I enjoy using and collecting classic barber hones. What are your favorites?
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I enjoy using and collecting classic barber hones. What are your favorites?
dubl duck two-sided ..... a double grit barbers' hone, gray side is coarseer, red side for finishing and touch-up
Good to know you like those Dubl Duck combos? I've got a mint one coming in the mail. It's sold as a "dry" hone, do you use yours dry?
Hal
Any of these fired clay barber's hones you can use dry, wet with water, wet with shave cream, or <gasp> even wet with oil. They're non-porous. You just have to watch for a buildup of glaze, particulaly when you use them dry. Glaze will cause the blade to "float" on top of the buildup of honed metal on the stone and the cutting action of the abrasive surface beneath will be interrupted. A toothbrush and powdered kitchen cleanser will remove the glaze in a few seconds. (If you're blond, that means you have to scub the wet cleanser onto the stone with the toothbrush.)Quote:
Originally Posted by halwilson
Dave, I use most of my hones dry at least when starting out, then step-up in sequence using slurry, water and lather if needed. These days, I've been experimenting with dry honing, and have got good results. However, I have found that the Honemaster and Amalgamite offer a coarser grit result when used wet than when used dry, which is unusual. Using these hones, I usr water first followed by dry honing to finish. I use a scotch brite pad to remove the residue/glaze. Works great.
The Dubl Duck is specifically intended to be used dry, although you surely can use it with all types of media. I intend to use it dry, as I do most of my hones these days.
Hal
I have several dubl duck two-grit hones in their original boxes, but only one has the original instruction sheet and that says they can be used dry, or with lather. I use mine dry, also.Quote:
Originally Posted by halwilson
One technical point, too. There is no "slurry" as we know it in waterstones, with these molded barbers hones. The gunk that floats around when the stones are wet is just metal filings, and not the fine bits of abrasive like are in the waterstone slurry. The abrasive will wear with use, but is meant to stay in the stone.
I have a ton of these, but really only use them for fun and experimentation. I have always found the Norton to be the quickest and most consistent hone out there although I am having really good luck these days finishing on the Belgium Coticule stone. Most times I don't even need to go to any pastes. Lynn
Those Nortons are fast and consistent to be sure; I really like the Belgian Coticule I got from Howard too. Good to know you have fun experimenting with classic barber hones; they are fun to use and there is lots of room for experimentation because of the wide variety still available. Barber hones do not cut as quickly, but I enjoy taking my time. With two good quality classic barber hones, say an Amalgamite and a Honemaster, one can get equally good consistent results as those who use either Nortons or Belgians. It's just a different number of strokes for different folks :D Hal
Well it is not the same stuff as the "slurry" of a Belgian, but it is a lot more than "just metal filings" The hones cut faster when it is present. I don't know what you want to call the dark brown gunk; slurry seems precise enough a word to me. :wink: HalQuote:
One technical point, too. There is no "slurry" as we know it in waterstones, with these molded barbers hones. The gunk that floats around when the stones are wet is just metal filings, and not the fine bits of abrasive like are in the waterstone slurry. The abrasive will wear with use, but is meant to stay in the stone.
Sounds worth the effort to send a sample to the CSI:Miami lab for an analysis .....
Would be interesting,...the Oxford dictionary should suffice. :wink:
Hal
vote
we're short a few users:p
Clicked on 1 hone by mistake!
I have two, a paddle Boker hone / strop combo (really only for travel IMO, nice but small), and a still in the box, never used 3 line Swaty.
I have two. I only do refreshing of my razors. I have a three line Swaty and a C-MON barbers hone only because I have two C-MONs that are special to me and they deserve their own hone. I use lather on both of them (found a good use for Williams).
I haven't used mine much. I have an SRD I played around with some and a LEE that was degraded and lost it's surface so I haven't touched it with a razor. Then I have a brand new Dubl Duck that won't see a razor as long as I own it. Although I have been tempted.
I have around ten unless double count as two
Three line Swaty, A BBB, and another I forget the name of, it's longer than the others and has leather glued to felt on the back of it. Another one I have is Red -ish color about the size of a bar of soap and very very light, Ruby something? I don't use any of them, probably should...
A three line swaty, two other swatys and a 12k Droescher. I use the Droescher as my finisher.
I got curious because of this thread being brought back from the dead. I actually have 13 not counting multiples. It's kind of embarrassing actually as i haven't used very many of them. I use to use my frictionite, my panama, and my zenith as finishers. Then I got a new acquisition disorder. There a quite a few high grit barbers hones out there and some that don't test that well.
[mods, this thread/poll might should be in Hones. I didnt notice the cross-cat when i revived this one.]
The poll is up to 19 votes now. We can do better eh?
I'm up to three now, but i'm not sure what the third one is. One of my new ones is a "perforated" brand. "It's in the holes."
I'd like one for travel, but at home i doubt I'll do much more than experiment and look at them.
"Zanol" is my first one. Found another one locally, but it was 3x what i paid for zanol. Can't roll that way.
Hard to tell without actually counting...but somewhere north of 150 or so. Maybe more...?
WP34
41 votes only? Aren't there that many new guys coming in every week? Why no more votes? Wrong section?
No pics yet, but I did receive my two newest barber hones today. One is the "Perforated" complete with the box (fair condition) but guess what happens when you remove a lot of hone material from the middle part of the hone? What? (they all say) It dishes out really quickly. I fixed it of course.
