Natural Combo Stone?

Well guys, I'm excited about this grab. Judging by the how purple the dark side of this hone is I think it's a natural combination stone. What do you all think? If it is I would say this is my best Bay snag considering I also get the barber hone and the razor for that price. Don't mean to brag too much, I've just always wanted a natural combo. I can't wait to get it and give it a go. :y

VINTAGE STRAIGHT RAZOR W/CASE BARBER HONE STONE SET - eBay (item 120319944418 end time Oct-24-08 19:10:27 PDT)

ah, yeah that's a natural combo belgian for sure.

Um, that was sarcasm, wasn't it?:shrug:

A combo stone it is but it's neither a natural nor a belgian.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Utopian

A combo stone it is but it's neither a natural nor a belgian.

---

Why don't you think it's a belgian? :confused:

Looking at the box, it appears to say the hone can be used with either water, oil, or lather. If it is the correct box, the oil comment confuses me. Can coticules be used with oil?

I mean, I guess you *could* use a coticule with oil, but would they say that on the box? Is it just us that insists on water with coticules? Did the old-timers use general lubricants on their Belgian stones?

Maybe it is the wrong box? Maybe I don't know what I am talking about? :shrug:

Anyway, it kinda looks like a Belgian to me colour-wise...

James.

Howard told me once that the reason many vintage coticules are a good deal darker (until you lap them) is that they were commonly used with oil.

Eschers are very specific about no oil but I don't think the same is true with belgians. As I understand it they are non-porous.

To my eye that's a Belgian natural combo for sure, and I would have bid on it with confidence. I think you got a terrific deal.

I'm curious now too Utopian, what makes you think is neither natural nor belgian? What do you suppose it is then?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dylandog

Howard told me once that the reason many vintage coticules are a good deal darker (until you lap them) is that they were commonly used with oil.

Eschers are very specific about no oil but I don't think the same is true with belgians. As I understand it they are non-porous.

To my eye that's a Belgian natural combo for sure, and I would have bid on it with confidence. I think you got a terrific deal.

---

Escher has recommended oil for a while; there has been a picture of an Escher label like that in a post some time ago on SRP. I bought a used coticule some time ago that was covered in an oily substance, after lapping I had a very nice natural combo.

I would ask for additional pics of the side of the hone. They'll tell ya whether it is a nat. combo and how much cupping there is.

I'll chew a razor blade if that isn't a Belgian Coticule/blue stone Natural Combo.:chop:

Please,please,please... Tell us what ALL the writing is on the label. Please!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by littlesilverbladefromwale

I'll chew a razor blade if that isn't a Belgian Coticule/blue stone Natural Combo.:chop:

---

Bon appetit!

The stone is a barber hone embossed Zenith Razor Hone. No natural hones of any kind are embossed, the stamping step would ruin the stone. This is a barber's hone, enjoy it, it will probably be a nice hone to use.

I thought he meant the other hone in the lot!

Rich, he's talking about the other hone.

Chris L

And, I also do not think it's a natural Belgian. I think it's a combo barber hone. Then again, the box does have a word at the top that starts with "B" and I have seen vintage Belgian boxes say it can be used with oil. And, I have been wrong about guessing at Belgians as two totally worthless combo manufactured oilstones can attest to. Thankfully, I've been right on taking a chance more than I've been wrong.

:eek: Oh ****!

My vote: it's a Belgian Combo stone.
They're non porous, so they can be used with anything: water, lather or oil. Like Chris, I've also seen other old labels mentioning that.

If we are talking about the stone accompanying the red box, the division between the two colors (@the end of the hone)seems to me to be way too straight and definitive to be natural. If natural wouldnt it be a blur?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by nun2sharp

If we are talking about the stone accompanying the red box, the division between the two colors (@the end of the hone)seems to me to be way too straight and definitive to be natural. If natural wouldnt it be a blur?

---

It doesn't need to be a natural to be a combo. Today Ardennes Coticules glues the coticule to a slate back (they actually use slate flooring tiles, it's more cost-efffective doing it that way). In earlier times they usually glued coticule to a piece of blue shist, which is the same rock as the blue side of a natural combo stone.
But this still could be a natural combo, it's really not possible to tell based on that picture. (if it's a coticule at all...)

Bart.

I say its a combo! I am leaning towards natural!

