Thread: Dubl Duck Dry Hone - Anyone have?

Originally Posted by adjustme69

It's funny how everything works differently for different people...... Like everything else a short stroke panacea does not exist, but is an other alternative. What makes this even more fun, is that each razor has it's own characteristics and in many cases hones up differently and may require several different techniques..... What a fun sport, eh? Lynn

LOL...Kind of reminds me of golf. Just when you think you found the groove, you have a bad day and start looking for something new.....Sometimes whatever is working is what you do.....Well I'm off to try that new Naniwa Superstone now...LOL

Originally Posted by adjustme69

It's funny how everything works differently for different people. The problem is that when new people come in and try to hone up a junky ebay razor on a barber hone from scratch, they get frustrated easily. I like having about 30 barber hones to play with as well and by shear size, they require a shorter stroke. Like everything else a short stroke panacea does not exist, but is an other alternative. What makes this even more fun, is that each razor has it's own characteristics and in many cases hones up differently and may require several different techniques. For the most part, unless you are investing hundreds and hundreds of strokes, the barber hones are not for a really dull razor. They do a nice job though on touching up a razor and the instructions on many of the barber hone boxes indicate that 5-6 strokes are what should be used to touch up a razor. What a fun sport, eh? Lynn

Lynn,

Nortons are no panacea either. For a beginner, ebay razors are no place to start anyways, as I'm sure you would readily agree. Furthermore, if they were to get easily frustrated by the slowness of barber hones, I see the opposite problem for new fellows who try to touch up a new razor with a Norton and instead end up overhoning their blade. This too can lead to frustration. Greg Ives, the professional barber, himself makes this point on his video.

You are right to point out the many variables involved. Different blades with different tempers with different grinds etc.. It's an art and so there are no "panaceas". There are different techniques and methods more suitable to some. I admire and recognize your masterful ability using a Norton, but your lack of appreciation of barber hones, relegating them to mere "ornaments", is quite telling. On the one hand, you recognize how different things work for different people, but you consistently slam barber hones dismissing them as obsolete because they don't suite the way you do things. Yes it is a fun art, but there's no need to make a "fun sport" of it, because there's no need to compete with anyone.

Cheers, Hal

Originally Posted by halwilson

Hi there Korndog,

I've got one of those Dubl Duck combo hones along with over 40 other Barber hones. It's an excellent hone and should serve you well. You could also use it with water or lather too, for even finer grit results.

The instructions tell you a simple fact about honing str8s, namely that short strokes in an X pattern are superior to long ones. I have a video clip (I believe) of Dave Uthe using a huge Norton 3 X 8 placed on his lap. Yet, he uses only a few inches of the entire hone. Barber hones are small for the simple reason that they don't need to be any larger because the optimum X stroke pattern is short not long. Once you discover this for yourself, you'll be surprised how much your honing skills improve.

Congrats on your new hone. Barber hones are remarkably high quality tools; the wide variety still available provides lots of opportunity for experimentation and fun.

Hal

Can we see this videoclip please?????

Hi Jan,

I'd love to share the video with you. It's 4.25 MB and I don't know how to up-load it to the forum. I'm leaving for Southeast Asia in a few hours so I won't be able to figure out how to do so until I return in March. However, if you send me a PM in the next hour or so, with your private email I could try to send it through my google account.

Cheers, Hal

If you have a few minutes Hal, you can just upload the video to http://rapidshare.de. It's free and will remain there as long as people continure to DL it... then you recieve a link for the vid and just post the link here and anyone who wants it can just click the link.
Hope that helps save you some time...

Jan,

I managed to upload the file to my photo gallery. You can find the file there. Have fun.

Hal

Originally Posted by halwilson

Jan,

I managed to upload the file to my photo gallery. You can find the file there. Have fun.

Hal

Halwinson, ....my english is not verry good but where can i find your photo gallery please???

Ok scratch that... Hal's gallery is not made public

Hal, I'll make it easy for you. I'll agree to disagree. I have honed over 5,000 straight razors and still usually hone over 20 per week. I have around 30 barber hones and do not think they are anywhere near as good a tool as a Norton or a Belgium Coticule for that matter. This statement is not made as though I have never used or tried them. I have repeatedly indicated that I do feel they are ok for touching up a razor. I find them awkward because they are only 3/8 inch thick usually which if not placed on something, makes them hard to use on a stable surface, like a table. I don't feel you have the stability needed if they are used in your hand. I like the longer and wider stones as well. If you look at what the old grinders, manufacturers and sharpening shops used, you'll see alot more bigger natural stones than the small barber hones. Check out the TI video that was posted in here. Have fun. Lynn

Funny, I think your both right.