Thread: Vintage rock ID

I recently got this razor stone without any indication of origin, but I haven't really seen anything similar here in the forum/hone wiki. I'd appreciate if the more experienced honers could help me identify it.

The size is about 4-5x1x1/3. While wet and lapped, the color is very dark background with slight violet/brownish hue that is more visible in broad daylight. The anthill pattern is grey when wet and when dry it reflects the light pretty well (when angling the stone, the pattern pops up almost white at some angles). Here's a pictures of it on a windowsill in broad daylight. First picture is wet taken at a 90 angle. Second is dry about 45 degree angle.

Thats a nice find matey, congrats! Hope you enjoy it..!

And there was you telling me that you didnt have HAD lol! Famous last words and all that..! Hehe!

To me it looks a lot like my BBW. Mine looks quite black when dry, and has that marbled look, and then goes that exact shade of purple when its wet.

I'll bow to the more experienced hone hounds out there though, I'm not that good at playing spot the hone..! Hehe!

Hope all's well!

-S-

I know absolutely jack about identifying hones... but I had the same thoughts as Stubear before I read his post. It looks a lot like my BBW, but I'm not good enough at this hone ID game to be confident.

Have you looked at the scratch pattern under magnification, or done any tests to figure out where this goes in a progression?

Hello Ursus!

If those are little yellowish/brown specks I see dotted here and there (can't be sure on my monitor) then it is the same as the BBW that Rob from Ardennes selected for me as having coticule inclusions - making it a fast and quite fine cutter.

Regards,
Neil

What color slurry does it make?

Did the stone come from England? It looks to be a type of slate. See how easy it is to lap.

Hi guys and thanks for the replies. I'll start to think it as a BBW which it looks like, but so far I'm not totally convinced since I have trouble getting it to raise slurry and behave like in Bart's internet videos. Doesn't really seem to cut properly. Seems very smooth, tractionless and hard.

Stu: Thanks. Hah . That's my story and I'm sticking to it :P

Neil: There are lighter specks on the stone, but there isn't so many visible to the eye as those pictures would indicate.

Randy: I bought it from Finland, but I don't know the mining origin. I isn't those mudstones that are normally mined from here. I don't have a reference for how quick was it to lap since I have nothing to compare it to.

Thanks for your comments, guys.

If it turns out to be a Devonshire Oilstone and A_S finds out it will be like you hit the lottery.

Someone has to ask -- how does it taste?

Holli -- I thought you were a trained geological epicure?

Originally Posted by stimpy52

Someone has to ask -- how does it taste

Are we going to have to add a new taste category on the hone reviews?