Thread: Let's see them Washitas

There have been some great threads about Arks recently and also some threads related to Washitas. I don't know a lot about these and want to learn more, so I hope that this can become some sort of resource thread, so please post pics and any related info on your Washitas.

I only have two no. 1's:





one of my latest acquisitions...


interesting detail:


Backside with remnants of the label:


Nice wooden box with labels



kind regards

Here are some recent eebay purchases. The one on the right has an amazing feeling with kitchen knives, but not enjoyable with razors. The white one feels like a cheese grater and I haven't figured it out yet. Way too slow on my SOG pocket knife; haven't figured out whether it's good for razors yet.

Can get a cowboy shave or better off this.I like these for knives just before a finisher.

You need to condition the washita just like you would a hard ark or CF stone. Once you have a smoother surface, they will be slow, but steady and a good stone can be a good intermediate in the line up.

The first one I posted is coarser than the other - the feeling on a razor isn't nice but it does nice things after the 1k, the other one feels much more smooth and finer. Gotta play around with both some more.

Here is a real diamond-in-the-rough I found in a pile of stones the other day. This is only one of 12 other Washitas' in my den. Once I got it cleaned up I saw the worn label so I cleaned, lapped the stone (almost 3/8") and sealed the label. This is a true white in it's performance. Most folks will know I have an affinity to the Washita as a underappreciated hone.
I am still amazed at the versatility of this stone. DO NOT confuse these hones with a soft Arkansas. You can actually shave from some of these. They truly defy logic.

Nice find!

Originally Posted by dta116

This is a true white in it's performance.

Could you elaborate on that? I've read somewhere that the main difference between the Lilly White and the no 1's is the color with the Lilly Whites being more consistently white (obviously).

There's supposed to be a class of Washitas called Rosy Red or so, do you happen to have one of those?

Kind regards

I have 3 Washitas that have been in my family for close to 100 years, they are all on the soft/coarse side and rarely see a razor but get used on my wood working tools and in restoring old tools I find in junk stores. I use them and progress to my Arkansas hard and my hard black (which my charts equate to almost a 4k) I keep the washitas well lapped since they wear fast with the heavy woodworking blades. They are also great for finishing off an ax.

Originally Posted by AnsichtskarteausSolingen

Nice find!



Could you elaborate on that? I've read somewhere that the main difference between the Lilly White and the no 1's is the color with the Lilly Whites being more consistently white (obviously).

There's supposed to be a class of Washitas called Rosy Red or so, do you happen to have one of those?

Kind regards

I have a Lily White, "Ouachita" ( I was told that was how it was spelled when I bought it) was the first SR stone I ever bought in 1981 and it was $105 back then

What I know to be true,

They are not a Soft White Arkie
They are VERY hard VERY smooth and VERY dense
They are not Translucent
They are VERY white almost like a Pure White Mable

I have a pic of mine someplace will look for it if you are interested



I gave up trying to explain them years ago because every time you bring it up somebody says "White Arkies are too soft for SR finishing"

whatever..

I don't know about misidentifying them, always a possibility, I have goofed up worse than that on a good day.. But they are in an original looking box that says they are Washitas, They do a good job cutting steel.