Anyone ever seen one of these??

Recently acquired some hones that appear to be naturals. This one is of particular interest. At first this was black saturated in old oil and rusty swarf and very badly dished. Jet washing and boiling many times has given me this, it was a bitch to lap. Have used it once and it seems to dull an already keen razor to the point where hht fails. Having said that I haven't learned how to use it properly but would estimate it's a good bevel setter with my current experience. Anyone have an idea what it is?
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How hard is it, does it give a slurry, pics with slurry, pics wet with no slurry...im sure these questions will be asked.

Possibly an arkansas of some kind but im not real edumacated on them

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Originally Posted by Deckard

Recently acquired some hones that appear to be naturals. This one is of particular interest. At first this was black saturated in old oil and rusty swarf and very badly dished. Jet washing and boiling many times has given me this, it was a bitch to lap. Have used it once and it seems to dull an already keen razor to the point where hht fails. Having said that I haven't learned how to use it properly but would estimate it's a good bevel setter with my current experience. Anyone have an idea what it is?
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If you just recently lapped it the sharpening grit might not be broken in. Arkansas stones cut very fine cause the worm down grit cuts slow and fine. Also if it's not a prefect stone that forces one to use a honing oil like nortons that can fill in some of the low spots making it cut finer and slower. The honing oils that are thin and have water and rust preventing stuff are not going to make that cut finer better if it's not flawless. Like smith's honing stuff is horrible honing oil. I use shaving soap before smiths.

Here's the stone wet.
It doesn't really give up a slurry, it's kind of glass like in texture, very hard stone.
I got the worst of the dishing out on a concrete slab. It took for ever to get flat.

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That looks suspiciously like a piece of precision granite and not a hone to me.
I'm just going by the appearance and the description so I could be wrong.

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

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Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

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

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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

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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,,:shrug:
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,,,

Washita nothing more to add....