Thread: Norton No.1 Washita Oilstone

more washita confusion...

picked one up at vintage store with box and label on stone. it also has behr manning and pike markings.

my research on this has left me confused.... from 600 grit, soft fast cutter, coarse, finishing....

did a quick clean and check lapped it to confirm flat, but that was very quick work on 500 grit wet dry sandpaper

ran a couple blade on on it to test it

i don't see it as a fast cutter the way it is now. i don't feel like it would be a decent bevel setter like it is. if so it is a very slow bevel setter

i'm planning on lapping/ refreshing one side... i'd like to use it in the bevel setter range.

what grit wet dry, or SiC tumbling grit do you suggest i lapp this stone to use as a bevel setter?

any opinions comments on this?

Originally Posted by biglou13

more washita confusion...

picked one up at vintage store with box and label on stone. it also has behr manning and pike markings.

my research on this has left me confused.... from 600 grit, soft fast cutter, coarse, finishing....

did a quick clean and check lapped it to confirm flat, but that was very quick work on 500 grit wet dry sandpaper

ran a couple blade on on it to test it

i don't see it as a fast cutter the way it is now. i don't feel like it would be a decent bevel setter like it is. if so it is a very slow bevel setter

i'm planning on lapping/ refreshing one side... i'd like to use it in the bevel setter range.

what grit wet dry, or SiC tumbling grit do you suggest i lapp this stone to use as a bevel setter?

any opinions comments on this?

I can't speak for your Washita but mine is painfully slow as a bevel setter. I have to condition it several times with a Norton Crystolon hone (course/fine and I use the course side for conditioning it) when removing chips or setting a bevel. It burnishes quickly. Leave the slurry on the stone after conditioning it for increased cutting power. After getting the bevel set with the Washita you can continue on with it as it burnishes before moving on to the next hone in your progression. If having to hog off a lot of metal (deep chip for instance), I just use a sheet of 1000 grit wet/dry on a flat surface; my Washita could take hours.

Pics would be nice.

I have a butterscotch Washita that I love after bevel setting with a 1000 Chosera. Their too slow for bevel setting, IMHO. Mine is comparable to 4000 grt. Stone.
But by using different lubes, (oil, water, Glycerin, ect) I can basically reach a 8000 grt. edge.

Originally Posted by outback

Pics would be nice.

I have a butterscotch Washita that I love after bevel setting with a 1000 Chosera. Their too slow for bevel setting, IMHO. Mine is comparable to 4000 grt. Stone.
But by using different lubes, (oil, water, Glycerin, ect) I can basically reach a 8000 grt. edge.

Here it is....norton #1 washita/pike behr manning

Great all-purpose stones. They can be great bevel setters but you have to whip them, beat them and call them Edna.

Like outback mentioned, use different lubes for totally different results. And, try different torques.

Incredible stones that will educate you on how lubes and blade torque can drastically alter your results.

Bevel setter to (semi) finisher is how I describe mine. I can't see ever selling it.

Originally Posted by kelbro

Great all-purpose stones. They can be great bevel setters but you have to whip them, beat them and call them Edna.

Like outback mentioned, use different lubes for totally different results. And, try different torques.

Incredible stones that will educate you on how lubes and blade torque can drastically alter your results.

Bevel setter to (semi) finisher is how I describe mine. I can't see ever selling it.

I was thinking about selling, but most that have them say same thing ... never selling ...

When you different torque do you mean razor to hone pressure?

I’ve tried most of the lubes mentioned execept glycerine and soapy water . I want get to know this stone better.

I need more beaters to mess with.

Any opinion on what grit to lap/refresh to?

Torque in this context might be better described as rotational pressure. Leading edge strokes,bevel to stone. Sort of a twist while still ensuring that the spine is riding on the stone.

I use the CKTG 400/1000 for refreshing the washitas and arkies.

Originally Posted by kelbro

Torque in this context might be better described as rotational pressure. Leading edge strokes,bevel to stone. Sort of a twist while still ensuring that the spine is riding on the stone.

Thats torque. Like a twisting durring the stroke on the stone, putting more pressure on the edge than on the spine. Its a touchy subject. And the more hollow your blade the less torque you can use before the edge flexes away from the stone. So watch for this.

Nice old stone. If you look in many old fora, mostly woodworking there does seem to be a consensus that old Lilly White were much finer than later ones, some suggesting from a different source or mine.

I have found that to be true. As with all Arks, stone prep, and lube will provide different finishes, though an old Lilly white may not be a finisher. I like Windex in a squirt bottle, as a lube.

I clean with Barkeepers Friend and a scrub brush and too refresh with a diamond plate, if you want a cutter. But really a synthetic is hard to beat for a bevel setter.

I use my Lilly Whites for tools and knives, smoking knife hone for general kitchen use, and for meat. I’ve had one soaking now for several months, almost all white.

Do NOT use water on a Washita stone if you want it to keep cutting instead of glazing. For very fine stones like black or translucent Arks water can work. It is detrimental to the stone's cutting speed with the coarser stones because they glaze SO much faster.

There are varying grades of Washita too fellas. There were softer and harder stones as well as more and less dense ones. For bevel setting on a razor you preferably want a softer one that's less dense.