Is this Norton made of GOLD?

[MykelDR]

I have seen these hones come up on Ebay a couple of times and each time they have sold for prices that would make an Escher blush!

What is the deal with these hones? Has anybody here used one?
Makes me wonder who is buying them. They are never really mentioned around here as far as I know.

Mykel

[hi_bud_gl]

yes they are . Axes people uses them and they are doing great work. you will be amazed to see what type edge they put up.

[A_S]

As Sham mentioned it's the Axe Sharpening Competition guys who really drive the price up on these. I was lucky enough to get two NOS from a hardware store near me that was shutting down, I went in on the off-chance that they might have a nice Belgian or Thuringen tucked away some where, I was more than a little disappointed when all the nice lady behind the counter could turn up was these, (I'm a natural hone-junkie), but I thought I'd better take them because she'd been so helpful. Then I got home, tried running a few razors other one because I had nothing better to do, and I was completely taken aback by the results; no matter what stone the razor had been finished on previously the Norton raised the edge to a truly awe-inspiring level. I always laugh to myself when I see the prices these fetch on ebay, knowing what I paid for mine, but the axe guys are really onto something with these hones. And no, mine aren't for sale, not at any price.

Kindest regards,
Alex

[JimmyHAD]

I always laugh to myself when I see the prices these fetch on ebay, knowing what I paid for mine, but the axe guys are really onto something with these hones. And no, mine aren't for sale, not at any price.

Would you be interested in a trade for a Devonshire oilstone ?

[MykelDR]

Then I got home, tried running a few razors other one because I had nothing better to do, and I was completely taken aback by the results; no matter what stone the razor had been finished on previously the Norton raised the edge to a truly awe-inspiring level.

Just out of curiosity, how would you say each side behaves? Red seems to look a little coarser to me maybe?

You are a very lucky man for the score! Can you put me in your will?

Mykel

[Stoned]

G'day Mykel.
Have you been to the Royal Adelaide Show? Go to the Woodchopping competion area and see these stones being used to sharpen those axes, then take note how quickly the axers chop thru the logs!

I was there last year and seen a few of these black & tan hones in use.
This one on ebay has reached $500 and climbing, with 1+ days to go!
Cheers...Stoned.

[A_S]

[QUOTE = MykelDR; 556,078] Just out of curiosity, how would you say each side behaves? Red seems to look a little coarser to me maybe?
*
You are a very lucky one for the score! Can you put me in your wishes?: Deal:
*
Mykel [/ QUOTE]

I've only ever used the embossed side, it's a hard stone to put a rating on grit. I've used the stone as early as going to it after an 8k, and I've used it after finishing on some very fine natural and synthetics, inlcuding a Japanese Synthetic 20k, 30k Shapton Hano-Kuromako, Glass Stone and Japanese version Glass Stones. Whilst I know it's difficult to apply grit rating to natural stones I've tried it with the following stones for which I give a rough grit equivalent: 12k and above, Bagnai Razor Hone,Fairisle Hone , Brazilian Elastic Quartz , Isle of Wight Whetstone; > 20k, Whittle Hill Charnley Hone, Styria Hone; > 30k Viginia Oilstone, Fera Hone Stone, C. Meinig Italian Water Hone, Red Rockshire Hone, unusual Yellow Lake Oilstone; 40k +, Nakayama Awaseto Iro, Oohira Su-nashi Suita and at 50k a very nice Nakayama Maruichi Maruka Kiita, as well as the usual variety of Coticules and Escher/ Thuringens. The Norton improves on each of these individually, and that is what's strange about the stone as you would not expect a hone that is so effective after an 8k synthetic, to be fine enough to improve the edge off of an ultra-fine 30k + finisher, conversely a stone that improves on such a fine edge should not be quite so effective at the lower grit levels. The edge I get from touching up on this stone is more sharp than smooth, if you care to make the distinction between the two, so I would think that it is further refining at the edge of ultrafine level, rather than simply polishing the edge; that being said it does not leave as harsh as an edge as what I get off of the 30k Shapton Glass Stones. I think that with this stone Norton must have hit upon an almost magical combination of the correct type and size of abrasive grain coupled with the nature and hardness of the binder material. I suppose a more charitable person would be willing to sacrifice one of these stones to be dissected in order to uncover the secret, but I'm not that person.

*Jimmy, my soul's still up for grabs if anyone with a Devonshire Oilstone wants to make the trade, but these stones are infinitely more valuable.

*Kindest regards,
*Alex

[Kees]

If you want to accomplish this you know why they need good hones for their axes:

YouTube - Emerson Tomahawk CQC-T shave test

[MykelDR]

G'day Mykel.
Have you been to the Royal Adelaide Show? Go to the Woodchopping competion area and see these stones being used to sharpen those axes, then take note how quickly the axers chop thru the logs!

I was there last year and seen a few of these black & tan hones in use.
This one on ebay has reached $500 and climbing, with 1+ days to go!
Cheers...Stoned.

G'day Stoned.

Can't say I've been to 'The Show' in ten years or more.. but would definitely consider it this coming year to see those big fellas honing axes with these intriguing little stones.

And as you alluded to Alex, man made surely means that they can be not only repeated in production but possibly improved upon. Does anybody know the era from which these little beauties hail?

I think I may investigate and interrogate Norton a little. I wonder if the company is aware of the popularity of this stone. If they were, you would think it would at the top of their list to replicate this stone, what with the phenomenal amounts they have been going for.

Either way.. I WANT ONE

[Bruce]

What's the size of this stone? From the colors it appears to be a Crystolon/India combination, which I think is current production.