Thread: New Charnley and 2 to ID

Recently I got hold of few stones about which I was suspecting that they were Charnleys. It turned that one was georgeous Charnley. The second perhaps could be Idwal Hone as it has simmilar patern to one which I already have from Idwal, hard stone to lap, thin white slurry. The third one I can just wonder it is much harder to lap then CF, makes very thin white slurry but you need to work hard for it.
Can anybody chip in their thoughts about them?
Pics:
1,2 Charnley
3,4,5 ? Idwal Hone
6 Confirmed Idwal
7,8,9 ???

There is a possibility that your unidentified hones may be some form of Welsh Snakestone. These rocks are formed when slate comes into contact with greenstone and metamorphoses into a very hard, porcelain-like rock which is often figured with spots. This happens in a number of areas and the stones were often quarried for hones. Confirmed areas where these rocks were extracted for use as hones include Llyn-cwm-y-ffynnon, Dinas Mot in the Pass of Llanberis and the Pen-y-Gwhr Honestone Quarry near Beddgelert. Those hones coming from Pen-y-Gwhr also contain spessartite garnets like coticules.

Kindest regards,
Alex

I think I know the second mentioned location and third one is the spelling right? Could that be Pen y Gwhurid near the Pen y Pass (Llanberis Pass). You got me thinking. I know the Dinas Mot reasonably well. Just next time I am climbing there I need to look more carefully as I am not aware of slate close to it.

I think we have firmly established I cannot spell Welsh placenames to save my life. Although Pen-y-Gwhr is what I have written down in my own notes (for some reason), the quarry is Pen-y-Gwrhyd, at least according to an article on the Eruptive Rocks of Skomer Island which mentions the hone quarry.

Kindest regards,
Alex

If that is the case it lies in area between mentioned Dinas Mot and known Moel Siabod.

If you are in that area regularly you may try getting in touch with a representative of the Caernarvonshire Historical Society, their Transactions publications have included a number of articles on the various Welsh hone-stones over the years. Unfortunately, they don't have a web presence, but their are some snippets available on Google Books. The full articles would be quite interesting, I would imagine.

Kindest regards,
Alex

Sorry to revive an old thread, but I just picked up a Charnley like yours. It sits very deep in an old wood box and seems glued in.

I'm about to try restoring it and thinking about how to deal with:
1) How did you remove your stone? I need to remove it if I'm to really lap the stone properly and restore the wood box. If I soak it in something to disolve the oil, won't the wood swell and crack the stone?

2) How did you remove the oil? I have White Spirits available. It's a paint thinner, like kerosene. I was thinking about white spirits and a stiff brush, and then some hot soapy water and a stiff brush.

How I get my stones off the box is by gentle ish tapping on the edge of the box with rubber end of my hammer. If that does not work try to use a piece of softer wood on the edge of the box and tap it with a hammer. If that does not work put old newspapers to the oven on that suspend the stone in bottom of the box upside down usually with two pieces of wood and heat it up about 150 degrees and wait untill it will drop out of box. Cool it down slowly.
The best way how to get all oil from the stone and the wood especialy from the inside of the wood id to repeatedly use oven cleaner spray and then swarfega with stiff brush. However watch out not to spill it on the outside of the box it will strip the patina and you would have to redo it.