Thread: Anyone ever seen one of these??

Looks very like the same type as an old Washita I bought from Smith's back in the '70s.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Looks very like the same type as an old Washita I bought from Smith's back in the '70s.

Yes, been browsing the web and very much looks like it. What approx grit rating would you give this?

Does it look like mine,,,,if so then Jimmy's answer is correct,,, my grandfather used this one daily in the early 70's

Yes,

Very similar. This one did come from an old time carpenter who passed away so seems plausible.
Beautiful looking object. Would anyone know how to use one of these for razor purposes?

Well AFAIK Washita is the coarser stone in an Arkansas progression. I used to use mine to set a bevel on a pocket knife and then go to a soft Arkansas to sharpen. That was before I knew that what I was doing was setting a bevel ....... back then it was all just sharpening to me. I think it would be too slow/coarse for razors in general, but I could be mistaken.

Once you lapped it,,, work it in after an 8K,,, see how it shaves,,
if it's the same stone as mine,,, it was a beast to lap with a DMT 325.

Then my stone is not a Washita then,,, its extremely hard & smooth,,, a finisher.

A Washita isn't soft and neither is a "soft" Arkansas, in terms of how it feels to the touch and even how it feels under a blade. It is coarser than a soft Ark which is finer than a Washita, but not as fine as a "hard" Ark or a Translucent, or a Black Hard Ark, reputed to be the finest of all of the Arks. All Arks are slow IME.

The one I pictured above,,, would take a year & a day to set a bevel on,,,