Thread: Barber Hones and Lather

I have a question for those in the know. I have been using a barber hone for sharpening and have been getting much better at honing. Although none of my razors are at the desired scary sharp state yet, I am getting the razors to a very shaveable level.

Someone in another thread wrote about the diamond compounds. He mentioned that the amount of soap in the lather used on a barber hone affects the sharpening qualities of that hone. So how does this work out in practice-- does more soap in the lather mean more of a polish and less mean a faster, more coarse cut? How would one use this feature of barber hones to best effect?

I have been happy with the pyramid method of honing (i.e.: 5-15, 10-15, etc.), so could I use heavy soap lathers as a final polishing as some use the diamond paste strops? Just curious, esp. because I would like to enjoy the advantages offered by use of the diamond paste without the need for buying a new strop and the paste. Thanks for any information and hope I'm not just competely misunderstanding this whole issue. Bob

Just a short note on this.

A dry hone allows the most contact with the razor. There is nothing in between the blade and the stone.

Water is the next step and allows less of the blade to come in contact with the hone. Water also has a very small molecule size.

Lather is the last step. It is thicker, larger molecule size and more of them, and allows even less of the blade to come in contact with the hone.

Obviously, the thicker the lather then the less contact and the finer the scratch pattern developed, thus a finer edge.

The other advantages of using a honing medium such as water or lather is that it helps keep the hone free of metal filings.

Now, a diamond pasted strop cuts much faster than a barber hone with lather but the shaving quality of the edge is the main question and to that I have no answer.


Hope this helps,

Are you saying you lather up the stone when sharpening?

Waterstones work differently from dry hones or Arkansas stones or ceramic hones. With a waterstone (especially a Belgian or a natural japanese like a honyama) you're raising an abrasive slurry and that is what is sharpening the steel. Belgian stones are not porous and cannot soak up water. There's no way to get metal filings between the pores as there aren't any pores. The belgians are softer than the japanese stones and you don't have to use a Nagura on a belgian. You can if you want to but it's not necessary.

My process - for a razor that's been in use and isn't too dull - is to first use a blue belgian with water to bring it up quickly and then switch to a yellow coticule belgian for final honing. Then strop and you're ready to go.

I firmly believe that it's easier to keep a blade sharp than it is to sharpen a blade so I try to just use the yellow coticule (8000 grit) when I notice some degradation. I also use the Norton waterstones. If it's really really dull I'll use a Norton 1000/4000 and then a belgian yellow coticule. The 1000 cuts steel quickly, the 4000 refines the edge, and the belgian polishes it like you wouldn't believe. Check it out under magnification.

Howard

Hello Howard! Good to see you posting here!

This guy is using a classic barber hone and wants to know if using a thick lather will act as a finer polish on the razor similar to using a diamond paste. The answer is kinda yes but slower than diamond paste.

It's like the difference between using a fine honing oil on an Arkansas stone versus motor oil.
Guess which one cuts faster and why.