Thread: Rock hounds, Rumney NH?

I am a rock climber and spent a lot of time in Rumney NH. The rock in Rumney is schist which I believe is a good hone type stone? There is even an area where garnets are just there on the rock. Has anyone ever tried some stones from here? What should I look for when grabbing a stone next time?

Probably not a good material for honing on.

Is schist not a good medium then for hones?

Do it!! Actually do it twice and drop one off at my house in Clinton :lol: I personally think its worth a shot...but I know nothing about geology or what makes the good stones good. But what the heck, run a junky razor over it and see what happens. I have a nice wide 6/8 or so razor with a nice long crack running up the blade that would be a good test subject

Chris

As a somewhat rock hound myself I say do it, dunno where galaxy got his info maybe he has experience with the stone there?

Here is our rockhound thread: http://straightrazorpalace.com/showthread.php?t=107276

Originally Posted by aa1192

Is schist not a good medium then for hones?

Schist in general is a good medium but it depends on the composition....

From Wikipedia : "The word schist is derived ultimately from the Greek word σχίζειν schÃzein meaning "to split",[5] which is a reference to the ease with which schists can be split along the plane in which the platy minerals lie.

Most schists have been derived from clays and muds which have passed through a series of metamorphic processes involving the production of shales, slates and phyllites as intermediate steps. Certain schists have been derived from fine-grained igneous rocks such as basalts and tuffs. Most schists are mica schists, but graphite and chlorite schists are also common.

Schists are named for their prominent or perhaps unusual mineral constituents, such as garnet schist, tourmaline schist, glaucophane schist, etc.

Schists are frequently used as dimension stone. Dimension stone is stone that has been selected and fabricated to specific shapes or sizes."

Hard to say if it would be useful for a hone without further investigation.

Schist is a universe onto itself. The composition and characteristics can vary tremendously. Some are so friable they would probably destroy a razor and some are very fine grained and solidly part of the rock (I'm talking the mica in the rock).

Well next climbing trip I'll bring some home from all over the mountain. Big questions is how I'll end up cutting to size with my current tools.