Mud Hone

[LarryAndro]

I am stumped by this hone, having never seen any pictures quite like it. The person who gave it to me said the seller said it was about 3K-5K. I haven't used it enough to corroborate.

The hone looks like mud, and smells like mud. It has streaks that look like it is sedimentary rock.

Can anyone help with identification?

[holli4pirating]

Looks similar to an Aoto, though I think Aotos are more blue.

[JimR]

Aoto run Black/Blue/gray in my limited experience.

But smells like mud, looks like mud...is it soft as heck? That all sounds like Aoto to me. Nature's funny. so it could be all kinds of things.

But if someone just showed it to me and asked me my first reaction, I'd say "Japanese stone, maybe Western-thing, how much?" But that's pure shot in the dark.

[JimR]

Dammit, Larry, I keep looking and looking, and the drool is starting to rise.

[LarryAndro]

The person bought it for less than $5, and the person who sold it tried to sell him a lot of hones just like it. My friend is trying to track down the seller, remember his name, or something that will allow tracking to a source.

Just speaking briefly, for I've only honed three razors on it... Just for grins, I went from a DMT 600 to the "mud hone" instead of my Naniwa 1K. It seemed to work as fast as the 1K. I was surprised after the TPT, for the blade felt extremely smooth. Smoother than typical coming off my Naniwa 1K.

So, I thought maybe it was around the 1K. But, if felt smoother like around 3K-5K, just like my friend said when he gave it to me. My very initial thought is that it is about 3K-5K, but a very fast cutter. Faster than a Naniwa 1K.

Of course, I reserve the right, in a week, to say the above was total crap!

[JimmyHAD]

Looks kind of like a hone a guy gave to me and another to Sham. He said it was a hindostan. Not saying it is but it looks very similar AFAIC.

Edit; here is a link to photos of the stone I'm referring to.

[thebigspendur]

many rocks have all kinds of streaks and patterns and are not sedimentary.

Shale is a kind of siltstone or mudstone and depending on the partical size they classify them differently maybe one of our geologists will enlighten us on that.

Really you start with conglomerates and go down in size and depending on the size and comp they have different names.

[MODINE]

Looks kind of like a hone a guy gave to me and another to Sham. He said it was a hindostan. Not saying it is but it looks very similar AFAIC.

Edit; here is a link to photos of the stone I'm referring to.

I know the stone you are talking about Jimmy. I don't think this is the same . Larry's has more of a gloss and looks to be maybe saw marks on the side? I dunno petrified mastadon poop.? I gottta have one.
Mike

[LarryAndro]

I was able to track down the guy you initially sold the hone to my friend. He said they weren't what he thought it was when ordered, and had no more idea than me. He said someone he sold one to said it cut like a 4K, which seems about right to me. His described the stone as smelling like sand.

By the way, when honing last night, I went from Naniwa 1K to the "mud hone" to the 5K, skipping my 3K. That worked quite well.

Some razors seem to develop wire and burr edges more easily than others. With this mud hone, this problem seems to be much less common. With the soft feel of the surface - it almost feels soft, muddy - that does not surprise me. The Naniwa 3K, which is the hone I skipped, is hard, much harder.

It is almost like it creates its own slurry.

[randydance062449]

That sounds like a hone I would like to have!