Thread: first hone

Hey all,

I've been looking on ebay for barber hones as a first hone to use for touch ups and maintenance of a shave ready blade. I bought this one yesterday:

Antique Carborundum Razor Hone in Original Box - (eBay.ca item 180319975381 end time 17-Jan-09 23:28:15 EST)

It looks to be pretty old, but in good shape. Probably a little more coarse and porous than a SWATY or the like. Any comments?

Cheers,

Xander

That should be a great hone. Run your fingers over the surface and assess it's condition. It should be relatively flat and without chips. Also make a note of the general "grittiness" of the surface. If the hone feels very smooth it is probably a slow cutting carborundum and better for beginners. A coarser feel means that it is a "fast" hone. Faster cutting hones are better for more experienced users as they cut faster and can alter the edge of the blade, either in a good way,or bad, in a very short period of time with considerably fewer strokes. Barbers like fast hones as they can get a razor done faster of course. If the hone is a slow cutter it will take quite a bit longer to get the same results, but at the same time you are less likely to screw up the edge.

Just follow the directions in the "Honing and Stropping" section of the Thorpe barber manual found in the "Help" section here on SRP and you should do fine.


Scott

i have never used carborundum hone.
i hope i won't hurt your feelings.
the reason you buying this hone is touch ups then you got wrong hone.
i heart people says carborundum hones are course for touch ups you need barbar hones.hope this helps

Just to be sure there is no confusion - carborundum hones were made in both fine (slow cutting) and coarser (fast cutting) versions. Both will work to put the best edge on your razor. As mentioned above, the finer the grit (or slower cutting) the better for a beginner. Fast (coarser) hones are better for those with experience.

Any razor hone (not just any hone) regardless of it's grit size can be used to put a good edge on a razor. The determining factor is the skill of the person doing the honing.


Scott

Whether it's a coarse or fine grit, I'm sure you'll find a use for it! There's no better way of seeing how a hone performs than by taking it for a test drive Enjoy it,

Dave