Thread: Rock diving

I have seen a few threads in the last week - some old and some new - about someone walking by a pile of rocks or even digging in their backyard and pulling up a chunk of rock that can be used as a hone. I'm curious, is there any method to the madness, or is it one of those trial and error scenes? I would love to pull up rocks from the ground and find that serve a purpose, but I really have no idea where to start/where to trespass.

Any thoughts?

I've actually wondered that as well. I've even considered taking a basic geology course just for interest.

Well, I lapped a Norton 220 on my sidewalk once. Does that count?

I'm with you guys. I live in an area with a lot of shale, different types of slate, petrified wood and basalt. I've heard of all of this types being hone material. My question is similar, which one, what is the science?

My family and I spent the summer of '11 in the 4 Corners area of the American West. In Utah especially, I kept thinking, "I wonder if that rock would make a good hone."

Originally Posted by ScoutHikerDad

My family and I spent the summer of '11 in the 4 Corners area of the American West. In Utah especially, I kept thinking, "I wonder if that rock would make a good hone."

Try it and you will see!

Any rock or substance harder than steel can be used as a hone and as a matter of fact softer ones too. Hold your razor under a stream of water for a few hundred years and you'll have a finely honed razor. What makes a rock a hone is a bunch of factors which when combined puts a great edge on a razor or edged instrument in a reasonable time and doesn't require special skills and materials and allows the instrument to perform in every fashion.

Very few rocks do that which is why really good hones are hard to find, are rare and expensive. However if you just want to knock around go ahead a get that piece of quartz or granite or slate or basalt and turn it into a hone and see what happens. We will be here waiting for your report.

If you want to take a course you'll probably need to take a year of College Geology and then take a semester of Petrology if you want to learn about rocks.

And, by the way it's not called rockdiving it's rockhounding-har har.

Originally Posted by Jonah

I have seen a few threads in the last week - some old and some new - about someone walking by a pile of rocks or even digging in their backyard and pulling up a chunk of rock that can be used as a hone. I'm curious, is there any method to the madness, or is it one of those trial and error scenes? I would love to pull up rocks from the ground and find that serve a purpose, but I really have no idea where to start/where to trespass. Any thoughts?

That's simple,,,,you start in the neighbor's yard.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

And, by the way it's not called rockdiving it's rockhounding-har har.

The title did make me wince .

Originally Posted by Jonah

I have seen a few threads in the last week - some old and some new - about someone walking by a pile of rocks or even digging in their backyard and pulling up a chunk of rock that can be used as a hone. I'm curious, is there any method to the madness, or is it one of those trial and error scenes? I would love to pull up rocks from the ground and find that serve a purpose, but I really have no idea where to start/where to trespass.

Any thoughts?

My Digging on monday was cause rocks in the ground ruined the lawn mower. It was the front yard for me.
I should seriously consider getting a wet dry belt sander to use wet.
Almoust any rock or can be used to flatten.
When flatting check the mudd that being created make sure it's not releasing sand if it giving sand
flatten with some that cann't give off sand. and wash the dirt off.
sand be given off by any fine hone will ruin and clean sharp edge.
Florida though might be a bad area to look. no moutains of rock coming out of the ground. The soil is mustly sand. some of my neibors tell their nothing but useless shale here. The cool rocks i find could be from any where though. cause when they build these houses on this big hill the must likely filled in all the steams and stuff like that with the cheapest fill available. that's fill with tons of rocks in it.