What kind of hone is this??

[Michael Cramer]

Hi there, and greetings from South Africa! My name's Mike and I'm new to this forum - and relatively new to straight razor shaving, though have been collecting razors for a little while now.

My question today is regarding a nice palmtop sized two sided hone I picked up today for next to nothing at second-hand store. It measures little over 2.5" x 5" and seems perfect for honing razors - only thing is, I'm really not sure what grit rating these sides have, and where in the honing process I could use this. I guess I'm hoping this could be like a Norton 4/8k (which we don't get here in SA), but like I said not sure if these abrasive surfaces are even close to 4000 or 8000 grit, and if I'd be screwing up my razors.

http://www.supersimian.com/images/1.jpg

Even though the images seem to indicate the surfaces are 'rough' looking, they are both very smooth to the touch, and the cream coloured side actually has a very smooth 'satin' feel. When I got it, it had a light stamped marking on the one side which read "Lapport" with the number 6 and two crests on either side. It looked quite old - but then I lapped it down with a small diamond plate. So apart from the few chipped edges, it looks quite usable, just would like some opinions on what grit these could be??


http://www.supersimian.com/images/2.jpg


http://www.supersimian.com/images/3.jpg


Any help regarding this would be truly appreciated.
Thanks, Mike.

[joke1176]

Do you have something to lap it with? I wouldn't even test a junker on it until I lapped it first...

Another question; do you have any other razor hones to compare it to?

[heavydutysg135]

That looks way too rough to use on razors. It is likely a two sided knife sharpening stone. Both sides look a lot courser than 4K to me.

[Michael Cramer]

Thanks, it feels real smooth though, which is why i figured it might work for razors. We don't get the Norton stones here (at least where I stay in SA) and I can't actually find any 4000 + grit stones at any hardware stores here - sounds rediculous I know. Thanks anyways for your thoughts.

[Michael Cramer]

Hi joke1176. Well I lapped it with a fine diamond plate, and no - I don't have any other stones which is why I can't judge the grit of this one. I'm finding it real hard to get hold of fine water stones appropriate for straight razor honing - really thought this might be one..
thanks for the comment.

[Thebigspendur]

You can't always go by feel because even the Norton 4K when lapped and polished isn't all that rough feeling. I would just experiment with a junk razor or even a small pocket knife and see what it does.

[Michael Cramer]

Hi, yeah thanks for that. Honed a Wostenholm & Son razor just now, seems to have given it a nice uniform fine edge when held to the light, and well it smoothly dusted off a streak of my arm hair, so I imagine its working well. I don't have a finishing stone or a strop as yet, but I think when I've taken it to those next refining stages, it should shave pretty damn well! So Yay for that! Thanks guys for your input, much appreciated.

[joke1176]

My first razor was a Wostenholm too! I still use it, and it's one of my favorite razors.

Anyhow, be sure to strop that razor before you shave with it. SERIOUSLY, strop that razor!

Buy a belt, synthetic or real or whatever! Get something smooth and leatherlike and strop, for the love of all things holy. It will make a world of difference regarding shave quality.

A digression: two of my classmates are doing an internship in South Africa right now, what a small world!