Thread: If I were to buy just one hone...

I also am just keeping an edge and I have been using a 12k form SRD for about a year and half. Followed by the cloth side then the leather side of my strop, hope this helps.

Get a coticule! Leaves a fine edge, and there's room for rougher work. If you need any more refinement, diamond or CO on linen will do the trick. And coticules really aren't terribly expensive if you know where to look.

I suggest getting something which will provide excellent touch-ups and will be a fine finisher if/when you decide to jump in and hone from beginning to end. You simply cannot go wrong with a Naniwa 12k and you can recieve much more useful help in using it as to the consistancy, popularity, and familiarity of them. Pastes and naturals vary in applications and grit. Advise on them will be quite varied! Cost on a Naniwa 12k is also reasonable. JMHO.
Tom

Originally Posted by Disburden

I use a real Three line swaty which is like 8-10K level..and follow with cerium on linen.

If you search for Sham's thread "barber hone characteristics" You will find all kinds of grit ratings for old barber hones.

Panama and Lakeside barber hones are over 12K level, near 16K.

What is a three line swaty? I bought a swaty on eBay but haven't received it yet. Is there a way to tell what approximately the grit level is?

Originally Posted by Scookum

What is a three line swaty? I bought a swaty on eBay but haven't received it yet. Is there a way to tell what approximately the grit level is?

It's an old barber's hone that was made back in the day. It's called a three line because theres three lines of text on the stone that reads
"Franz Swaty,
Wahring Bei Wien,
(AUSTRIA)"

Copies were made and replicated to sell hones and say just "3 line swaty" on them ,etc and are not real swaty hones.
The way you find grit levels on a hone is to hone a lot on synthetic hones and find where the stone you are testing fits in the progression. This takes experience to know what you are looking at.

Originally Posted by Scookum

What is a three line swaty? I bought a swaty on eBay but haven't received it yet. Is there a way to tell what approximately the grit level is?

My understanding is that it refers to the number of lines of text stamped on the hone. For example, mine is a two-line:

Franz Swaty
Marburg Austria

As Swaty moved around and presumably changed their processes/formulae for making the things, their characteristics changed. Sadly, that's pretty much all I know about them, so hopefully someone much more knowledgeable than I will step in here...

EDIT: I see Disburden beat me to the punch. It's reassuring to know I wasn't out to lunch on this one.

Edit 2: lots of info here: http://straightrazorpalace.com/hones...aty-hones.html

Thanks for all the help guys. The 12k sounds like a good idea. Would like a barber hone but do you have to find a vintage one or is there a company that still makes barber hones? Do barber hones come in 3" wide. Want something wide enough for my blade so I don't have to do the x pattern while I learn to hone. Again thanks for all the advise guys

An X pattern is mandatory for honing. Watch some videos in the Wiki.
You can score a Naniwa 12k from Straight Razor Designs for a good deal

Assuming you are starting with a properly honed razor. The biggest bang for the buck, IMHO, for keeping a razor going is to use 0.1 micron CBN (Carbon Boron Nitride) on felt followed by 50 laps on leather strop. Using this setup like a barbers hone I am able to keep a razor at an extremely high level of keenness and smoothness for literally 6 months. The total setup will cost you about $60 USD.

Every couple of days I give my razor about 10 laps on the felt and then strop. About once a month, or when I still feel that there is a drop off in performance, I do 20 laps on felt, strop 50 laps, 10 laps on the felt and finally 50 laps on a leather strop.

CBN comes in a spray and a bottle literally will last years.





Take Care,
Richard

Originally Posted by Disburden

It's an old barber's hone that was made back in the day. It's called a three line because theres three lines of text on the stone that reads
"Franz Swaty,
Wahring Bei Wien,
(AUSTRIA)"

Okay, the photo of the Swaty stone I bought has those three lines of text, the second stone is a Swotstein and comes in a little box. I have no idea why I bought them as I have naniwas...I need help