Thread: I Found It Over There

Or stop by road cutouts and get them with flip flops, lol

I have to say, I love reading this Thread! Does anyone have a nice source on geological information? maps with what type of rock is where, that sort a thing

as a climber I see lime-, sandstone and granite, but I don't think those are going to work :P

The possibility of finding a bevel setter is probably better in sandstone than shale or slate. I doubt that you could make a hone out of granite. However I have to add that I'm no expert. Not on hones or geology.basically we are just looking more or less around the areas where we live and checking different rock and seeing if what we find is suitable for sharpening. You never know until you look is the basic pretense.

Granite contains silicon oxide, and has been used for many ages as a sharpening stone. Even today, I have seen sharpening wheels made from granite.
Limestone doesn't work, and when you find a stone, it usually looks like it can sharpen when holding it, but can't. It's also extremely difficult to flatten, worst than a Chinese stone or a hard Arkansas. The perfect waste of time.
For the sandstones, all of them work to some degree, but it's quite possible to have inclusions, or a bigger particle every now and then, that damages the edge. Good for sharpening, but the scratch pattern may not be as uniform as it should.
From all that talk, I missed my soon-to-be-hones stones I collected from an island I went last summer. The whole island was a single piece of SiO2 minerals. When my friends were swimming, I was collecting chunks from next to the beach. I ended up with so many, I was afraid to put them in the trunk of the car. And, as I was driving, my friends were holding them, stepping on them, and sitting on them, to distribute the weight evenly (they are great friends).
And, all of them are good stones, but they have a huge variation, I doubt I collected the same type twice.
When I cut and flatten them, I'll upload some photos.

It's not hard to find a stone, but it's hard to find a really good one. Good luck guys!

Originally Posted by Bram

I have to say, I love reading this Thread! Does anyone have a nice source on geological information? maps with what type of rock is where, that sort a thing

as a climber I see lime-, sandstone and granite, but I don't think those are going to work :P

Have you considered the USGS? Welcome to the USGS - U.S. Geological Survey

Of course it's not easy to navigate the massive dotgov site (never is). I found maps of my area somewhere--shows maybe 7 shades of colors for my state, then the KEY for reading the color-coding is only 150 colors long with 27 shades of yellow, green, etc. Impossible to quickly determine anything.

I too would be interested in more "sharpening stone learning" but it appears to be a tiny side-show of the grand geological interests.

I'm not sure how to get back to it, but the multi-part work by the modern sellers of coticule is a good in-depth read.

It's kinda simple as i understand it. Find rock, slick off one side, test rock. Just have to find the right density of cutting particles of the right size held together tight enough but not too tightly by the rest of the rock, with good purity.

Simple, not easy. But the more of us there are poking and scratching around out there, the more likely it is we hit on something. Not likely to be a world market concern, but maybe a lifetime supply for a fella and his pals and possibly others who are brave enough to slap razor to wild-caught stones.

Here's something i surfed up: http://lumberjocks.com/Daren/blog/2835 (the forum version same guy, with discussion: http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f11/s...ake-them-2411/)

Really getting upset about this.... I don't want to have to drag my 4 year old out to go rock hunting. I mean do I really want my kids childhood memories, of his Dad taking him "Rock Hunting" eh...........he'll get over it....

According to the geological survey around here, Peach Bottom is the place to be, 1/2 hour south of me is Slate
Also Chickies Rock (North of me), both are along the Susquehanna River.

I think that would be an awesome childhood memory. It's way ahead of my father gave me $20 to wait in the truck outside the place where the ladies dance naked. Actually I think the $20 was to keep my mouth shut. Hehehe

Originally Posted by Trimmy72

Really getting upset about this.... I don't want to have to drag my 4 year old out to go rock hunting...

it's the out-of-doors! let your boy pick up rocks too, or whatever. Call it a hike. go fishing too. Wait until summer and hunt for snakes and scorpions as well...

How much do you actually remember from that age (without pics to refresh you)? It's not him, it's his momma you gotta please.

__now back to my shales__

SO i stopped at another site today. THESE rocks are different. Look the same, but are denser and make a black, not brown, slurry.

Denser by guesstimation, no actual volume/mass checking-hell that's like lab work, and i'm a precision guesstimator anyhoo

Maybe i whip out some other steels...the lil' Genco is being difficult, still setting bevel/removing last trace of frown.



FTR these are P-1 rocks. (so i don't forgets, i suck at keeping actual notes). And one of them has some "other color" in the plane, but it doesn't feel like it will be an issue. I want to test that too, but do have enough thickness to grind it out. maybe.

Here's some images of the first bout.





And a quick scratch pattern without oil.

It doesn't look like a classic Charnley stone. Is it novaculite? For the scratch pattern, I'm sure it contains abrasive material, but is it suitable for honing?