Thread: Trying to identify old hone. Help appreciated!

Gotcha. The distinction between ALL of these stones you mention is density. (They use specific gravity but it's basically the same distinction). There were actually several "grades" of Washita stones available back in the old days. From Lily White to No.1 and through to around No. 6 IIRC. The Lily White was the premium stone, very tight grain structure and regular grit with No. 1 being very nearly as good but with some small amount of physical blemish or grain irregularities. The stones got progressively worse in terms of "grit" or density regularity as the No. increased and also got progressively less dense, or more porous. This can be tested for by checking the percent of its weight in water the stone will absorb. IIRC a Lily White or #1 will be around 0.1% to 0.5% of its weight, where a number 6 could take in as much as 7%. It has been a while since I've pored over all the old geological reports.

The denser the stone the more likely it will resist grooving and give a finer edge. The nice thing about the Lily White and similar graded stones is that they cut fast, resist grooving and still produce a very keen edge. Rosy Red stones were merely those with some presence of red color likely due to iron oxide impurities. They most closely resembled Lily White or No. 1 otherwise.

There were some slight variations in hardness of the "binder" strength in the stones as well, with some Lily White styles being labeled as "Soft Grit" or similar and some not. Originally the stones were kept wet when mined until sold as the miners and users discovered that the characteristics of the stone would change somewhat if they were allowed to dry out, and not for the better. This was another reason the stones were advised to be used and soaked with oil.