Thread: Stone Identification

I purchased this stone from a 5th generation small town hardware. It was under a counter covered in dust. They didn't know what it was.
I will tell you about what I know about this stone, It appears to be a sedimentary Stone. It is very hard, but will produce a slurry with a dmt after some effort. It cuts fairly fast you can hear and feel it. I left the slurry on the razor.

The white specs on the stone is from a paper towel

It looks like it might be a translucent Arkansas..?

When the slurry dried it appeared to be light tan with a pink cast to it. Also it measures 6 1/4 x 2 3/8 x 15/16

It looks identical to my Washita stone.

i would need better pics to identify but by the pic you have up now i would say its not a translucent it could be a lily white washita how are you using this stone are you finishing with it or are you starting bevels with it i'll shoot you two pic first one translucent second lily white washita

Any tips you guys have for purchasing stones at antique stores? I found to stones. I'd say the one was mid grit and the other was finer. Both were in wooden boxes. The owner that they may have been used for tools.

Besides the obvious: Stones in really bad condition, stones that would lap away to nothing to get them flat, and probably low grit stones...

Anything else I should take into consideration. I think I may be able to identify a few types of stones. I know enough names that if one was clearly marked I'd know what it is.

How much difference does hardness/softness pose? Any thing you guys learned through your experiences. Anyone ever get lucky on a mystery hone that worked out well for straight razors?

In the fourth picture you can see a side view of the stone. It appears to have 5 or 6 layers in 15/16th of an inch. It appears it might be some kind of sedimentary stone. The stone seems hard but yet cuts fairly fast. It ill produce a slurry with about 3 times the effort it takes for a Coticule. It seems to sharpen and polish at the same time like a Coticule. Recently lapped it on glass with silicon carbide and it is dead flat. I can strart out with a dull razor and in about forty passes, the bevel is set and it looks polished. Then I go to a finish stone and it doesn't take long till it is ready to strop. The layers of stone you can see on its edge look different than any Arkansas stone I have seen. It will cut faster and polish better than any Washita or soft I have ever used. Far superior to any Arkansas stone I have had.

Sedimentary layers, maybe a Turkey stone ?