Thread: Honing a barber's stone

I hope I've posted this in the right place. Kind of new to all this, I've been using straights for close to a year and I've got a great barber hone (an old Wyeth) and it was lapped when I bought it. I've had it six months or so and it works just fine for refreshing my razors. My questions are how soon should I think about re-lapping it and what to use.

Should I use the tile/sandpaper like the video (if so, should there be a certain grit for a barber's hone) or would it be best to get a lapping stone (SRD has a kind of inexpensive norton or maybe even more expensive)?

I'm not in the position of being able to start learning how to completely hone at this time (though maybe in the future) so I'd like to keep my barber's hone going strong.

Thanks for any advice.

If your Barbers Hone is working, I wouldn't do anything other than continue to enjoy it.

Have fun

Thanks for the reply--that's very good to know.

Wow, first, it's great Lynn took some time out, and found this little thread and sent you a reply.. Excellent!!!

Second... I have several barbers hones and after the initial lapping, I have found that holds flat very very well.

I have a DMT 325 (Thank you Roy!!! What a guy!) that I used to lap both of my barbers hones. I have a Frictionite #00 and a Niagara that both needed lapping something terrible when I got them. It only took a short while with the DMT (less than 15 minutes) to lap them both completely flat, both of them on both sides. I guess what I'm saying is the effort required is so minimal to keep these little hones flat, that if you have any doubts, take a second and check to see if it needs lapping. If you have any high grit wet or dry (600 or higher grit would do just fine) lay it out on your kitchen counter and give your stone a quick lap, check for the high spots and react appropriately. If it is way out, lap it. If it is not, keep on enjoying it.

How relaxing is it using your barbers hone? eh? I love sitting and watching the tube and slowly polishing my razor before using it. I usually follow it up with some paddles too, CrOx and Diamonds on felt. Between my Frictionite and the paddles, I think I can keep my razors sharp forever!!! LOL. I know I can't, but it seems that way after I shave with one I've worked on the barbers hone and paddles!!

Good luck mate, happy shaving!!

Mike

I agree that if your barber hone is working, keep using it. If you are not doing your own complete honing, then you will eventually send your razor[s] to one of the honemeisters to be refreshed. At that time, it might be a good idea to send your barber hone along to be lapped. Kill two birds with one stone so to speak. good luck.

Jerry

other folks seem to be able to maintain their razors indefinitely with only a barber hone, so i dont see why you folks couldnt.

Yes, you can flatten a barber hone with 400-grit wet-or-dry sandpaper on a flat surface (marble tile, for me).

Barber hones tend to be quite hard. My first one wore out two sheets of sandpaper before "all the mountains were made low, and the valleys exalted".

Charles

Originally Posted by Lynn

If your Barbers Hone is working, I wouldn't do anything other than continue to enjoy it.

Have fun

True wisdom. I wish more people would invest in a barbers hone before they buy a bunch of rocks. The barbers hone will keep a razor sharp indefinately, I have done it as well as several others I know of.

I feel the same way. If a barber hone worked for my Grandpa, why not me? BTW, I have his barber hone and his PHIG and both work just fine. My Mom says I'll get his razors someday too...once she can find time to dig them out of whichever cedar chest they are in (she has hers and her mothers and they are in one of those).