The other turn out to be a "APART" from Marburg, Austria. And feels like glaaass. OH but the "warpage"! The topside flatness (after considerable leveling) now shows the approximate shape of a baby's foot. The backside isn't quite as bad, but the same guy was using it too, just not as long.
Interested to see if I ever actually use these for "refreshments". As i hone with tape, I just don't whip the razor onto these for "on the fly" refresh. By the time i "tape up", I figger to use the big rocks...
But for travel or camping or such...
I think that the barber hone story has gone around quite a bit, I'm sure that some of the older members have them in fairly large collections but are no longer excited to talk about them. We all have our own current area of interest and excitement, and for me it is migratory.
Sure but there's nothing at this site that hasn't gone 'round and 'round and 'round and 'round one more time. :p
I guess "polls" are dead. :shrug: One can vote without discussion.
Anyhoo, i has steel to reshape, minutely. :D
I finally found some info on the Zanol, from one on the 'bay right now:
http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTIwMFgxNj...w-w~~60_57.JPG
I hope you told them if it has a price on it the law says
Zero barber hones here. I am beginning to think you rascals bought them all!
Well, the excitement does wane a little when few want to hear about them.
I brought a pile of barber hones to a few meet-ups and found the only benefit was a little exercise from carrying them. These are basic, relatively boring, workhorses and they don't seem to generate the enthusiasm of the high end hones.
Now I'm confused...as usual....I read in the thread that someone counted a 12k as a hone??? Now you mention "high end hones", what would be considered a high end hone? Is a "hone" considered just for refreshing? In that case I would have the 2 I mentioned, plus a 12k, then a select grade coticule? I thought a hone was something that came in a box that said, "xxxxxx Hone"....help!:thinking:
I end up using my chinese 12k more than my barber hones to touch up edges.
I do like to mess with mine on occasion. I am just getting so much stuff that it is hard to focus. All of the AD's has gotten me running in circles. I was very enthusiastic about barber hones for a while and bought a bunch. They were my only finishing hone for a while. I have a few that impart a super comfortable and sharp shaving edge. They can do it in just a few strokes too. They are pretty amazing. Modine continues to test and grade them. It makes me want all the really good ones. There goes that AD again.
I consider a barber hone as a pocket-sized synthetic refresher stone from the age of most barbers using SR's.
Haven't really given mine a good go, yet. I'm not "overly enthused" at all. I was learning about them and found this poll, with about a dozen votes. As it was well-composed (albeit poorly voted), I tried to revive it thinking we had more than 20 members with barber hones.
Now we has 46, maybe that's all the SR users here and it's all smoke and mirrors making the place seem populated.
:popcorn:
I have two which are both Genco branded, one of which is a strop backed hone.
As I only have the Norton 220/1k combo and 4k/8k combo, I'm currently finishing on the non-strop backed hone and getting good results. One of these days, I'll either get a Naniwa 12k or the three natural stone set from AJ off of the 'Bay...
I have one barber hone, it is a "Wonder". I don't use it much any more unless I'm going to be away from my other hones, such as deployments or long trips to keep my edges. I used to use it after my 8K before I got my Nani 12K
I have one barber hone, a Velvet Edge. It's ok, but doesn't give as nice a touch-up/edge as my welsh slate. Because of this, it spends most of its time in the drawer. I might take it on vacation with me, though.
I have a few, but have only used 3 different ones to refresh my razors. Rarely do I use them at all. I have a 'beat up" Swaty just for finishing my knives & sometimes for axes.
My barber hones are as follows:
Auburn # 4
Barber Frank Natale's 3 Line Swaty
Carborundum 4" razor hones; "3"- 118's, "1"- 152, "5"- 103's
Diamond King
Drei Reihen 3-line
Double Duck
Everkeen Strop Hones- "3"
Franc Swaty 3 line
Franz Swaty 3 line
Franz Swaty 2 line
Franz Swaty 2 line, 8 inch NOS
The Swaty Three Line (American Made, I Believe ?)
Frictionite 00
GEM Star Strop-Hone-- "3"
GRACO Strop Hone
Itsapeech
Lee's
NeverDull
Norton Pike Koenig- "2"
Pike Krystolo
Pike Strop Hone -"3"
Shamrock
Swastika
W.R. Case & Son
Wardlow
Zenith
You have some pretty top shelf barber hones in the mix my friend. Some of them are rated very high in Modines research. Both the Itsapeech and the Zenith will improve the edge after the Frtionite 00. Some of the Pike ones and a couple of others are likely top shelf as well. That is a great stash.
I got most of them 4 years ago, when I started wet shaving by keeping an eye on the bay at all hours, most got listed by people who had no background in wet shaving & had no idea of their worth. Most I got for under $20.00. Now, some of these are priced out of my reach & I don't have the interest that I used to. If I get a hone now , it's for actual use, not to collect.
I got mine pretty much the same way. I don't use mine much either, but they are totally functional, I'm still chasing my tail looking for the perfect edge.
LOL
My barber's hone is a beautiful Diamond King....I used it one time and it felt like it was made of carbide but I consider this a must have just because of the history. And the little stone feels great in the hand. You'll have to pry it out of my cold dead hand...along with a bunch of razors, other stones, MDC, MWF....well, you won't have to do much prying as the stuff will be everywhere so just pick up what you want, I won't care.