Mystery Hone ID Request

Can anyone here ID this mystery barber hone?

It's a standard barber hone size @ 4-7/8" long x 1-15/16" wide and a little thin @ 5/16" thickness.

It's pretty damn hard and a beast to lap, but it did give up a little bit of light gray-ish slurry in the process.

Lapping gave off a strong and pleasant, deep earthy scent much like the older, vintage coticules. (The newer coticules smell nice enough, but those super dense Old Rock / Deep Rock / Salm coticules have a strong perfume!)

When finished up to a 1K surface, the stone feels like glass.

TEST: I took a decent 8K edge to the stone with water only, and the result was a very sharp (yet more fuzzy than polished) shaving edge that tree-topped arm hairs with ease.

GUESS: I've never owned a petrified wood hone, but I've read about them. And this does have a very strong wood grain pattern...

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance,
Chris

PS -- That small inclusion-looking spot in photo #1 isn't an inclusion. It's just part of the pattern and perfectly smooth across. Same with the large speckled area in photo #2.

http://i.imgur.com/cmhqvw7.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/TidlsRh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/r3j7gna.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/jN3i2cn.jpg

Very cool thing! Something you need to own just from the look ;-)

I did some posts on the petriefied wood thing or the "German Hickory Hone"

It actually looks a bit like it could be natural...

Was that one a BIN Auction ?

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Originally Posted by doorsch

Very cool thing! Something you need to own just from the look ;-)

I did some posts on the petriefied wood thing or the "German Hickory Hone"

It actually looks a bit like it could be natural...

Was that one a BIN Auction ?

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Thanks for the reply, doorsch. I agree that it looks like it could be a natural stone. It sure smells like it's made of mud. =)

And yes, this was an eBay BIN listing. (Cost me a whopping $16 + $4.95 shipping.)

Regards,
Chris

If I had seen that, I would have bought it now too! For no other reason than because its damned pretty. Be interesting to see photos of the edge under a scope

I don't think it's a tree, unless trees grow backwards....lol!
Very very nice find!!!

Perhaps a natural? Moughton Stone?
Attachment 254770

I'm kinda with Aerdvaark. I'm thinking if that were petrified tree that wood knot looking area at the top left would be showing on the reverse side. Sure is a beautiful stone though, and well worth the BIN price for aesthetics alone.

I don't think it's a Moughton if it's improving an 8K edge. That stone is reputed to be a mid grit stone. I was going to go hunt for some a few years ago. I got to the site but found the location to be fenced off and the farmer I spoke to wasn't in control of that particular area with the stone hole on it so didn't pursue. It's also green and red.

To me it looks like an Arkansas. Patterned ones do exist. And the finish on that rock doesn't let us see any chips that would normally give the stone away.

Novaculite Porcellanite would be a good place to start with images.

You could also measure and weigh it to get a specific gravity. Novaculite is pretty dense, hard to lap, and if it's one of the harder grades will burnish to a polished finish.

Attachment 254785

Thanks for all the replies, guys!

Last night, I experimented with a razor that's always given good shaves, but never great shaves. (Admittedly, I've only used the razor 3 or 4 times.) First, I gave the razor a rough-ish, ~8K barber hone edge. Then I finished it with this stone + water for 50-60 laps before test-shaving.

I had my first great shave with that razor. Wow.

In a few days, I'll take a different razor down to a Naniwa SS 8K edge, then finish on this stone. I suspect the results may be just as impressive. Fingers cross'd.

Regards,
Chris

Try a couple drops of Smith’s Honing Solution, on a wet stone.

It is a water-soluble oil. Great on Arks and hard stones. Washes off with water. Lowes and most knife shops carry it, or on line, not pricey.

Nice score...

When you get it can you post up close pictures of these spots? Please and thank you!!!!https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...9ec0356930.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...dfc59af825.jpg

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As I shared with Christopher, I'm not sure this looks like petrified wood. Now you can take my Geology elective in college (which I still love learning about every chance I get), my visit to the Petrified Forest, and a dollar-put it all together and buy the cup of coffee it's worth at the local diner.

Having said, the rings don't look like the growth rings from a tree-too much variation in spacing along them. And most of the PF I've seen is far more colorful from the various minerals fossilized within the decaying tree's structure. I never even thought of the Novaculite angle, though-I guess the specific gravity test would tell? I wonder too if the bands are some sort of exotic sedimentary layers that settled in that fashion. It kind of reminds me of some of the really wild metamorphic banding from millions of years of heating and folding that I see on some of the back-country trout streams I frequent, kind of like this:
http://i767.photobucket.com/albums/x...g/6ffb1f83.jpg
or this
http://i767.photobucket.com/albums/x...g/af84e83c.jpg
There are rocks and minerals like this all over the NC mountains. The Appalachians are supposed to be the oldest mountain range on earth; mineral samples have been found that are close to half a billion years old. This doesn't answer Christopher's question, but gives us a similar rock in its raw, natural state.

