Thread: Another (finer one) wonder if someone with more knowledge can add something please

Back at auction and another stone caught my eye at a affordable price, this time a lot finer, i dont have a tape handy but i remember from the listing it was measured at 4 3/8" x 1 1/4"
quite a heavy slate type stone.
It was waiting for me when i got home from work.
i would try and get some daylight pictures but the sun eludes me this time of year 5 days out of 7. i slurried it a little with a thumbs size piece of wet n dry to take a picture.
Its glued into the case and i was thinking maybe the case could even give a few clues to its origins.

Looks identical to the Escher hone I have (and probably paid to much for). Same looking stone, slurry, and even the box. How the slurry smell and how does it hone?

These are very common and great hones. All of the ones I have seen are Thuringians, with some of them being Eschers.

As long as you can keep the blade flat on such a narrow hone, they are excellent finishers.

Originally Posted by MattCB

Looks identical to the Escher hone I have (and probably paid to much for). Same looking stone, slurry, and even the box. How the slurry smell and how does it hone?

havent had a chance to put anything to it yet, i know this may sound a little.... but the slurry smells kinda like slate, only really a very faint smell, like old slate.
Do Thuringians and Eschers have a distinct smell to their slurry?

just took it to a tile for lapping, the slurry is definatley just a very faint slate smell with a very small hint of like a mud/earthy smell. i couldnt resist, i dabbed a tiny bit on my tongue and it tastes like it smells hehehe.
I just gave a razor about 10 light laps and im off to get a lather going rather excited.

The Thuringians, including Eschers, are slate hones. I've never really noticed a particular smell from them. I've no doubt they have one but I've never paid attention to it. They certainly are not as strong smelling as some other stones such as some of the Japanese hones.

Well, results time.
The razor given the treatment wasn't honed by me but from reading i am pretty certain that it had previously been finished on a Chinese 12 and had only been used for a handful of shaves, maybe 7-10.
The edge was in pretty good shape.
Those 10 maybe 12 laps on this little guy have noticeably improved the shave from it (and improved upon what i remember of the first shave when the razor was fresh), a quick single pass is left very smooth and wow comfortable.
Im a very happy chappy right now

They say good things come in sets of 3 right?
i just managed to get hold of this from also from auction, looks a bit beat up and will require some TLC to get it fighting fit but... Including postage i got it for £9 (approx $14) that alone would make work getting it back in shape worth the effort

Originally Posted by Utopian

The Thuringians, including Eschers, are slate hones. I've never really noticed a particular smell from them. I've no doubt they have one but I've never paid attention to it. They certainly are not as strong smelling as some other stones such as some of the Japanese hones.

Are you insinuating that Japanese hones stink...?

Some of them sure do! I recently used one that smells like a lifelong stogie fiend! The cigar smell is almost overpowering. And no the previous owner was not a smoker... unless you count Mother Earth and her volcanoes, lol!

Congratulations stev nice stone. Whatever you do, don’t taste the j-nats, some can be TOXIC!