Thread: Help me identify this hone?

I purchased this hone for under $5 at an antique shop. I'm assuming it is for razors because there is a leather strop on the lid. It feels very smooth. I took the pics with natural daylight.

It looks arkansasoid to me.

I'd agree with HNSB, but if that is a layer of... stuff on top (and I think it is), what's underneath may surprise us.

it is not useful for straight razors. sorry

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

I'd agree with HNSB, but if that is a layer of... stuff on top (and I think it is), what's underneath may surprise us.

How do I get the "stuff" off of it. What would the surprise be?

probably a pony

Lapping a hone is the easiest way I know of to clean the surface. The surprise is whatever is under the stuff. Gunk on a hone prevents a visual inspection of the actual hone, and we are trying to make a visual identification. If you cover a "name your favorite hone" in tar, it might look like a lump of coal, but it's still a "name your favorite hone".

Originally Posted by Noisykids

probably a pony

mmmm....pony.

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

Lapping a hone is the easiest way I know of to clean the surface. The surprise is whatever is under the stuff. Gunk on a hone prevents a visual inspection of the actual hone, and we are trying to make a visual identification. If you cover a "name your favorite hone" in tar, it might look like a lump of coal, but it's still a "name your favorite hone".

I did lap it a very small amount...it was eating up my lapping plate. The yellowish color that you see in the far left corner of the first pic seems to be what this actual color is.

Originally Posted by jcsixx

I did lap it a very small amount...it was eating up my lapping plate. The yellowish color that you see in the far left corner of the first pic seems to be what this actual color is.

If it's eating up your lapping plate , my guess would be Hard Arkansas .