Thread: hone ID help

Just picked up these hones yesterday. I do not know anything about them, I dont know anything about razors or shaving. So here I am to ask the experts for help, please.

The one on the left is marked Franz Swaty, the one next to it is in a box with "N" logos all over it but it is not marked. The rest are unmarked.

I took 3 pics of the hones including front and back and then a side shot.

Requesting assistance with identification of the hones and also want to know if they have any sort of value or are they just junk?

Thank you!
-Ben

The top one is a barber hone, and the last three are coticules. The other one I'm not sure. Looks like 3 and 4 are natural combo coticules too. It's too bad that they all seem to be used up.

Doesn't seem to be much left of the coticules , but if they can survive some lapping, there might be some life left in them.

I will try to explain in detail as you stated your not familiar at all with Hones.

The yellow side on the coticules are what people use, the grey side is just glued on to give you somethng to hold on too and add stability. Part of the process to using a hone is to lap the yellow side. Generally in these modern days we all like to keep them flat. So the act of flattening those stones to make them flat will remove all or most of the yellow.

Which makes these almost ready for the junk drawer,

Of course there are different strokes for different folks and someone might be out there who likes the curved(dished) yellow side. But even then, they might only have a few months of life left in em''

The first 2 coticules look like natural combos to me...the middle one appears to have some life left in it possible...the others with all the cracks...umm nope.
The combos will have Belgian Blues on the other side (about 4k range) and the 3rd appears to be the same...kind of a purple looking stone that will make a pinkish slurry.

1st stone is a barber hone 2nd is a india stone not for razors and the last three are coticules