Thread: Hone-stone from South Africa!

Hey Guys,
Ok, so excited because after much trial and error digging up/cleaning/lapping and failing at honing on several stones/slates/etc from different locations here in KwaZulu-Natal, I've today successfully found a very unique stone/slate with the most wonderful patterning that took a not-so-sharp razor right through to a neck-shave with very convincing effectiveness... (yeah I'm babbling, I'm just very pleased with my find..)

I came across these hunks of greenish-grey slate (certainly is a type of slate..) but it caught my eye because the edges seemed to play with the light much like Tigerseye does... so I cut a small section, lapped with diamond plate then further with glass and 1200 wet/dry paper and I also cut a small slurry stone. By all accounts the stone looks in the same family as my Thuringian, in colour/slurry/smell and feel when touched. Thing is when lapped I had no idea how damn pretty this thing would look, really unique woodgrain/tiger stripes sort of banding all over, very consistent all throughout and very beautiful if you love natural stones. There appears to be white-grey tiger strips mixed with Thuringian-grey stripes, yet both abrade at the same rate like one solid material. The overall hardness is similar to that of my Thuringian, in that it cuts quite easily and laps pretty quickly to a velvety smooth finish.

Please if anyone has ever seen anything like this or if this is a known formation or type of rock please let me know, very keen to actually know what it is.
So yeah, I took a razor that hadn't been honed for a long while and was never shave ready since in my possession, and started with a dry powder slurry to get the razor feeling some traction on the surface (this is very effective technique mind you, never tried a dry slurry before, not even sure if folks do that...) then followed with a thick wet slurry and finally ended with just water.. total stokes about 60-100 all in all. Then examined the fine edge and spine and would you believe it, a very smooth and even polish all along both edges. Not a bright shine like the 8k Norton creates, but rather a 'smoother' shine very much like either my thuringian and escher creates.. and of course my left arm is bald now My wife really hates when I do that...

So not sure what else to say, just so damn excited to have ACTUALLY pulled some rock from the earth that I can cut and lap into a useful tool for my shaving - very cool feeling.
So please, feedback if you know anything or have any comments about this stone.
I've found enough of this particular 'vein' of rock to make a nice little pile of 8x3's so perhaps I may brand and package them as SA's first slate hones

Of course I just need a willing hone-savvy volunteer to thoroughly test a piece and make sure I'm sane So if you're keen to pay the shipping for a piece plus slurry stone, I'd really appreciate it if you let me know and then post your experience with the stone.

Thanks guys for enduring my stone-talk - I know my wife is relieved I have this outlet

(quite a few images next...)

- Mike

Jasper;
I would be happy to pay the cost of shipping for the hone. I can take it to hi bud gl who can give it proper evaluation. It's looks pretty anyway so if you want to PM me with the particulars on the freight I can respond.
Thanks

That is a really cool looking stone. I hope you are on to something there Mike. If you need more than one evaluation I'm your huckleberry.

it is very unique Congratulations.
Of course if you like to us to test that stone we gladly do it for you.gl

I'm interested in what these stones are all about. (subscribed)

Thanks guys for the interest. And also for the offers to test it out, definitely would love another member give it a try so as to really establish how good/where in the lineup it should go, I'm really not sure grit-wise where it sits, but from my eye and feel it seems to perform much like my coticules but somewhat slightly under my thuringian. So I'll wait for some more guys to perhaps speak up and then maybe if as a group you guys can elect the most suitable hone-guy (technically equipped etc..) to test it out for us all... I'll then send it to that one person and we can await the results so to speak..
Jimmy I trust your opinion but I'm not sure if you think hi_bud_gl is perhaps more technically proficient with stones/has more gear to test etc..? But so just let me know.
Also here's a pic of the blade I've been honing with this stone, it's really hard to photograph and I don't have a macro lens or microscope to properly picture it for you guys, but basically this blade was dull steel with no real cutting ability, and now you can see the bright fine bevel and spine and of course it's cutting arm hair with the blade lifted off from my arm and just running through the loose hair...

Sigh...another beautiful hone...and i dont have it. :-(
LOL...congrats man, looks like your labors may have paid off.

Many thanks,

Mac

Originally Posted by hi_bud_gl

it is very unique Congratulations.
Of course if you like to us to test that stone we gladly do it for you.gl

If anyone can test out a strange hone, it's this guy.

Very exciting find! You have already proven that it works; the question is how well in comparison to known standards like barber hones, coticules, Eschers, and the like. BTW, Eicker Heart Rings are wonderful shavers-one of them is in my top 10 shaving rotation. Can't wait to hear the testing results from Sham, if you send him a specimen.

Sending it to Sham is fine by me. I just figured that there might have been more than one laying around in the rocks up your way.