Thread: Is this a hone?

It came with the rest of my latest haul. It was wrapped up in a napkin, doesn't match any of the barbers stones I've got.

it looks like a Translucent Hard Arkansas stone to me...

if you hold it up to the light, can you see light through it?

Yes I can, I can see the outline of my fingers also

I was thinking Arkansas as well, but arent they usually more whte in color?

It's got a few razor chips, what kind of grit are these? Feels smoother than the swaty almost

Originally Posted by nun2sharp

I was thinking Arkansas as well, but arent they usually more whte in color?

Arkansas stones can be darned near any color, though the lower grades tend to be white. The higher grades are frequently white, gray, black, pink, brown, and yellow. I currently own a large white/gray translucent and a smaller pink translucent with brown & yellow swirls.

Also if they've been used with oil a lot that can change their color as well.

yes definitely Arkansas and mparker762 mentioned their color can be different.

Originally Posted by ChayesFSS

It's got a few razor chips, what kind of grit are these? Feels smoother than the swaty almost

Grit rating for a natural stone is too subjective to be rated properly, but I would say that the edge you would get from it is not as fine as a Chinese natural hone but is finer than a Belgian blue water stone.....I would consider it to be in the low range of finishing stones....at least that's my opinion about them.

Looks familiar to me.



after some difficult lapping:



I now use it with water as a very fine polishing stone. Always after another polisher just to remove some of the scratches. It is slow.

It is a Hard Arkansas stone and is suitable for razor honing but I'm not crazy about them as I find them slow.