Thread: Grind a Barber's Hone?

I have a mystery barbers hone I picked up off the bay before I found SRP.

Now that I have a Swaty, I can tell that this Libertas hone is a finer grit stone. I've done some honing on both now and the Libertas feels smoother to the blade and generates NO swarf (grey stuff) after hours of honing (I really tried some crazy stuff with it and a freebie razor). The Swaty on the other hand will generate a swarf after some time honing (some test honing I did for comparisons sake - I don't think you should ever use a Swaty so much that it generates slurry or anything like that).

This leads me to wonder if the Libertas might be a good finishing/polishing stone, however, I've also noticed that it has some tiny pits in the surface. They're surprisingly deep but you can't feel them with your fingers or see them with a naked eye. I only discovered them after some marker water got on the hone. I wiped it off, but the blue color stayed in the little pits.

So, do I try and sandpaper-lap this down, do I need to pick up a diamond plate to do it, or does it even matter? I can't feel the pits with finger/nail, or while honing, so maybe they're insignificant? But barber's hones are hard and trying to get down to the depths of the pits might be impossible anyway.

Interested in your guys' opinions.

P.S.>>It looks nasty in this pic but all the freckles are not pits, and the fissures are much harder to see under normal light and impossible to feel.



The front side has real pits and chips. I won't/don't/haven't used it.

If you don't feel the razor catching on the little pits, I wouldn't worry about it. IMO, it's only the rough edges or things that catch the blade that are troublesome.

That hone was put away wet, it is degrading,,, that is what the pock marks and crazing is from...

IME many times as you try and lap these you will find that the hone is NOT homogeneous throughout and that you have nothing left there, other times they can be lapped smooth again...
As to leaving it, yes you can, but you are going to find little scratches in the bevel over time from the grit degrading more and more...

I use a DMT 120 then a DMT 325 on these

Thanks for the info Glen.

So was it chemicals in the water left to sit for untold years that ate away at the softer components in the stone? Or maybe it was in someone's wet basement for years before I got it off the bay?

I got it cheap, so I won't cry if it's useless, but I think it's cool looking and would like to be able to use it. I'll see what I can do to lap it down smooth as now that I know the pits are there they bother me whether I can feel them or not.

Thanks again.

Originally Posted by BigJim

Thanks for the info Glen.

So was it chemicals in the water left to sit for untold years that ate away at the softer components in the stone? Or maybe it was in someone's wet basement for years before I got it off the bay?

I got it cheap, so I won't cry if it's useless, but I think it's cool looking and would like to be able to use it. I'll see what I can do to lap it down smooth as now that I know the pits are there they bother me whether I can feel them or not.

Thanks again.

If they bother you -- what can I say.

My opinion is to rub it with a green Scotch-brite and white toothpaste
and ignore the pits that you cannot feel. I have a barber hone that
like yours is lapped a bit too much. I only use razors on the logo side
as the back had been lapped to lesser quality inner 'stuff'. The
fluroide in the toothpaste did tighten it up for me as well as removes
swarf build up.

Rinse well in clear water and let dry before you put it up.

Originally Posted by niftyshaving

If they bother you -- what can I say.

My opinion is to rub it with a green Scotch-brite and white toothpaste
and ignore the pits that you cannot feel. I have a barber hone that
like yours is lapped a bit too much. I only use razors on the logo side
as the back had been lapped to lesser quality inner 'stuff'. The
fluroide in the toothpaste did tighten it up for me as well as removes
swarf build up.

Rinse well in clear water and let dry before you put it up.

The spots didn't really bother me until I spent some time thinking about them today after Glen's post. The logo side has more real pitting in it, so if this hone is going to keep it's life it's going to have to be used on the back. The idea of using toothpaste is interesting though. Did it serve as a filler, or??? I lapped this hone a little tonight while watching TV, but it still has some spots in it.

Now that I have my swaty (and have used it to good effect) I can "afford" for this hone to not work, but I think I'll give it a little more attention and then see how a razor responds to it.

Please let me know about the flouride issue.

Thanks!

hey jim, I like the quotes you have at your posting footer. Some mighty wise men down there

Originally Posted by joenasarino

hey jim, I like the quotes you have at your posting footer. Some mighty wise men down there

Heheheheh. I'm glad you like them. You be sure to take their advice now, ya hear?

Peace,

Originally Posted by BigJim

The spots didn't really bother me until I spent some time thinking about them today after Glen's post. The logo side has more real pitting in it, so if this hone is going to keep it's life it's going to have to be used on the back. The idea of using toothpaste is interesting though. Did it serve as a filler, or??? I lapped this hone a little tonight while watching TV, but it still has some spots in it.

Now that I have my swaty (and have used it to good effect) I can "afford" for this hone to not work, but I think I'll give it a little more attention and then see how a razor responds to it.

Please let me know about the flouride issue.

Thanks!

Try it only on a sacrificial barber hone...

Toothpaste is a well graded mild abrasive....
Fluoride binds with common calcium and hardens it a bit
Some marble floors are chemically treated to this end.
Most fluoride chemistry is scary but toothpaste has some...
The Polishing Process
Frequently Asked Questions | Italian Marble Polishing Palm Beach FL
Solution and method for cleaning marble surfaces - Patent 5490883
There is not really enough in tooth paste to amount
for much except that the surface of a barber hone also
does not amount to much. I "feel" that it helps. I do
know that the gel that suspends abrasive in toothpaste
does float the razor and helps with a fine age.

Try it only on a sacrificial barber hone...

Originally Posted by niftyshaving

Try it only on a sacrificial barber hone...

Toothpaste is a well graded mild abrasive....
Fluoride binds with common calcium and hardens it a bit
Some marble floors are chemically treated to this end.
Most fluoride chemistry is scary but toothpaste has some...
The Polishing Process
Frequently Asked Questions | Italian Marble Polishing Palm Beach FL
Solution and method for cleaning marble surfaces - Patent 5490883
There is not really enough in tooth paste to amount
for much except that the surface of a barber hone also
does not amount to much. I "feel" that it helps. I do
know that the gel that suspends abrasive in toothpaste
does float the razor and helps with a fine age.

Try it only on a sacrificial barber hone...

Thanks Tom. This is a sacrificial barber hone...or at least as much of one as I have (I probably won't try it on my Swaty...it doesn't need any help. It works great).

Thanks again,