Thread: Dragons Tongue Hone anyone?

I've had a little try for silkstone (on the net) with no hits (if thats the correct term).
I trawl the flea markets and antique shops, but often the hones I have seen don't have boxes or any identifying marks.
What I should do, is buy the hone (if it's very cheap) if it feels fine enough for razors, post pictures of it/them here and see if anyone recognises the type of stone.
I found you eschers and silkstone pictures on flicker, any chance of them finding their way to SRP?
How big are your Silkstones? Can you describe them?
cheers Marcus

I will see what I can do in the near future!

Great find Marcus. I hope you will give it a review once you use it.

You used to sharpen your pen knife on slate. My mum used to sharpen her carving knife on the back door step.
Her knives were always sharp. While I can see how slate will flatten to a mirror finish, the door step will always be about 100 grit.

I will, I don't know if I have enough experience to do a proper job though.
I don't expect them to be "up-there" with coticules, but they may be ok for rougher work. You never know though, they may be capable hones that haven't touched a razor for half a century
Ragnost and Me will get them tomorrow or Tuesday. He rang up about half an hour after me.
I will post close-ups and describe what I see/feel.
Here's hoping

Sometimes what passes for "slate" can actually be different materials. If its a true slate stone be careful with a razor. Slate can be a tad on the rough side to use as a finisher for straights.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Sometimes what passes for "slate" can actually be different materials. If its a true slate stone be careful with a razor. Slate can be a tad on the rough side to use as a finisher for straights.

If it is the stome product 'Dragons Tongue' as advertised on the site then it would appear that it is suitable hone stone quarried from veins in the slate mines (as quoted from Tucker above).
I am waiting for one to arrive too and there will be at least three views on it shortly.

cheers
Stephen

What is this 'jewelers green snowdonia stone' Iv'e read about on the net?
So how many DT's have been ordered then?
Me....

"Cutlers green hone - is of so hard and close a nature, that it is only applicable to the purpose of cutlers and instrument makers for giving the last edge to the lancet and other delicate surgical instruments. It has hitherto been only found in the Snowdon mountains of North wales" (Holtzapffel, 1850, Turning and mechanical manipulation.) I gave a link to this in general threads about a month back if you check there - the whole book is free via google books.

cheers
Stephen

Originally Posted by littlesilverbladefromwale

What is this 'jewelers green snowdonia stone' Iv'e read about on the net?
So how many DT's have been ordered then?
Me....

Anyone got a Cutlers Green hone then?

Yes, thanks for the info! I'm eager to try a slate hone from Wales as I've never considered slate to be of honing quality. Slate is a metamorphic form of shale i.e. a little harder and very platy. Slate is often found near hone mines. The belgians use slate to back up the softer coticule but not as a hone in and of itself.

I'd love to get a Charnley Forest as well. It's one of the few natural hones I don't have represented in my extensive collection.