Thread: Ok .. so this was left to me by Grandpa

..who was a barber during WWII.

Can anyone tell me if this is a water stone, oil, dry... etc? and if it's a certain grit/type? My Uncle told me Grandpa used to spit on it and sharpen his razor with it 40 years ago or so .. I tried to wet it some once, but the razor snagged a lot on it like it was dirty, or had oil or something in it??

Thanks!
Jeff

THere is ALOT of steel debres imbeded in it so it will need flattened/cleaned.

When you go to flatten it save the "dust" and see if it repells water. I'm sure others are better equiped to answer how to flatten a hone like that, not sure if they can be flattened the same way or not. I don't have one (yet).

Jeff,

Directions say it can be used wet or dry. A lot of guys like to use lather. Hopefully, no one has put oil on it.

Swaty's are ceramic barber hones and I've read estimates that the grit is anywhere from 6-12K. Mine seems to be around 8-10K.

Yours need to be lapped (flattened) and the edges need a slight bevel. There are numerous posts describing technique.

For starters: A flat surface is necessary. I got a piece of tile from Home Depot as someone suggested. Thick plate glass is even better. For Swatys, about 1000 grit sandpaper works well (as suggested by Randy Tuttle). A general approach is to draw about 1/2 inch grid lines on the hone with a pencil.

Lay the sandpaper on the flat surface and methodically 'sand' the hone until the pencil marks are gone. I dry sand mine because water smears the lines. I think common sense will help you determine if rubbing X's or whatever pattern of rubbing is getting the job done.

I would say that if 1000 grit doesn't get the stone flat, go to a 600 or 400 or whatever it takes to get the hone flat and any inclusions out. Check the surface with a hand lens, jeweler's loupe, etc. You should be able to see any metal particles remaining.

Go back to 1000 grit to smooth the finish.

A simple way to check hardness of a barber hone is to put a drop of water on the surface. It should bead up on your Swaty.

There are a lot of threads about barber hone use. It's generally accepted that they were intended as 'touch up' hones. Some members like them and some do not.

When yours is flat and edges slightly beveled, smear some lather on it and make a few passes with your own razor. Look at the edge before and after with magnification. Do you like the way it feels in your hand? Did it make a positive difference in the appearance of your blade? Do you need to practice more to be sure?

You've now got either a freshly serviced item of sentimental value, or a useful tool passed down from your Grandfather.

Regards

theres also someone on the forum you can send it to to have it lapped for $8.00. not a bad deal since barber hones are notoriously hard to lap flat

http://straightrazorpalace.com/showt...apping+service

Swatys are well known barber hones, in addition to all good advice you already got: many if not all have 2 sides: a coarser one and a finer one. Which is which is easy to tell with a magnifiying glass.

Kees,
That's an artificial razor hone. It's probably best off as a keepsake since it has your Grandpa's DNA embedded in it. If you do want to clean it, try oven cleaner spray. I have a few of these in my collection and don't like the way they don't hone a razor.