Anyway, Bianco, I don't care what it is, I want to hone on it at our next mini-meet! Aaron

edit: Look at this page of different gneiss samples from around the world, especially the banded greenish one a little ways down the page: http://www.sandatlas.org/gneiss/

SHD,

Thanks for the thoughts and photos. While I have no idea where the stone was quarried, it was purchased and shipped from Portland, Oregon. (Might be regional?) And yes, I'll definitely bring this stone to our next scotch tasting. :)

I visited the link, but I'm not sold on it being any of those type stones. But I could be wrong. Often am. ;)

(aaron--I'll snap some well-lighted close-up photos tomorrow morning.)

Regards,
Chris

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I never even thought of the Novaculite angle, though-I guess the specific gravity test would tell? I wonder too if the bands are some sort of exotic sedimentary layers that settled in that fashion. It kind of reminds me of some of the really wild metamorphic banding from millions of years of heating and folding

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The gravity test would only let you check the grade of novaculite if that is indeed what it is. There are plenty of other rocks that will have similar density.

Novaculite is one of the odd rocks. It is a chert, and follows the rules for that rock type. It can show original deposit banding and fossils, Form in huge sheets, Or form as nodules. It can also show pressure banding and folding and be found in layers. As such there are no real rules for what one should look like. Jaspers and agates are the same family. Chert is actually one of the more interesting rocks in general as it is normally considered to be biological in origin, Been formed from chalks and limestones.

A spark test might be more beneficial than a gravity test. If you run some mild steel down one side quickly you might be able to get sparks. Cherts and flints are know to have this property. Again other rocks can do this so it's not a perfect test.

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Originally Posted by Iceni

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A spark test might be more beneficial than a gravity test. If you run some mild steel down one side quickly you might be able to get sparks. Cherts and flints are know to have this property. Again other rocks can do this so it's not a perfect test.

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Be careful though. I chipped a tranluscent using it as a "flint" with steel.

Steel, thanks for the flint test warning. ;)

And the CU photos, as requested...

http://i.imgur.com/goP69w4.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/2acaWWm.jpg

And I was wrong about those two spots shown above.

The first photo is the top side which I've tested with fantastic results. That small spot is just a swirl of the surrounding natural, non-inclusionary pattern.

However, the bottom side, which I haven't tested on a razor, DOES appear to be an inclusion-filled area. In fact, I gave it a few more laps on that side, and now I can BARELY feel the spot with my fingertips.

Regards,
Chris

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CJBianco

Steel, thanks for the flint test warning. ;)

And the CU photos, as requested...

http://i.imgur.com/goP69w4.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/2acaWWm.jpg

And I was wrong about those two spots shown above.

The first photo is the top side which I've tested with fantastic results. That small spot is just a swirl of the surrounding natural, non-inclusionary pattern.

However, the bottom side, which I haven't tested on a razor, DOES appear to be an inclusion-filled area. In fact, I gave it a few more laps on that side, and now I can BARELY feel the spot with my fingertips.

Regards,
Chris

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Thank you!!! Based on what looks to be flaking, my vote is for Novaculite.... hopefully someone more experienced will chime in!

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OK, so I showed this mystery stone to my friend, ScoutHikerDad (who posted above), and after seeing the stone in person, he agrees that it does indeed resemble some sort of petrified wood. (There are a lot of subtle "growth ring lines" on this stone which the photos above do not capture.) However, we both agree that it may be something else entirely. Who knows?

Would anyone with plenty of natural stone experience like to play with this stone for a while? I'd welcome the opinion (on stone type, performance, or otherwise), and I'd happily ship it anywhere in the USA.

Thanks in advance.

Regards,
Chris

Moughton hone The layers are sedimentary i think .

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Originally Posted by RusenBG

Moughton hone The layers are sedimentary i think .

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Thank you for the reply. I don't think it's a Moughton, though. That was one of my first thoughts too, but the colors are off with none of the Moughton's usual red or green. This stone is brown and cream (yellow). Also, as another member mentioned, it's improving an 8K edge, unlike the typical Moughton. ScoutHikerDad tried the stone on a few razors, and he said that it definitely improves an 8K edge, and seemed to at least maintain a 12K edge. (Although, he couldn't be sure if it improved it.) That's much too fine for a Moughton, I believe. The closest thing I can think of is an Arkie. =/

Regards,
Chris

You said it was from the Portland area - do you have any company or supplier info? Something close to 12k at that price point is very tempting.

Very tempting indeed :-)

Well, the offer still stands if any experienced honers want to borrow it for their own evaluations. I'm happy to mail it at my own expense. However, I do ask for the borrowers to pay the return shipping costs.

Regards,
Chris

Perhaps a Dalmore Blue?