Thread: Another Stone ID Please

I have this stone that's been sitting in my father's basement for 50+ years. I think it was my grandfathers. It sharpens well enough to barely cut arm hair if I go real easy, light slurry, wet, to almost dry with little pressure. After a chrome oxide strop it is amazingly sharp. I assume my grandfather used it around the turn of the century. Any ideas what it is? Dark grey/almost black in color, under a 30X loupe I can see little"crystals" of white that shine if held up to the light. Laps fairly easily using silicon carbide wet/dry sandpaper. The powder left on the paper is grey and like dust. 7" long, 1 1/2 wide x 1" thick. Top picture wet with slurry, the rest dry. Thanks, Rick

Looks like (Looks Like) a big fat Escher to me, or Thuringian?
If so, Awesome find. It looks like, and it's hard to tell in pics, but there may have been a label on the end at one time, like Escher's...

No labels or even hints of one. It's REAL rough on 2 sides. Top and bottom are super smooth. It looks like one of the long sides and one end were cut by hand. Lots of rough cut marks, while the 2 other sides look machine cut. Found this and 3 razors while cleaning out the house before selling it. I also seem to recall when I was a kid seeing a barber hone, not that I knew what that was back then, but the pictures on this site and others seem to stir the memory. Rick

Is there an actual difference between and escher and a Thuri, or are they both the same stone, but one is marketed to be better/special? Thanks, Rick

Originally Posted by rjezuit

Is there an actual difference between and escher and a Thuri, or are they both the same stone, but one is marketed to be better/special? Thanks, Rick

You got it, although Escher supposedly sold a better product, I believe that they simply sold more.

The stone may be slate, but then again it does bear a strong resembelence to a dark Thuringian.

You are fortunate, sir! Looks like an Escher to me. Does the unlapped side have saw marks? If so, it would match my 2 Eschers. What are the dimensions?

The sides have saw marks. One side looks machine cut, the other is rougher. I am assuming it is from Poland/Germany since my grandfather was from Poland.
7 X 1 1/2 X 1 thick. Rick

Escher and Thuringian are German stones...
All Escher's are Thuringian stones, but Thuringians are not Escher.
Escher is basically a brand name of Thuringian....

yeah that looks just like a Thuringian i pick up a few months ago great find

Nun2Sharp, If it is slate, would it sharpen a razor? Rick