I didn't realize you can click and see the large pictures - yeah the line is a bit too straight for a natural, but I'm pretty certain it's blue and yellow belgians.
They can be used also with oil, and so can the thuringians, and they most certainly were in the past. The consensus among those who have tried both seems to be that water is better.
In any case lapping will fix it - they are non-porous after all. On that topic I think Howard has said that the official procedure for purifying a coticule to a kosher state (not talking 'kosher coticule', just one that's been used with oil) is burrying it in the ground for a year (I think it's in an old thread here).

I didn't notice the other one. We would need pics of the edge to see if it's a natural. I looks like it may be a Belgian.

Thank the Lord for that, I was getting a little worried (puts Wilkinson blade back in packet)

Well the tracking says it just got into Tallahassee this morning so hopefully I will get it in the mail this afternoon. I still have my finger crossed that it's a natural combo. I will post my own pics either this evening or tomorrow morning. And for those who asked I will try and get better pics of the box. Thank you all for the suggestions.

So it's either a natural Belgian combo, a glued belgian combo, or something that will make me cry because I wanted a natural combo. :gaah:

I guess as long as it's somehting that I can fit into my honing set-up all is not lost.

I think it is a natural combo.

Here are two of my small ones. One natural and one glued.

So much for my theory!:gaah::rofl2:

Thanks Gugi for those pics, based on the bay pics it does look like it may be a glued combo. Better that than a lesser stone.

Unfortunately for those of you eagerly waiting for pics the package was sent signature required so I will have to wait until I get off of work this afternoon to pick it up.

Well guys, I finally got the package and I am happy to say that it's a natural combo, atleast so far as I can tell. I haven't lapped it yet but everything else points to a natural combo. Also, I've never heard or "Zenith" brand barber hones, how do they stack up against other well known brands? Here are the pics.

http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/q...ne051scale.jpg

http://i443.photobucket.com/albums/q...ne048scale.jpg

Sure looks like a natural Belgian to me. Ya done good! :rock:

Dang! Marcus doesn't have to eat a razor and I was wrong! Yep, that's a natural combo. Please confirm for us by cutting to the chase; lap a bit on the "blue" side and see if it bleeds purple.

The the seller would have showed the wavy side of the combo stone on the listing, we wouldn't have been having this debate.

Nice grab. Zenith hones were made by the Marshall Wells Hardware Company founded in Duluth, MN my hometown. I have a Zenith which is very unique in it's huge logo stamp up on Ebay now. I'm sure you'll like the Zenith.

Chris L

Great, congratulations.:tu

Well, at least I won't be wasting one of my Wilkinsons now:fim:, I preffer coffee and croisants for breakfast.:)
I've got to be honest, I was damn sure it was from the land of nice chocolate...:rofl2:
What's the upper-most red writing on the box? I can see the lower portion reads "razor hone", but what about the top?
Nice finds BTW !
I was going to say chrisl is selling a zenith razor hone as we speak.

Well I lapped it last night and it did in fact bleed purple. The blue side has a beautiful pattern. I'm tempted to re-polish one of my shaving razors just to give this baby a go.

Regarding the box, the pic I posted actually shows more detail than I saw looking at it in person. The top text says "Barber...", your guess is as good as mine as to what it says after that. Maybe if I bust out with some CSI techniques, I'll try hitting it with a UV light to see if the ink is reactive. :thinking:

Barber...

Razor Hone
Selected for the best
barber trade.
Can be used with
either water, oil or lather.

Sorry for the confusion. I thought he was talking about the Zenith hone! I didn't even notice the other hone. Isn't it funny how sometimes sellers emphasize the crap and don't even acknowledge the actually valuable stuff?

The confusion as to which stone I was talking about made it all more fun. I was beginning to think there was something I didn't know about that I was missing. It made it more pleasing being in doubt and then getting the stone.

Hey, have you worked out the rest of the writing on the box?

Little - If you look about two posts up I put what I could see. The picture I posted looks as good as the label in person, probably better due to the fact that it's enlarged. The rest is pretty washed out.

Funny they didn't catch the typo of "can be uesd" but I guess that just makes it more valuable.

Wow! :gaah: I didn't notice that until you pointed it out just now.

You got a natural Belgian all right. Like utopian I was looking at the Zenith stone at first. But your stone is definately a natural Belgian. Congrats!

:p.......................