Thread: help identifying this blue green hone

Been looking for a fine natural hone in the wild for a while now and i think i found one! (got to love the 127 garage sale). Don't have any idea what it is though. Here's what i know, it's 9 inches by 2 1/2 and seems very smooth and heavy. haven't lapped it yet (and it needs it) it's a bluish green with some black swirls. I'm dying to know what you all think.

We would be much better able to give an opinion when the stone is lapped and wet. The form factor is good for a European hone.
Good luck!
~Richard

I lean more toward a natural slate stone. Very common once upon a time. Some of them can be very smooth, and reach into the realm of "finish" hone, but most of them will be mid level. They do provide excellent feedback

Here's some pics with slurry while i was lapping and some after 1k wet dry. doesn't seem as polished as the unlapped side. Need i go finer?

Sure is pretty. Don't know what it is though. But test it. Best case scenario. You found a finisher for your razors. Worst case scenario. You found a finisher for your knives.
I would love something like this one.

Looks like a Llyn Idwal hone.

Sebastian has a nice example that looks similar on his flickr.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/razorlovestones/13786024045

https://www.flickr.com/photos/razorl...n/photostream/

It's a chunk of the neighbor's patio; that black spot was made by a skateboard.

I think it's a Welsh stone, and I've once heard it's name, can't remember it and apparently the gentleman who told me doesn't remember either.
This stone's appearance is strange and most of the time people think it's something else. It might have dark lines in it, thin dark spots just like TOS and enough of them to mistake it with one and plenty of other variations of lines or dots. You might even see flaking like novaculite hones in it. It's still extracted by one (old I think) man who doesn't sell online but on his local market, so it doesn't have to be an old stone.
I used to have two pieces, both finishers, hard ones but not overly so like the classic Llyn Idwal (from the picture with thick slurry, I'd assume yours isn't glass hard either) without inclusions. Used with oil or something like that, the edge is very good, both very sharp without being harsh.
It's one of the most regularly appearing "unknown hone" and one that never came with labels or a huge background to become famous like plenty of UK hones, but it's a good type of stone.

Pics of the side and ends, might help.

Here's some side pictures of my neighbors patio. Is there some thing else i should do to further refine the surface?