Thread: barber's hone looks worse the more it's lapped

Yes those could be good.
Anything with enough space, holes or groves to keep the slurry away from the hone.

I first noticed those holes when I started to hone razors and I wanted to recycle my old Apex that was heavily dished.
I had a screen type of silicon carbide sheet but it wore off fast.
The last rounds made exactly the same pattern into my hone - that was actually doing fine until then - when the screen was all full of slurry and I thought that it would help to get done faster and moved on.

Had a sample of some sort of lapping linen from 3M later but these things do not endure. They are good as long as there is enough space for the slurry but as soon as it piles up and grinds the stone itself, it kinda nukes it.

Originally Posted by joke1176

I have one that does the same thing. I now use it in the kitchen instead, since it will wreck razor edges.

I would try it on a razor you don't really care about, and see what the result is.

+1

Originally Posted by joke1176

That is a good point, somebody around here, Sticky mebbe? uses the DMT stones with the "slurry holes" in them for honing and he thinks it works just fine.

Just as long as those holes aren't indicative of a crumbling hone surface. My little barber hone that has the same surface appearance is kinda crumbly and rough, even when lapped properly.

Yup. I use them without problems. I suppose one could catch a spike-point (that was warped) in one of the recesses; I haven't done it yet.

DMT says their polka-dot hones are more aggressive than the continuous hones. I can't tell much difference, and I use 3 micron in polka-dot and continuous.

I don't worry as long as most of the hone is flat. Several of my barber hones have a slightly pitted surface and still work o.k. Another was assigned to kitchen knives like Joke1176's; and two or three others were so crumbly that they were tossed.