Thread: Dull a la Barber Hone

Thanks, Josh. Do you think I should tape the spine? BTW the edge is not rough according to my (1st attempt) at a thumbnail test. The edge doesn't feel tooooo far out of line either IMO. I'll try a few more times and we'll see. PS Will a good Barber's Hone get a new Wapi shave ready? HeeHeeHee. I may have a couple coming from our Polish friends.....If not would a combo x/12k Japanese Waterstone do the trick (less than half the Norton 4/8 price).

I don't think it's necessary to tape the spine. When I'm restoring a trashed edge, I'll tape because my 1200-grit hone will rip metal off like nobody's business. That way I can worry about the edge and not think about the spine.

A barber hone will wear the spine very slowly, and by not taping I think you'll get a better feel for how the razor should feel on the hone.

If the razor passes the thumbnail test, a barber hone should do the trick eventually. They can be a little tricky to use, though, and I only got the hang of them after making some strides on the Norton...

I've never tried a 12K waterstone. There seem to be both cheap and very expensive versions; the expensive ones have gotten good reviews from some of the members here.

On the Wapis, a barber hone may do the trick, but some of them come with small nicks in the edge. You'll grow a long beard trying to get one of those out with a barber hone...

Good luck,
Josh

Thanks for the info once again! I'll let you know how it goes.