Thread: Flea Market Whetstone

I found this stone at a flea market several months ago and finally decided to buy it. Every time I went there I stopped to look at it but set it back down. I bought it so I would finally stop going there to look at it. Now, the question is, what do I have? It was pretty grungy before I cleaned it up a bit with hot soapy water and a bit of baking soda. It is pretty smooth and even with no cupping that I can see. Any ideas on what I got?

Strange color, looking at the texture I'd say it was some sort of fine soft arkansas or a washita stone.

The color should be more whitish or yellowish unless something has made it dark. There's a chance, looking from afar, that it's some type of synthetic. I'd be able to tell within about 30 seconds using it (or less), but that's a bit difficult to do from here.

After looking at photo # 3, I put my money on a Norton India oilstone. Mainly due to the texture of the inside area of the broken section, man made. It's just in rough condition.

Here is your # 3 photo & photos of mine , that I compared to.

Something doesn't look quite right about it for a norton india, but it could've been any other company's india stone or aluminum oxide stone back then. One would love to believe it might be a washita, but that color just screams that it's not.

Hirlau, it sure looks like the same thing. I am in Northeast Louisiana right now and that is where I picked up this stone. If this is what you are saying this is, what can I do with this stone? I guess I will just have to wait until I get back to California and find somebody I can compare it with.

the color on mine & photo # 3 was manipulated to help bring out the texture on the inside of the stones.
I don't rely on color that much, especially when different cameras & conditions are present.
Stones in person, often look different in photos. I also see the different dark pigments in all the photos to indicate possible oil/lubricants used at the time of manufacture. I believe the difference in photo # 3 is that the stone is extremely dried out & "crumbling" ,,IMO.. I look at the old Nortons, Carborundums on Ebay daily,,,& I see this condition from time to time.
But who knows without examining the real thing & not a photo.

right, examining the real thing and testing it on - preferably a tool or knife - would tell us immediately.

I haven't seen many old indias that get crumbly, but they are fragile and as they get older they get harder, and, to me, become useless (even for tools - they get really hard and the grit is large and hard on diamond hones). The crystolon silicon carbide stones do the same, but the new ones are quite nice, just not for razors. They have some friability and shed their grit and cut very fast.

If,,,,and that's an if,,,, it's a Norton or relative of one, ,,,then I would take a penny & place it on the opposite corner of the chunk missing(already damaged corner) & lightly press down on it using my thumb & the penny,,,if it crumbles easily,,,then it's not worth anything. If the corner is strong, then soak in oil for a day or two, then wipe off excess & use it to sharpen work knives or other tools.


I would not put it anywhere around my razors.

Originally Posted by Hirlau

the color on mine & photo # 3 was minipulated to help bring out the texture on the inside of the stones.
I don't rely on color that much, especially when different cameras & conditions are present.
Stones in person, often look different in photos. I also see the different dark pigments in all the photos to indicate possible oil/lubricants used at the time of manufacture. I believe the difference in photo # 3 is that the stone is extremely dried out & "crumbling" ,,IMO.. I look at the old Nortons, Carborundums on Ebay daily,,,& I see this condition from time to time.
But who knows without examining the real thing & not a photo.

Very interesting. I wondered why the picture you posted looked so different. I don't think the stone is dried out or crumbly but that's just me saying that, and I know it is very difficult for anyone to really say what it is just by looking at the pictures I posted. I did ask and I do appreciate all thoughts and ideas on this as there was no box with this stone. Thanks again Hirlau.

Originally Posted by Hirlau

I would not put it anywhere around my razors.

Neither would I. It's a stone for tools, machinists supply stuff, and removing nicks from knives. A very capable stone for those things, but not a fine stone and not fast cutting with light pressure like a modern waterstone.

If it's decent like hirlau says, I'd also keep it around. They are the stone (as you'll find out) that you end up getting sometimes when you're not looking for india stones. I use a new one in a norton IM 313 along with a hard ark and a medium crystolon, and have about two dozen old ones that have come as add ons with package lots of stones. They are all super hard by now, and if the stones are combination stones, both sides (crystolon and india) are very hard. It's difficult to figure out what to use.

Don't give up hope on the stone without testing a knife on it, though. Eons ago, i bought a brown stone that I thought was natural, but it was just bad pictures that made it look natural. It was some other manufacturer's version of an india stone and it had a muddy base that wears away like grease, and al-ox grit that was fairly fine - maybe twice as fine as a fine india.

Otherwise (and it's not nice to say this, I guess), india stones fall into the category of old stones that are difficult to do anything with because it costs as much to ship them as they are worth in general.