barber hone touch up?

[DeadRinger]

ok so i picked up a barber hone on ebay..
http://i2.ebayimg.com/01/i/000/ce/84/ddf4_1.JPG
got it for like 6 bucks shipped.. couldnt pass it up.. its small, fits in the palm of my hand..Townsend brand. i lapped it on 1500 grit wet dry sandpaper on a glass plate
and i was wondering if i could use this to bring razors that will pop hairs off my arm already to the point that they are shave ready? now ive never honed anything in my life.. but i did try with a razor i got from ebay that was sharp enough to pop hairs and passed the thumbnail and pad test..
unfortunately when i was done with it.. it didnt pop hairs or pass either of those tests.. so i went back and watched lynns video and read joels sticky again and i worked it again today... started dry for 10 laps, then did 20-25 wet then did about 30 with lather on the stone and it pops hairs again but i tried to shave with it and got some pulling.. another thing to keep in mind is i usually shave w/ a 5/8 hollow ground that i got off SRP and this is a much smaller blade.. maybe 3-4/8.. looks tiny..

im still too broke to send my razors out to get honed professionally or to buy anymore equipment at the moment.. i dont even have a good strop yet.. i have been using balsa wood and i have a wide old belt.. just want to work on my technique.. and i have a bunch of ebay straights in various condition.. im sure these questions have been asked and answered.. but i just want to make sure im not overhoning these blades.. how much would it really take on this babrer hone to overhone it? any ideas.. im not sure of the grit and i know theyre all different.. thanks!

[mparker762]

If it's popping hairs and isn't getting any better with additional honing, then you've probably taking it as far as it can go with your current equipment. The problems as I see it are:

(1) you're doing this with a very tiny blade, and once you drop below 5/8 they get progressively harder to hone.

(2) your barber hone is likely only medium grit at best, since fine barber hones are fairly rare. I find that lapping them till they shine helps improve their edge.

(3) you don't have a real strop with a linen side to finish the edge on.

Any one of these is a real issue, and solving any one of these would likely be enough to lick your problem.

If you had a real strop I'd say to keep stropping that sucker on the linen until it started shaving well. Since you're short of cash, the cheapest way out would be to find a substitute for the linen side of the strop. You can try stropping it on your jeans, or (my preference) get a piece of board and wrap a sheet of newspaper tightly around it (you want several layers of paper to provide some cushion) and tape it down, then strop the razor on the other side of the paper from the tape. The ink in newspaper has a particle size of between 0.075 and 0.12 microns, which is incredibly small - most guys around here that use paste strops stop at 0.5 micron diamond or chrome oxide. So though the newspaper strop *will* work and it will produce an amazing edge, it'll require some patience. But it'll also be cheap.

You'll have to replace the newspaper every 200 laps since it isn't very durable. It'll still look ok, but it'll stop working so replace it anyway. After 200 laps give it a test shave, and if it isn't there yet (you should see an improvement) then replace the paper and give it another 200 and another test shave, and keep doing that until it's ready. But that newspaper should give it a really impressive edge. I use it myself all the time and I've got strops and hones out the wazoo, but nothing puts a final edge on like newspaper.

[DeadRinger]

thanks for the info.. ill definitely try the newspaper.. ive searched the boards but havent found any info on the hone that i currently have.. i will eventually get more equipment.. but for now all he cheap tricks i can get will help..

[mparker762]

There's very little information out there on any barber hones. There were hundreds of them at least, and many of them were only distributed locally to barbers who could ask the sales rep any questions in person. About the only well-known barber hone is the Franz Swaty, and that's because it seems to have been the most popular back in the day, so there are lots on ebay and lots of guys here have them. The Lithide and the Dubl Duck combo ones are also well-understood to a lesser degree. But my favorite barber hone (the seller threw it in for free with a razor) is the only example I've ever seen on ebay and I've been looking for years.

[DeadRinger]

well i did 250 laps on the newspaper and found that the razor now passes all tests including the infamous HHT.. i also shaved with it and got the best shave i have gotten to date, better than the shave i got from a shave ready razor i bought on SRP.. so thanks for the info.. i cant wait to get some more equipment.. i think im more excited about honing than shaving.. if thats even possible.. mainly because i have my grandfathers razors(including a sweet spike point dubl duck) and eventually when im good enough i'd like to restore them myself and shave with them in my rotation..

[gglockner]

Great to here you have been successful at getting a keen edge. Newspaper sure fits the bill when on a tight budget. Trying to wonder what your hone is like. Unless you have a known finishing hone to compare to, the only way I can discribe one is that the razor goes across like it was on a piece of glass. The texture I have heard compared to running your finger across a TV screen.
The hone will also work better with use. I like the double grit hones, because typically one side is a medium hone and the other a finishing hone. Good luck and enjoy your keen razor.

Glen

[cityjim]

Get an old pair of blue jeans .

Put some Colgate toothpast on one leg of the pants .

Strop away .


cityjim

[jrowen]

Get an old pair of blue jeans .

Put some Colgate toothpast on one leg of the pants .

Strop away .


cityjim

That's a hell of an idea. Somebody let us know how this works out!

- Jason

[LaughingAtFate]

that raises the question, what is the micron rating of toothpaste as a 'honing paste'

I've tried something similar in the past myself, but found that the denim was doing just as good a job without the toothpaste...

[Walker]

This is exactly why I love this place.

Get an old pair of blue jeans .

Put some Colgate toothpast on one leg of the pants .

Strop away .


cityjim

[Woodash]

that raises the question, what is the micron rating of toothpaste as a 'honing paste'

I've tried something similar in the past myself, but found that the denim was doing just as good a job without the toothpaste...

I think it could work; just don't get the toothpaste with those coarse 'flavor crystals' - they could wreck the edge....

[michiganlover]

This is exactly why I love this place.

That idea was a stroke of brilliance, that I wold have never thought of!! Bravo for thinking outside of the box!! I bet it works just as well as some of the more expensive abrasive pastes.

[richmondesi]

Toothpaste has been documented as being quite effective as a strop compound by several guys. I've never tried it, but I've read about it from enough guys that I trust that I would try it without being afraid of damaging the edge.

[sanfranciscian]

dont know about using it on a razor but a long time ago it was recommended to me for rubbing on the lens part of a diving mask to clean up scratches and it worked brilliantly seems like a razor would be less in danger of damage?

[cityjim]

just get the cheapest white version . Like Colgate or similar . No flavor crystals or other colored pastes . Simple plain old white stuff with silica in the ingredients .


cityjim

[wazazzle]

I use toothpaste to revive old yellow headlamps to look like new again. It works great! Put on a towel and swirl away