Thread: Can anyone read the stamps on this hone?

I picked this little stone quite a while ago and forgot that I had it. It appears that there is some Japanese writing on it as well as some Chinese...but I am by far no scholar. It appears to be quite a fine stone and a light blueish gray. I wanted to photograph it before I used it...

Size is: 5 3/4 x 2 1/8 or 145mm x 50mm.

Any interpretations on the writing would be great!

The rectangular stamp looks like the 330Mate stamp. The rest of it says "Made in China."
Dude, (and I never use that word) I have no idea!

Mos Def a 330mate stone... Dude

All 330mate stamps say the same thing: this stone came from 330mate.

You don't really need to know anything else.

Originally Posted by JimR

All 330mate stamps say the same thing: this stone came from 330mate.

You don't really need to know anything else.

As in it will make a great paperweight? Dude, I'm bummed...

Originally Posted by shooter74743

As in it will make a great paperweight? Dude, I'm bummed...

Not necessarily, people have got good stones from him, or so I hear, but...for example, that big shiny patch in one corner? Top left in the first pic? You might want to be very careful with that. An impurity of that size and obvious difference in texture (notice how it catches the light in the second picture?) from the surrounding stone is a big warning sign.

Basically, it's like this: It is, by definition, a natural Japanese stone. It came from Japan, it's not man-made. But anything else you may have been told about this stone should be taken with a big old chunk of rock salt...the mountain, the mine, the region of Japan.

Agreed. Most likely that corner will have to be avoided. The quality of the 330mate stones is all over the place. Some of them are great, but you simply cannot trust any description. It's kind of like buying a lottery ticket--the more you buy, the greater your odds of "winning" a good stone, but your odds remain low.

I'll see if I can lap that spot out that I believe is some of the rocks outer skin & go from there. I'll never know until I actually put it to a few razors.

Thanks guys for the information & advice.

Originally Posted by shooter74743

I picked this little stone quite a while ago and forgot that I had it. It appears that there is some Japanese writing on it as well as some Chinese...but I am by far no scholar. It appears to be quite a fine stone and a light blueish gray. I wanted to photograph it before I used it...

Size is: 5 3/4 x 2 1/8 or 145mm x 50mm.

Any interpretations on the writing would be great!

It say's "Send me to zib"

Also, +1. I've got some good stones, not directly from 330mate, but they were his at one time, and they're fine. Naturals are Naturals, It's like pizza, It's all good, it's just some's better than other's.....Test drive them, with and without slurry, Let us know how they perform.....

Originally Posted by zib

Naturals are Naturals, It's like pizza, It's all good, it's just some's better than other's.....

Ha! I like that.