Yellow Lake Oil Stone

S

Sezer74

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1,108
Location
Taunton/Somerset
Hello, I have been given a Genuine Yellow Lake Oilstone, its black or very dark grey and very fine(i mean smooth) It is very old. got deep scratches on it so will need lapping but straight i mean there is no groove on it.
I want to know, if it can be used to hone razors? can i use it with water? what would be the best way to lap? and whats the grit level?
thanks alot
 
It certainly can be used as part of a progression to hone razors, and you can use it with water.

If you haven't got a dedicated lapping set-up. the cheapest way is to probably use wet and dry paper on a glass/marble/granite flat surface. drop a puddle of water on the surface, drop the paper (face up) on the puddle and drop another puddle of water on the paper surface, rub the hone on top. Progress through finer and finer sheets - 600 grit is fine to finish, but 325 is OK.

'Yellow Lake' was a brand, not a particular stone. The owners of the original mine got stones from other mine owners, so not every yellow lake comes from the Llyn Melynllyn site - some are coarser, some are finer. You will find it to be a mid-range or a pre-polisher, depending on type.

Regards,
Neil
 
Neil Miller said:
It certainly can be used as part of a progression to hone razors, and you can use it with water.

If you haven't got a dedicated lapping set-up. the cheapest way is to probably use wet and dry paper on a glass/marble/granite flat surface. drop a puddle of water on the surface, drop the paper (face up) on the puddle and drop another puddle of water on the paper surface, rub the hone on top. Progress through finer and finer sheets - 600 grit is fine to finish, but 325 is OK.

'Yellow Lake' was a brand, not a particular stone. The owners of the original mine got stones from other mine owners, so not every yellow lake comes from the Llyn Melynllyn site - some are coarser, some are finer. You will find it to be a mid-range or a pre-polisher, depending on type.

Regards,
Neil
Click to expand...
Thank you very much Neil, much appreciated. This one feels smooth, shall I use it between Norton 8K and Naniwa 12K?
thanks alot
 
Some people have reported having Yellow Lakes as low as 6k - generally the darker ones are much higher, though. To be sure, I would get the best edge possible of the 8k - should be a shaving edge, then shave half your face - then use the Yellow Lake and shave again (yes, I do shave half my face at a time!) and compare. The shave test is the only real test, I'm afraid. You will be lucky if it matches the edge of the 12k hone, but you never know... :)

Regards,
Neil
 
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