Copass

Can anyone identify this hone, if that's what it is? Any comments as to it's value in honing, or is it just a quaint relic?

As long as your hone matches the box, then it is clearly a barber hone from the American Hone Company of Monrovia, Iowa. You have the distinct advantage of having the paper insert for the hone, which explains exactly how to use it.

In general, a barber hone is perfectly fine for maintaining an already sharp edge. If you notice your shave beginning to diminish, just do a few (2-5) strokes on the barber hone and then strop and shave. Repeat as needed to maintain the quality of the shave.

Also, it will probably need to be lapped before use!

That would explain why it did nothing for the poor edge on my wolstenholm. I worked it for awhile, and still could not shave the hairs on my arm. Thanks for the response!

I understand that instruction sheets for hones are rather rare, rarer than the hones themselves. It might be worth scanning the instruction sheet(s) and putting them up on the forum for everyone to see!?
You'll get qiute a few thank yous I'm sure:)