Thread: Does an old Swaty need to be lapped?

I'm looking at some old barber hones on eBay, and I was wondering if I get one of these do they have to be lapped or flattened before using?

Thanks

Assuming it doesn't have any major dings, heavy wear, or chips in it:

If you are anal retentive LAP IT! Those .001 hills and valleys will wreck your edge.

If you are type B personality... meh, let it ride. Lots of folks have used those barber hones for a looooong time with no ill effects. Plus which, you will be using the original factory finish, and that's pretty neat.


I lapped the backside of mine and left the "label side" intact on mine.

if you don't know its history, lap it. Othewise you'll be beating yourself up, trying to figure out why your edge isn't as sharp as it ought to be.

I use wet dry paper on a piece of glass under running water.

I'm with joke1176 on this. I went through a barber hone AD for awhile. My original old Swaty had never been lapped by the barber I got it from in the mid '80s. After coming to SRP I read all of the tutorials and lapped it. I never used it much before or since.

I got a long Swaty off of the bay and lapped it and used it. Worked well. Then I got another NOS in the box long Swaty. It had never been used but was made slighly thinner than the norm. It was sort of warped and not flat.

Because it was thinner I didn't want to lap it and because it was mint I decided to just keep it. Time passed and I began to use it as is. I would shave off of a razor honed to an 8k level and get a good shave.

Then I would do the x stroke on the long Swaty that wasn't flat and it did improve the edge. I think within reason the x stroke will overcome the slight variations of flatness .... or the lack thereof... in a hone. Within reason of course. So my suggsetion would be to try it as is and see how it works for you.

sort of a more practical question, how would one want to clean or sanitize such a hone if that one would want to

Originally Posted by penguins87

sort of a more practical question, how would one want to clean or sanitize such a hone if that one would want to

Scrub it with Comet and a scrub brush or lap it.

haha, ok,
i was just wondering, maybe some products could damage the hone, i dno (:
I got an impulse to sanitize everything with rubbing alcohol ^-^

I have to tell you, getting your hands on a decent looking Swaty ain't that easy. I lost a perfect one because I had to leave the computer and was outbid by 50 cents. The one I just let go was getting way too high for my taste, and it had some chips in it. As a matter of fact these things are getting to the point that the prices are getting higher than using more modern methods of restoring an edge.

Do people bid on these for historic value, or to hone their razors? The perfect one I missed went for around $45. The one with the chip went for $75. I don't get it.

Alot of ppl have been suggesting quite some good touch up/finishing hones instead (coticule, naniwa, etc.),
apparently there are quite alot of very good ones out there; for 75 bucks you could easily get one of those, that much for a swaty is pretty steep afaik.
Although I must admit, I think a barber's hone has a nice 'historical feel' to it,if one were to care for that.

Originally Posted by ziggy925

I have to tell you, getting your hands on a decent looking Swaty ain't that easy. I lost a perfect one because I had to leave the computer and was outbid by 50 cents. The one I just let go was getting way too high for my taste, and it had some chips in it. As a matter of fact these things are getting to the point that the prices are getting higher than using more modern methods of restoring an edge.

Do people bid on these for historic value, or to hone their razors? The perfect one I missed went for around $45. The one with the chip went for $75. I don't get it.

IME they go hot and cold. The periods when they are talked up on the forums they will go high. When there is a lull and they aren't talked about the price will go down. That is the same with razors, Eschers,..... whatever.