Thread: Dragons tongue(8-10K) and purple llyn melynllyn(12k)

I had the 2 stone set, when i got some razors honed i sent them to the person who used to hone my razors and his assessment was that the grit ratings were higher than his results would suggest.
These stones do have a healthy folowing (or at least used to).

Originally Posted by Vasilis

Neil, I have to thank you, you are one of the most influential people in my hone searching with your notes and help answering my questions. And whenever I have to give an approximate grit rating on a natural, I always try to use your guidelines for determining that abstract concept of estimated grit on naturals. Truly, I'm glad you are around.

Now, about the dark grey salmen type of stone that is a finisher, do you have the time to help us with identifying that type of stone? Do you happen to have a photo or description about it?

Dear Vasilis,

Thanks for the kind words!

I have had about three of them (dark grey type sold under the 'yello lake' brand), all sold now though. They have no especial features other than a faint swirl or banding, so faint that it only comes to light when the stone is wet and the surace has been very finely lapped (60 grit at least) - even then, you wonder whether you are really seeing it.

They really reminded me of the Cambrock Silkstone, and were about the same in terms of being a fine finishing hone.

When I was researching Albert Berl Salmen I came across a listing of all the mines in Wales which had something to do with or which were owned outright by his company. The following is a list of mines with which the A B Salmen firm or the Executors of A B Salmen had something to do with at one time or another:

Moel Siabod
Melynllyn
Idwal
Nantgwynant
Dolwyddelen
Cwmyffynan

There is a list of what type of rock the quarries were producing in the 1800s, which I copied and which I cannot find at the present, but in the notes from one quarry it says that siliceous slate and calcareous siltstone were mined for making hone stones, and that the slate was purple and the calcareous siltstone was a very dark grey.

We must be conscious of the fact that the classification of rock type comes from the 1800s and if it is the word of the mine owner and not a geologist it may well be wrong, as this type of siltstone can have some large inclusions in it. A large amount of it - if not all - comes from the ancient Cambrian layers in Wales, which brings to mind the Cambrock ("CAMB-rian ROCK) silkstone, and the possibility that they are one and the same thing.

Regards,
Neil

Ricky,

The sandpaper - providing it is wet and dry and not the capenter's type of sandpaper which releases a lot of grit - will be fine.

I am a bit obsessive about it, and hated the idea that even a few loose grains would get embedded in the hone, so I used the sandpaper on a few other jobs first to wear the surface a bit and get rid of any loosely adhering grit, but I suppose you can get away without that step. Frequently flush the sadpaper.

I also used to use different lapidary grits on a stout sheet of glass (120, 220, 320, 400, 600) but you will find that this inevitably leaves a slight rounding of the hone, especially at the edges, so once I had used 320 grit I switched to a 400 and then 600 grit diamond hone, but these of course a way more expensive than wet'n'dry sandpaper or grits.

Regards,
Neil

Neil,

Thank you for your input and knowledge on this matter. The wet and dry sand paper I use is the proper wet and dry sand paper (Norton). I will certainly try the 600 grit 800 grit 1000 grit progression after the 325 DMT, and see what results I can get with the DT and Melynlynn hones. At best I will get an improved edge on my razors, and worst case nothing much will change.

I will also take your other tip regarding some light work with the various grades of wet and dry to minimise any loose grit particles embedding themselves into the hone.

Hope to be reporting back soon on this trial.

I have a very hard and fine black bulgarian slate and it works on a slurry 6 - 7 K levell . Finishing on plain water give a 8 - 10 k level edge . Here is the trick i learn from practice - when i use a hard slate for finishing i lapped , and polish the one side to maximum .
When you working on dilueting slurry , when you go to the plain water , stop and reverse the hone on the polished side . the finnish of the hone is important in the final step of finishing . Ading Lather or liquid soap , is important for the final the finish .
Or you can put a smal pinch of Crox or jewelers rouge on the stone and finish like this . It gives a kick on the edge , ha ha ha .
I have try it, with crox only , i still canot get my hands on the red thing .

I had both the "15k" black stone, and the purple slate that AJ sells. I thought they were fine for the money, but like everyone else here, not as fine as touted. The killer in the states is the shipping cost.

I sold the black one (in my case, it wasn't any finer than the purple), oiled the purple one and used it on tools for a while and then eventually sold it.

It would be ideal if they were available for $45 or so for a big one over here, but $35 kills it and when you decide you want to dump your stone, people think of it as a $45 stone and you lose money. That sucks.

They were both capable of finishing a razor, but I'd describe them as fairly coarse on slurry and slow without it. Decent for the price.

Originally Posted by DaveW

I had both the "15k" black stone, and the purple slate that AJ sells. I thought they were fine for the money, but like everyone else here, not as fine as touted. The killer in the states is the shipping cost.

I sold the black one (in my case, it wasn't any finer than the purple), oiled the purple one and used it on tools for a while and then eventually sold it.

It would be ideal if they were available for $45 or so for a big one over here, but $35 kills it and when you decide you want to dump your stone, people think of it as a $45 stone and you lose money. That sucks.

They were both capable of finishing a razor, but I'd describe them as fairly coarse on slurry and slow without it. Decent for the price.

You could ask for not signed royal mail. The seller is friendly, I don't think he will reject it. It's cheaper.

Those chiping cost are unhumain and kill everything good in the straight razor suplies shoping
I can almost afford ,many things , but when i see the chiping i turn back .

Have these stones. Like the purple and the finer one. When I received them, the grit ratings written on them were 8000 dragons tongue, 10000 lm and 12000 welshingian (don't bite me, you know which I mean). Seller is helpful good stones IMO but even he isn't consistent with his ratings.