Thread: A 26kg, yes a 57lb hand quarried sharpening stone!

I cut out with a wet saw and then lap by hand on diamond lapping plates. If you want to spend big bucks you can get some pretty nice machinery. Also in a lot of populated areas you can rent a lot of equipment and join lapidary clubs.

Originally Posted by tintin

So, what kind of lapping equipment does one need to turn a rock into a hone?

Also curious. Special chisels?
We need a rockhounding specific thread as well. It seems like a nice hobby, especially if you live in the right region.

There is the old thread “I found it over there”

Interestingly enough, I picked a nice big black rock 2 vacations ago that I wanted to lap...
I was thinking of a zirconium sanding belt - but are those going to work if the rock is wet?

I wanna see pics of this boulder being used!!!
Will you make a dedicated honing spot, build a rolling base for it or just He-Man it around?

Well after quite some time I still have not recieved my large stone, but I have purchased a smaller one and one of my relatives did me a favor and flew it back with him to Cali.
Well these are my observations so far: (using a 12" swedish steel chef knife)
1)it is grit rich in the 2k to 4k range but I believe it can go to 6k more trsting to come.
( It can cut swedish steel with ease.)
2)it seems like a fine sand stone in the 4.5lv hardnes range. Very dense and heavy for a sandstone. Harder than the Amakusa stones I have tested and more grit rich.
3)has the range or ability to have 2k fast cut side(prepered with 80 grit) and 4k refining side on the other side(prepered to 325 grit) and cut respectably fast.
4)slurry has a fine even grit feeling and helps the stone cut fast.
5)so far water only but will try glycerin in the future(have a feeling it can go yo 6k with it)

More testing to come, including using a straight razor on it. From bevel set to mid range to see if it is worthy. Looks promising so far. It shines as a knife stone so far will see what it can do to straight razor.size is 12"x4.5"x3" weighs 5kg

Nice! Really pretty. Thanks for the update.

That thing is a monster, can’t wait to see it next to your Godzilla hone, when it shows up.

Godzilla is a great name! This one came in at a little over 10 pounds, Godzilla is over five times as heavy, kind of hard to imagine. I bought it for knives and machetes and can tell it will excell at that task. In my initial lapping I put it's hardness at 4-4.5lv now I put it at 4.5- 5lv, a little harder than my initial thoughts. It is a very nice looking stone to boot but I am dreading on how I am going to lap that moster. It is hand finished with a chisel and looks flat but some of those chisel marks go deeper and lapping it down is a pita. All in good fun!

May be worth finding a shop that cuts and finishes countertops, they’re well equipped to get something of that magnitude flat.