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I'm a beginner and have been given a stone by my long time barber for free. He said it's an oil stone, I did not ask any futher questions.
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Anyone know what kind of oil is best to use? and I'd like to try to flatten if possible, can it be done with sand paper?
It looks like a carborundum stone of some sort. If it is, it's made of the same general abrasive that is in sandpaper, so you will probably need to use loose grit of some sort to flatten it.
I'd clean it up first by taking it out of the base and immersing it in either kerosene or something warm and soapy if you're averse to using kerosene, and then it'll be easier to tell for sure that it's silicon carbide and not just a dark india stone (it does look more like silicon carbide).
You'll have to determine how coarse it is, it may be too coarse for razors except those with extreme damage - and better for setting bevels on knives and tools.
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Originally Posted by DaveW
It feels slightly coarse, and it kind of sparkles slightly when holding to the light. It's stuck to the base faily tightly, I cannot seem to remove it with my hands only. Since I don't have any other stones, polishing/finishing then it's pretty much useless to me right?
I'd clean it (just by taking it outside and using a plastic bristle brush or something to clean it off) and keep it around. Carborundum stones that are porous and coarse are not preferable for razors, but you may have a razor that has extreme damage that you'd use it for. (not for finishing, though, unless you'd chance into one of the carborundum hones that was specified for razors - those look different and have smaller particles).
They are also fantastic for setting up a new bevel on knives, which tend to be a little softer than razors and cut very quickly on carborundum.
So, useless for razors? That's probably generally true. But not useless for other things.
The only issues with older carborundum stones is that they tend to get harder as they age, and if you get a newer one, they're friable and a little faster cutting. That's not a real big issue when it comes to light use, though.
