Thread: Swatty clean up

Originally Posted by 32t

What brand and style of hone?

Originally Posted by Utopian

In my opinion lapping a barber hone should be a last resort for a trashed, or very dished, hone. Leaving the original surface intact is more important than making it pristinely flat.


Those instructions are common but I am quite certain that those instructions are for refreshing, not lapping, the hone. Refreshing a barber hone is done when the surface has been burnished to a point where it is no longer cutting and then fine emery paper is used JUST ENOUGH to restore its cutting capacity. If it used more than that then significantly more and larger pieces of grit will be exposed and the hone will cut in a much more coarse manner than it should.

Here is one example that I believe backs Utopian's statement, if I read it right; see sentence # 5 & 6 of the instructions photo;

This is my two line, NOS, 8 inch Swaty that has never seen a razor

Originally Posted by Hirlau

This is my two line, NOS, 8 inch Swaty that has never seen a razor

Now that's just wrong. You need to rub something on that hone.

I suggest a razor!

I need to lap it first !!

There is only one response to that...

Both of my hones had minute gouges.

Originally Posted by jmercer

Both of my hones had minute gouges.

A lot of mine do too. Usually they are on the edge and I deal with them by wrapping sandpaper around a pencil and lightly softening the edges of the gouges. I consider the low spots to be negative honing spaces and of no consequence for the honing. I prefer leaving the gouges there rather than altering the surface of the hone.

Originally Posted by Utopian

In my opinion lapping a barber hone should be a last resort for a trashed, or very dished, hone. Leaving the original surface intact is more important than making it pristinely flat.


Those instructions are common but I am quite certain that those instructions are for refreshing, not lapping, the hone. Refreshing a barber hone is done when the surface has been burnished to a point where it is no longer cutting and then fine emery paper is used JUST ENOUGH to restore its cutting capacity. If it used more than that then significantly more and larger pieces of grit will be exposed and the hone will cut in a much more coarse manner than it should.

This is my take on it. The barber hones I got off eBay were in rough shape with chips and scratches going every which way. If the surfaces were smooth, I would've left them alone and used as-is.

I certainly have no objection to that strategy. I prefer to maintain the "sanctity" of the hone surface but if it has been trashed then of course that needs to be corrected.

Originally Posted by 32t

What brand and style of hone?

here it is. as i understand it, most hones were made by one company (american hone) so i would think the same type of hones would have the same rules. JMHO

i haven't lapped this one but i do have a swaty that i lapped and it seems to work fine.OTH i haven't tried one that hasn't been lapped for comparison.

TinTin,, that hone has a nice looking surface by the photo. If it were mine, I would not lap at. rub a little emery on it, maybe?