Stone find

[craig01]

HI Guys,
Could any body help me identify a recent find in a antique shop in scotland. It improves the edge from a coticule that is shave ready in regards to sharpness.It had been well used with heavy dishing to half of the hone. After laping it produced a chalkey like substance and was easy to lap. It is a big stone measuring 200mm by 50mm by 25mm any help identifiying would be appreciated.
MANY THANKS

 

[Neil Miller]

Bit hard to say from the pics. It looks a bit speckled. I would guess Water of Ayr (from Scotland) or Thuringian. The WoA can be quite dark with sparse speckles, usually about 6 inches long though not always, and around 9 - 10k - much the same as a coticule, although natural stones do vary a lot and you could have a coarser coticule and a finer WoA. A thuringian can be a bit speckly, but it is very subtle. The size is more correct for a thuringian, and it should improve the edge given by a coticule if it is a good one. Don't think I'd call the slurry chalky though - more creamy and mud-like.

I can't see a bevel or chamfer on the long sides - might just be me though. If you haven't done so, put one on - it only takes half a dozen passes on a DMT or wet'n'dry with the stone held at a 45 degree angle - helps protect the edge of the razor if you slip.

Regards,
Neil

 

[craig01]

Many thanks Neil either way it was a well spent 2 pound. When honing on clear water it produces a lot of draw to the hone almost like a auto slurry is this a characteristic of either the waters of Ayr or the thuringian.

 

[Neil Miller]

Craig - I haven't used a WoA for quite some time and I don't have one now to compare. As far as I recall it was slowish and quite hard - the thuringians seem softer and some generate a thin slurry when honed on. The 'Celebrated Thuringian Water Hone' that you often find in small boxes (and which all seem as good as Escher branded ones) say on the label that a '...thin slime...' is generated simply by honing, so a rubbing stone is not necessary.

'Draw' seems to depend a lot on the razor and the state of the blade, as well as on the hone - some seem to 'suck' down onto the stone. When draw is related to the surface texture of the stone it is almost always lessened by lapping on a finer grit, and then by using the stone for a prolonged time - the ones that tend to get smoother and/or glassy become faster in use as they then offer less resistance.

The above is more true for hones that have a glassy nature (idwall, CF, arkansas, etc - ones whose surface is so adamantine that they were often used as oilstones) but some hones have a 'feedback' that is characteristic to them, such as coticules and tams.

Certainly seems like a great investment - I usually end up paying at least 20 to 30 times what you did!

Regards,
Neil