Help ID a barber's hone

[mrb7]

Well, I know no one here has ever bough a box of junk from eBay looking for one thing (in this case a slim) and getting other stuff that's interesting (a barber's hone).

I can't make out the writing on the old blue box, even when I try to change the contrast on the picture.

It's fairly plain stone, and has the number 235 along one edge, and a red dot on one end edge. Something common? Or an oddball relic?

 

[Gamma]

Don't know what it is, never saw one before.

I'm very intrigued by it though. Extremely so.

 

[kcb5150]

It looks like a deluxe no 500 but it obviously isn't

 

[mrb7]

Don't know what it is, never saw one before.

I'm very intrigued by it though. Extremely so.

So far as I can tell it is some kind of natural stone. But I'm like the last person on the forum to ask about stones. So it might be a meteorite from Mars and I wouldn't catch it.

I just made the assumption that I should put lather on it, and gave it a try. Got a blade I got from a guy here on B/S/T shaving respectably with it.

I'm sure you could do better, but it's in my hands, not yours. So respectable is the best it got. (But I keep trying. I'm gonna get this stuff one day.)

 

[kn4wd]

the box reminds me of an old craftsman hone but the stone im not sure of. it looks like a nat but there again it has a line like it was two parts. if you look close at the pic of the box you can almost make out the rectangle where the craftsman name would have been. at least that's what I am seeing.

 

[mrb7]

That line only seems to be on one side, and not all four. I already looked at that. However one side is perceptibly smoother than the other. Not a lot, but noticeable to my fingertips.

Holding a flashlight at various angles I can see that the bottom line says something about "mfg. co."

If it might be a Craftsman maybe I'm wrong that it's a barbers hone.

Like I said, it could be a Martian meteorite and I wouldn't know. Honing is new to me.

 

[kn4wd]

I found a pic of a Morton hone in a blue box that was on ebay at one time it had a number on it didn't see a spot of color though. makes me woner if its a Norton or dod Morton make hones.

 

[Gamma]

I've seen b-hones with numbers on them, but a different font and placement. No color dots though.
That doesn't mean much really - there are a lot of hones I've never paid attention to.
This one though - is very interesting.

 

[mrb7]

Well, I've gotten the 30X loupe, a strong flashlight, and perhaps some creative imagination trying to read the little bits of color in the lettering on the box.

The top line goes approximately:

Fine 0*** Sharpening Stone


The second line says something about "Mechanics"


And the bottom line claims **** Mfg. Co. ****

The exact number of undecipherable characters is questionable. In some places the lettering is rubbed away completely, and the evidence is the depression in the paper.

The "line" on the side in the picture is pretty obviously just a stain, and it isn't visible around the rest of the stone.

So, perhaps it is something like an old Craftsman, and may not truly be a "barber's hone" at all. It was just with razors, so the eBay listing said it was a barber's hone. I really doubt the woman selling it knew any better. And I've had it for 4 months before I even looked at it this weekend.

Curiouser and curiouser.

Anyone got any better guesses with this info? I'm still holding onto the Martian meteorite theory.

 

[Gamma]

Try putting a piece of white paper on the box and then lightly shading the paper with a pencil. Use a long point, but on an angle. The shading might pick up the outline of the lettering. It's a stretch, and it might take a bit of practice, but it might be worth trying.

 

[mrb7]

Try putting a piece of white paper on the box and then lightly shading the paper with a pencil. Use a long point, but on an angle. The shading might pick up the outline of the lettering. It's a stretch, and it might take a bit of practice, but it might be worth trying.

We can call it a relief rubbing!

I'll give that try tonight, but it's pretty badly damaged. Good idea though.

 

[sgemmett]

Looks like a soft Arkansas or Washita to me. I had (have?) one which is labeled Mechanic's Friend. Washita stones have that mottled looks, I will see if I can get a picture tonight

 

[sgemmett]

Found the picture I had. Of course this is a wood boxed bench stone but maybe you can detect some font or text similarities?

 

[mrb7]

Well, I've gotten the 30X loupe, a strong flashlight, and perhaps some creative imagination trying to read the little bits of color in the lettering on the box.

The top line goes approximately:

Fine 0*** Sharpening Stone


The second line says something about "Mechanics"


And the bottom line claims **** Mfg. Co. ****

The exact number of undecipherable characters is questionable. In some places the lettering is rubbed away completely, and the evidence is the depression in the paper.

The "line" on the side in the picture is pretty obviously just a stain, and it isn't visible around the rest of the stone.

So, perhaps it is something like an old Craftsman, and may not truly be a "barber's hone" at all. It was just with razors, so the eBay listing said it was a barber's hone. I really doubt the woman selling it knew any better. And I've had it for 4 months before I even looked at it this weekend.

Curiouser and curiouser.

Anyone got any better guesses with this info? I'm still holding onto the Martian meteorite theory.

Well, the relief rubbing was a failure. But Iv'e studied the box top some more with the strong light and the loupe.


I have changed my mind about the first line a little. The first word is not Fine. It is Ximxxx Sharpening Stone.

THe second line definitely says something about Mechanics, and ends in No. 235 toward the right.

The third line all I can make out is the Xxxxx Mfg. Co., xxxxxxxx