Difference between revisions of "Barber Hones"

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Barber hones are usually small, hand-held palm or hand-sized synthetic hones which are suitable for maintaining a straight razor's shaving edge. They tend to be hard hones which wear very slowly.  Hard barber hones can be difficult to lap flat if they are manufactured less then flat or are heavily worn.  Some claim barber hones do not require lapping, and certainly many barbers have used such hones for great lengths of time without lapping them. Some barber hones have coarse side as well as a finer finishing side.  The finer finishing side is often marked with a brand or name which is pressed into the surface at one end of the hone. The fine, finishing surfaces of barber hones are commonly thought to be around 8k to 10k as a comparative grit rating.
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Barber hones are usually small, hand-held synthetic hones which are suitable for maintaining a straight razor's shaving edge. They are usually very hard, so they tend to wear very slowly can take a long time to lap.  Some claim barber hones do not require lapping, and certainly many barbers have used such hones for great lengths of time without lapping them. Some barber hones are dual grit, with a finishing side and a coarser side.  The exact grits of barber hones are unknown, but the finishing surfaces of barber hones are commonly thought to be around the 8k to 10k grit range.
  
Barber hones tend to cut quite quickly, generally requiring less than 10 honing strokes to refresh a razor's edge that is otherwise serviceable but is beginning to pull. This would have been desirable for a barber who wished to spend more time working than maintaining a razor. If the edge is still not sharp enough, more honing may be needed.  As long as a razor's edge remains undamaged, its shaving edge can be maintained with a barber hone indefinitely.
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Barber hones tend to be fast cutters, generally requiring less than 10 honing strokes to refresh the edge of a razor that is just beginning to pull. If the edge is still not sharp enough after 10 strokes, a second or third set of 10 strokes may be needed.  As long as a razor's edge remains undamaged, its shaving edge can be maintained with a barber hone indefinitely.  This would have been ideal for a barber, who would have to keep his razors as keen as possible between shaves.  For ease of use, barber hones were designed to be used with water, lather, or dry.
  
  
 
[[Carborundum Hones|Carborundum Hones]]
 
[[Carborundum Hones|Carborundum Hones]]
 
[[Category:Hones]]
 
[[Category:Hones]]

Revision as of 17:46, 28 December 2010

Barber hones are usually small, hand-held synthetic hones which are suitable for maintaining a straight razor's shaving edge. They are usually very hard, so they tend to wear very slowly can take a long time to lap. Some claim barber hones do not require lapping, and certainly many barbers have used such hones for great lengths of time without lapping them. Some barber hones are dual grit, with a finishing side and a coarser side. The exact grits of barber hones are unknown, but the finishing surfaces of barber hones are commonly thought to be around the 8k to 10k grit range.

Barber hones tend to be fast cutters, generally requiring less than 10 honing strokes to refresh the edge of a razor that is just beginning to pull. If the edge is still not sharp enough after 10 strokes, a second or third set of 10 strokes may be needed. As long as a razor's edge remains undamaged, its shaving edge can be maintained with a barber hone indefinitely. This would have been ideal for a barber, who would have to keep his razors as keen as possible between shaves. For ease of use, barber hones were designed to be used with water, lather, or dry.


Carborundum Hones