Thread: Buying a hone on the web?

That's really a pretty good deal, Jimmy.

Superfly (?) got his norton 4/8 cut in half by a masonry shop because the size was so unnecessary for him, but that set saves the trouble and you get more material for the price.

Besides, it pays to learn how to use thinner hones because all of the high end finishing stones don't come in a 3" width. Or if you do find them that big they are much more expensive.

Originally Posted by JimmyH-AD

I went for the Norton narrow set of three seen here . They are great for smilling blades and those old Sheffields that are a bit warped. I use the rolling X that Russel posted a thread on some time back.

I beat you. I got the four stone set because the 220 is great for clearing metal when the blade has large nicks in it. Before getting this set, I often used to hone on the EDGES of my standard Norton hones. Actually, come to think of it, I kinda miss doing it that way. It certainly keeps you careful to keep the blade flat when your hone surface is only an inch wide.

Anyway, I think that is a great set and find them to be extremely handy for problem blades.

In a logical thought process you are correct. What your missing is the pressure used at each stage of the stroke. Many of us have noted that the heel of the blade gets sharper faster despite its being on the hone the least!
But... I also do not like the 2" wide hones. I prefer either a 3" wide single grit hone that is 1" thick so I can use either a rolling X stroke on the 3" surface or use the 1" side of the hone.... or... a narrow hone, 1"-1.25 " inch. The narrow hone accomadates a wider range of edge shapes, especially those with a pronounced "smile" or a slight warp.

I spoke with Superfly ( Nenad) recently on Skype and he said that when he used the narrow Norton that he had cut it was much, much better for honing his razors. He had a 3" wide combo hone that he cut in half lengthwise.

BTW, some of the old barber manuals also suggest using compensating strokes for the heel and toe to even out the wear. They used 2" wide barber hones also, but not exclusively.



Just my two cents,