Tapered barber hone?

This supposedly belonged to my great-great grandfather and was his razor hone. I had to wash off what seems like 100 years of drawer gunk when I got it just to get a feel for the grit. I've never seen or heard of another like it. Typical 5 to 6k feel to it like most other barber's hones. The only stones I've ever seen shaped like it are ice skate hones but this is much finer than any of those. They typically top out at a few hundred grit. Anyone have any experience with one of these or know anything about it? No marking on it to indicate the company.

Interesting, looks like a slip stone for honing gouges.
I'm guessing grandpa was an innovator :)

That's very possible. I don't know much about the man and neither does my dad. Grandpa has been dead for 10 years so there's nobody around that might know. People back then were way more hands on than we are today so anything is possible. Thanks for the input.

I'm interested to read what the specific purpose of this hone was.
Trying to imagine what, slip stone for gouges seems reasonable.
Looks like my sanding blocks.

I just googled vintage slip stones and it's a dead ringer for some of the really old carborundum stuff. Knowing what to look for changes the results you get big time. I have no idea what number stone it would be but it does seem we have a match. Guessing it would be an oil stone if that's the case, which would also explain the drawer gunk.

Was just reading up on slip stones, hadn't any coffee earlier..

I would like a slip stone set, perhaps a progression giving a wide range, probably come in handy! :)

Logical conclusion about the oil and gunk in the drawer.

After doing a little digging, I found an old Carborundum Corp catalog from 1904 and best I can tell they didn't make a slip stone that fine or that size. Their sizes were 6x2 and 1x4. This stone is around 5x3. Never actually measured it but it's around that size. Being that my great grandfather was born in 1896 if memory serves, that would put his dad born around 1870 give or take, meaning this stone was made right around the time this catalog was published. Gotta be a different manufacturer. Maybe even a different material but I doubt it considering it's still dead flat minus the chips. I'm not very familiar with all the synthetics from the turn of the century so maybe someone else can chime in.

Edit: corrected my phone's auto correct

My educated guess would be to hone a inside curved edge Think Sickle

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Bully-To...FQnEwAodqowLKg

It looks like one of these: https://www.sharpeningsupplies.com/N...e-P180C30.aspx.

Looks exactly like a slip stone. Even the grit sounds perfectly acceptable for it.

I think a slip-stone. Looks like Norton India or similar. Not for razors, IMO.

I have a full set of those. Wonderful stones.

That is a carborundum dual slip stone. Probably 25mm and 12mm.
When clean, the rounded edges are around 1000 grit, but they fill up with metal grit and start to feel like a 4000 grit.
The sides of the stone are usually smoother, up around 6000 grit, so that it doesn't remove your fingerprints while using it.
A little bit of cleaning with a toothbrush and some bar keepers friend will fix it up.

They are supposed to used with oil. I coat mine with mineral oil after cleaning until the stone stops sucking it up and use mineral on the stone while sharpening.

Primary purpose was for sharpening the inside curves of molding planes (ogee, astral, etc.), enshaves, and spoon brace bits.
They were also used for sharpening the inside curves of sweep gouges (rounded wood chisels), crooked knives (hook knives, spoon knives, etc), and anything else that had a rounded inside face.

That's good info and that's about how the surface feels. I didn't try to get it spotless, just a quick wash to get a feel for the surface. I think I'll finish cleaning it soon and play with it a little. Feels like it will cut fast.

Yup, slip stone for carving chisels and other tools.

They make or made them in carborundum and some arks. I have an old very nice translucent ark slip that I have flattened and can be used to finish a razor, but I have larger stones that are easier to use.

A soak in Simple Green or Awesome for a day or two will clean it up, also good for small knives, that one may be too course for razor finishing.

There are coticule slipstones as well.

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