I felt needed to be lapped.

But, lapped can be everything from turning the surface into a scientifically flat surface with a DMT 325, or simply sanding by hand with sandpaper. Some has been said above about some fairly rudimentary lapping techniques, and I agree.

If you decide to do touch ups and a little bit of honing it's hard to escape the need for occasonial lapping. Fortunately lapping is really easy when you're all set up.

There are many fine synthetic and natural hones you can use for maintenance. Using a vintage barber hone is very traditional and suits the old razors we use. Barber hones usually take quite some effort to lap because of their hardness. So when you're looking for a used barber hone pick one that only has minor scratches and is not or hardly chipped. They are very common at ebay so don't fall in love with the first one you see. You can also keep an eye on the classifieds.

I used to actively collect barber hones. The best finds for me were usually at flea markets, antique stores, curio shops and similar. Some coin shops, especially in the smaller towns, have had razors and hones. It can be time consuming.

Just keep looking, you will eventually find one in good enough shape. No cracks, chips and etc.

This guy has some that have been lapped. I've been thinking about getting one.

Shaving Style - Razor Hones