Agate / Greenstone?

[dadsavage]

I know I asked about some of this in my other thread, but a dedicated thread for this particular subject seems more sensible. In short I've had a tiny, 10k green stone hone for some time and have been trying to find a larger one. Finally the seller is now stocking both a bigger version of this one, and similar hones in other grits. However very little information is available on these stones. I'm eyeing four of them (1.5k, 3k, 6k & 10k) which are labelled as being onyx, ruby, agate and green-stone.

I'm curious as to whether anyone has experience using these materials? I can provide images: Onyx (1.5k) Ruby (3k) Agate (6k) Green Stone (10k) as said I have some experience with a smaller version of the last one. It's very glassy and hard. I've used it for polishing razors and sharpening knives (the latter requires a fair bit of force and a circular stroke) but its performance is difficult to gauge as the size limits how it can be used.

I find them very attractive and am very tempted to purchase them (in addition to some more conventional hones) but their hardness concerns me. The seller claims they are good for razors, but I take this with a grain of salt, and would love to get any feedback I can. If no-one has any direct experience I'm open to opinions. I don't mind giving it a shot and reporting back provided no one thinks it's a really bad idea.

So can any experts give their opinion on hones like this, whether they're advisable for use with razors?

[Brighty83]

Those 3 stones always pop up on eBay and I wouldn't be surprised if someone on here has purchased them for a laugh.. although I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't preform well. (I may be wrong)

Personally I would buy a known stone (Shapton, Naniwa, king, Norton etc) that works rather then some un branded stone that may or may not be consistent, especially for a beginner. The last thing you want is for some larger then expected particle to microchip your razor.

Aren't the Naniwa or Sharpton glass stone attractive enough for you? I would have though they would be much more appealing!

[Brighty83]

Is the green natural stone the same as the Nature Jade on eBay? I have been curious about buying one myself just to see what it is like but the prices are too expensive or the stone are too small.

Can you post the link to the larger stone you have found?

[dadsavage]

Personally I would buy a known stone (Shapton, Naniwa, king, Norton etc) that works rather then some un branded stone that may or may not be consistent, especially for a beginner. The last thing you want is for some larger then expected particle to microchip your razor.

I mean to buy a set of Naniwa or Shapton ceramic stones (enough to take me to 8k) and I do find them attractive. I find many different stones attractive. These would mainly be for playing with. However I do see your point.

Is the green natural stone the same as the Nature Jade on eBay? I have been curious about buying one myself just to see what it is like but the prices are too expensive or the stone are too small.

Can you post the link to the larger stone you have found?

As far as I know it is. The larger size was something I asked up on as I purchased one of those tiny ones and have had fun playing with it. Here is the link

[thebigspendur]

Are those just names or are those what they are supposed to be made of?

If that's what they are made of you know, onyx is calcium carbonate and pretty soft stuff while the ruby is Aluminum Oxide very hard stuff and agate is quartz pretty hard stuff too. They are not usually used for razors. I would imagine some alumina powder would do similar as the ruby.

[dadsavage]

Are those just names or are those what they are supposed to be made of?

Couldn't say. I'm not an expert, but having used the one advertised as green stone all I can say is that it's very hard and 'glassy,' in its texture

[Oscroft]

Are those just names or are those what they are supposed to be made of?

Just names for sure - people don't make hones out of actual ruby.

Update: The "Onyx" and "Ruby" look synthetic to me and just coloured that way, but the "Agate" and "Green stone" look natural.

[Geezer]

There is a type of Jade used in Asia and this country more as a final finish honing / burnishing than sharpening on surgical and dental tools.

I had one the size of a barber hone that was colored like a Nephrite jade in looks and it was a very final finisher for carving tools. It was stolen from my belongings when I returned to the USA from Japan and my sea bag was lost for four months and any thing of value was removed..

There is a Jadeite mined in Wyoming.
~Richard

[qqmajikpp]

Actually the first stone i purchased was a ruby/agate chinese ebay special. I rather like it and find it works great for touch ups. i cant say it is better than my norton set but when im not home and my blades need more help than my strop can provide, the small ruby agate does a good enough job and then the strop makes it really nice.

Those 3 stones always pop up on eBay and I wouldn't be surprised if someone on here has purchased them for a laugh.. although I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't preform well. (I may be wrong)

Personally I would buy a known stone (Shapton, Naniwa, king, Norton etc) that works rather then some un branded stone that may or may not be consistent, especially for a beginner. The last thing you want is for some larger then expected particle to microchip your razor.

Aren't the Naniwa or Sharpton glass stone attractive enough for you? I would have though they would be much more appealing!

[Marshal]

"Too slow" is somewhat confusing to me. Most naturals are some degree of slow. Jnats seem to be the exception to this rule.

When it comes to a natural finisher, I'm less concerned with speed and more interested in quality. To say that it improves an edge over a Naniwa 12k to me is fairly impressive. Particularly when you take the price of the hone into consideration.