Identifier: essayonbarbersra00lebl Title: Essay on barbers' razors, razor hones, razor strops and razor honing .. Year: 1895 (1890s) Authors: Le Blanc, Napoleon. [from old catalog] Subjects: Razors Publisher: Parkesburg, Pa., A. H. Potts & co., steam printers Contributing Library: The Library of Congress Digitizing Sponsor: Sloan Foundation

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Text Appearing Before Image: ail smoothly and evenly take a half dozen short, light strokes,making the letter X with thin lather, (if you are using lather, but if you are usingoil, add a few drops more and if you are using water hone, add water to finish).Then wet the end of your finger on your tongue until sensitive and draw over theedge, noticing whether it adheres evenly, smoothly and keenly. If not, draw a fewmore very short strokes and try again in the same manner. Care should betaken toavoid over honing. It is better to stop before it is quite done, than to over hone.Barbers who are unable to feel the keenness of the fine edge, will have better suc-cess by using water hones, but to them I would recommend the Eclipse, the Star,the Finest Grit and the Japanese hones. Fifth. When honing a very dull razor begin by rubbing four or five strokes, toand fro, the full length of the blade, from C to D, without turning the razor, (see cutNo. 2), resting the thumb and fingers of the left hand on the end of the blade to

Text Appearing After Image: steady the motions and hold the razor even and flat on the hone, bearing on accord-ing to thickness of the razor. (Thin razors will not stand much weight or bearing on, as they are apt to spring i8 and make too wide a bevel),then turn over and repeat the same on each side twenty,,thirty or fifty times, until honed down to a good foundation for a fine edge. Thenproceed in the usual manner, always watching the bevel, keeping it even on bothsides. An uneven or one-sided bevel will cause a razor to cut badly (some Barbers-term it tired.) When you discover that you hone more on the point or on one side, reverseyour way of honing to even it. Few strokes, as before stated (to and fro) to beginhoning any razor, will help to keep the edge straight and to hone quickly. Sixth. Rubbing to and fro, as shown in cut No. 2, or reversing the stroke frompoint to hilt, as indicated in cut No. 3, pushing it from E to G and from F to Gr

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