Thread: Dragons Tongue Hone anyone?

Thanks for being here, mhopper!! I'm glad to be a member of the same forum that you are. And, I can say I'm also thankful that you are the first of us that has truly given the DT hone a proper trial. I have one but have not had the time to really try it out. I have lapped mine to a silky smooth finish and based only on its tactile feel, I had a feeling it was worthy of being a nice polishing stone. I'm very glad to hear that it is!

Thanks again.

Have you tried Dragon, Naturally Speaking voice recognition software? I have a copy for work; it's the kind of thing that you have to put in quite a bit of time up front to personalize it, but once you do, it's surprising how fast it keeps up with voice.

Chris L

mhopper, welcome to posting on SRP and thanks for the comparison of your results. I have one of the DTs and haven't gotten around to trying it out yet but now I will lap it and give it a go. Smooth shaving to you.

mhopper, your story is very inspiring. Thanks for being here.

mhopper, thank you indeed. I am awed by your determination...I'm humbled, and I am truly glad that I am part of the same forum.

Thank you everyone for the warm welcome and the very kind words.

Our pleasure Sir

What a fascinating thread, this has opened up a new world for me of British hones that Id never even dreamed of! Thank you as well mhopper for your review of the the Dragons Tongue hone, nice to know its working well for you, I wonder if this is just a clean piece of slate, as that mine isnt known historically as a source of hone material as far as I can tell? I will probably have to get one for myself anyway The difficulty must be in identifying slates that will work well as hones.

Now, do any of you hone collectors have known samples of Llyn Idwal hone stone, Snowdon cutlers greenstone or Welsh clearing stone that you could post photos of? I have walked in these areas many many times and had no clue I was passing hone qurries but Id love to go and have a look at the sources of these apparently excellent 19thC hones.

+1, appreciate the review of the Dragon's Tongue hone. That raging HAD is not yet slaked, so I may have to add that rock to my collection.

I also skip the HHT and TNT. The tests rarely work for me, and in any case I would much rather know how the blade feels against my face and neck.

Welcome aboard!

The only other native hone from your neck of the woods that I am aware of is the Charnley Forest. This is of course an antique now. I managed to acquire one from a UK antique dealer but it is too slow cutting for my tastes.

There is also the Scottish Tam O'Shanter and the Dalmore Blue. These may still be mined on a limited basis. I'm not sure. They are more suited to honing razors and some people like them very much. I have a set of them and I am still using them once in awhile but I haven't really gotten to know them well enough yet.

Then there is the Water Of Ayr, also a Scots hone and one that I am actively seeking in a 6x2 or 8x2" size.

If anyone orders the DT from Ingo-Jones be aware that it may take some time to receive it. Mine took about 6 weeks from the time I ordered it until it came to my door. I am in the USA so if you are in UK perhaps it won't be as long. I have the impression that they process the hones as the orders are received rather then keeping a large stock readily at hand.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

The only other native hone from your neck of the woods that I am aware of is the Charnley Forest. This is of course an antique now. I managed to acquire one from a UK antique dealer but it is too slow cutting for my tastes.

There is also the Scottish Tam O'Shanter and the Dalmore Blue. These may still be mined on a limited basis. I'm not sure. They are more suited to honing razors and some people like them very much. I have a set of them and I am still using them once in awhile but I haven't really gotten to know them well enough yet.

Then there is the Water Of Ayr, also a Scots hone and one that I am actively seeking in a 6x2 or 8x2" size.

If anyone orders the DT from Ingo-Jones be aware that it may take some time to receive it. Mine took about 6 weeks from the time I ordered it until it came to my door. I am in the USA so if you are in UK perhaps it won't be as long. I have the impression that they process the hones as the orders are received rather then keeping a large stock readily at hand.

I know the area around Llyn Idwal quite well and as slate doesnt occcur in veins as such theres tons of the stuff round there, lots of disused quarries, I wonder how they managed to identify a small section that was good for making hones? It was apparently widely known in its day, even Darwin mentions the Idwal hone quarry in his notes on that area. Ive also found references to other possible hone quarries in the Snowdonia area and Im trying to find out a bit more about this cutlers Greenstone which it seems could have been quarried on Snowdon itself. Maybe it was a greenstone intrusion/igneous sill within the slate, though I dont know whether an igneous rock is likely to make a good hone, it would certainly be hell to dress and lap, would be nice to tie down a location for the greenstone quarry though. I think a few days in the hills with my geology hammer is in order once Ive done a bit more research, mind you, Im not sure I would be able to spot a good hone stone in the raw amongst all the old quarry spoils.

Are the Tam O Shanter and Water of Ayr different stones?

With all the excitement Ive gone and bought this on the bay, havent a clue what it is except that it looks like an old fine grained stone of some sort, maybe a lump of slate? I had hoped to get it for a few pounds but someone else had spotted it too



I never would have believed I could develop an obsession with old sharpening stones!