Thread: Hone of the Day

Refinished my 5/8 Hibbert, Spencer, and Bartlett with koma and tomo on a nice karasu.

This razor has a story with it. When I was a teenager (I am almost 60 now) and before I could drive, I took a bus to downtown Knoxville and bought a 5/8 Robert Klass from a store called United Merchandise which was in business for decades in Knoxville. They were a combination knife, razor, junk, pawn shop, etc, but a good reputable store with an enormous inventory of almost everything new and used. Couldn't afford new? They had a used one. If you still had a problem they'd finance.

In those days, all I had were some Arks that weren't well matched, unlapped, and in 1972-ish, there was no support for learning to hone like there is now. I learned pretty quickly that under those circumstances and late to work, that straight was not the best tool. So eventually the Klass went into the medicine cabinet for decades and eventually succumbed to rust while I was busy with school and work.

When I got back into straight shaving 6-7 years ago, I began looking for a straight on eBay since there was an enormous selection, and I chose the HSB as my first straight after the Klass. Why? I am a University of Tennessee grad so the orange and white scales sealed the deal after the blade looked good! I began to learn razor honing with it and the JNats I had for my Japanese kitchen knives.

I prefer 11/16-13/16 blades now so the HSB doesn't get a lot of face time, but I honed 'er up and had a wonderful shave with it this morning!

Cheers, Steve

No photo but I touched up the Hayashi on my Shapton 12k last night (1st time)

I surprised myself in that:
a. I didn't screw it up, and
b. I had a brilliant shave this morning.

Two Sheffileds that I had fun with

I went Chosera 1-5-10

Then I used the Crushed Coticule slurry as a finisher with both, have been using that idea now and then gives a nice smooth shaving edge


Older J. Barber



Hollow Grind Bengall




Get yer Hone On !!!

A friend in France sent me this reed knife to hone. He is new to straights and I've been helping him learn to hone them. But he already owns JNats and a full line of Shapton Glass and other synths to hone these knives, so he is not new to honing. I think he sent me this as punishment lol.

A reed knife is used to shape and finish the reeds in woodwind instruments, and he is an oboe player and both makes reeds from scratch as well as shaping commercial reeds for himself and others. The knife is Japanese bi-metal construction and is flat on the back side. There are different kinds of reed knives just like knives and razors, western and Japanese, and he is very knowledgeable about them and which styles are best for specific materials and instruments.

I just received it yesterday and so have been feeling out all the basics, how to hold it, getting my rhythm (think 'wax on wax off'), and playing with the pressure. One thing that's taken some getting used to is the large amount of 'suction' both on the the bevel and the flat back. I'm not sure it's gotten sharper yet, but it is an interesting experience for sure!

Another difference is that there is an aspect to the appearance that needs to be reckoned with, the stones need to be very pure. Any 'rogue' grit will affect the appearance of the metal and so honing one of these seems to share some aspects of sword polishing. I've never polished a sword, but have polished a few knives. Polishing metal with JNats a painstaking process, and when you have several days or more invested, an impure stone at the end will make you swear!

Cheers, Steve

Just a touch up on the gok 20k, 3:1then1:1. Then Nakayama kiita water only, 1:1 for about five laps.
Kanayama shell only to follow resulting in a wonderful shave.
The edge I can get from this Inoue Tosuke is phenomenal. The kanji on the box that come with it says " inoue tosuke put his heart and soul into making this razor." (Translated by Jim R)
I can definitely say this is my favourite kamisori even including my iwasakis.



Thats not hone wear and the bevel is barely visible : )

Originally Posted by markbignosekelly

Attachment 236977

Just a touch up on the gok 20k, 3:1then1:1. Then Nakayama kiita water only, 1:1 for about five laps.
Kanayama shell only to follow resulting in a wonderful shave.
The edge I can get from this Inoue Tosuke is phenomenal. The kanji on the box says " inoue tosuke put his heart and soul into making this razor." (Translated by Jim R) I can definitely say this is my favourite kamisori even including my iwasaki.

Attachment 236982

Thats not hone wear and the bevel is barely visible : )

the attachments are not working , but apparently they are working in quoted text

Little Morris 4/8 Prosperity Wedge ...1k,4/8k,12k, and finished on the Guacamole 20k for a sweet BBS three pass.

Busy night. 5 blades. 4 from bevel up after cleaning and one touch up. 4 for bevels were Torrey the artist, HM Christensen, Marx & Co and a Gold Dollar(doing double duty first buffer practice now for a local new guy who doesn't have a razor). Touch up was a Giensen and Forsthoff adoration. Bevels set on Chosera 1k then naniwa ss 3, 5, 8, 12 and 10 laps on crox paddle(Marx only to 8k as will go to jnat later). The adoration still has the factory bevel and has only had 1 previous touch up on the dd barber hone it came with. Did 8, 12 and crox.

That Adoration is a nice razor...

Good job!

Watch the Old Timers Drool


Four Wapinenicas all SFK stamped
And out of those horrendously un-balanced Steel Scales

Chosera 1-5-10 Finished to a silky smooth shave on a Chinese Guangxi Waterstone (PHIG)




Remember the good ole' days of Stamps222 and these razors on E-bay

Hone On Gents