Thread: Anyone have a Silkstone ? What's the story ?

Originally Posted by Yorkie

Also got a Silkstone though it needs lapping (have done a bit of lapping but it needs a bit more but ran out of W&D 600)



No idea how much they are worth nowadays, was offered a couple of carborundum stones in exchange by a local builder once for it but told him to take a hike.

I'll raise it to three carborundums and a dragon's tongue

Kidding aside, if it turns out to be a great finisher all the better. If you find you don't care for it you'll get a lot of $ on ebay if the last one that sold is any indication.

man, how do you guys find all these hones?! I am in awe. Is it mostly spending months/years scrounign around antique shops that dont know what they have? It's so tough only when you really can't tell what the stone is, and very few people know what they have. Do you find out the typical dimensions that particular stones (e.g. CF and Escher) were sold at, and use that as an indicator? Do you have to buy lots of stuff filter through lots of junk to occasionally get a diamond in the rough?

It's amazing how much greater the demand is than the supply on this stuff - I figure it can't last long. *Sombody* will have to start getting systematic at gathering up all the old stones around and selling them at a price which equalizes demand and supply properly AND various people (besides Ardennes Coticule) will just *have* to start mining natural hones again. I mean, we have the old mines still there in many places, PLUS we have modern mining and surveying methods. I know that the SR resurgence is pretty recent, but it really seems we should be coming up on some pioneers in this respect. Or am I missing something?

Lucky for me my dad is an engineer, he worked at the BREL York Carriage works for nearly 30 years as a coach-builder and amassed a few stones for sharpening his tools. Lucky for me he has a few CF's and has kindly given me the wider of the two and a very nice stone it is.

Yes, lucky indeed

Id kill for a charnley or silkstone or escher or... well you get the idea!

Now you talking. Can I give you target?

Originally Posted by Yorkie

Any chance of pictures of the hone itself too, Yorkie?

I'll have a look, see if I've uploaded any. If not I'll have to take a few pics.

EDIT: Taken a pic..

some further pics i want to share here:

smal one:



huge one:

@Alex:
Read both post now, this one and the one where you really did a lot of research and work finding the "Devonshire Oil Stone"'which is described in the Work of Richard Knight in 1833...

I also was thinking on the Silkstone / Cambrock Oil Stone as reading both threads, my thinking was just that the Silkstone might have be a Candidate for a Devonshire Oil Stone not knowing any thing i must admit about the origin if the Silkstone...as far as in know it is still unclear were to Silkstones have their origin and who really quarried these stones, is that right ?

More is written on the page here (not mentioned as advertising in this thinking):
Vintage Cambrock Silkstone Hone in Wooden Box

If so whats kicking these Silkstones out of the race in probably beeing a Devonshire Hone ?
Any further explanations or informations ?