Thread: Can anyone identify this small hone?

It originally came from a dental laboratory and was used to touch up scalpels, it's quite small 4"x1" and the surface is extremely hard and glassy.

A closeup of the surface

Clues anyone?

Tam o Shanter perhaps?

Looks a little like a HARD ARKANSAS stone

I've got a medium on my tri-hone that looks similar, that same marbled look.

I was thinking TOS myself, I haven't seen anything else that looks similar so far, the slurry is very pale milky white, I tried it out on a new scalpel blade, 50 odd laps on the flat of the blade and it does remove metal very, very slowly, I'll make a new coffin for it as the original leaves a bit to be desired.

thats not a ark i was thinking a tos but i could be wrong i havent been able to play with one yet

The above close-up is mine - of a white tam (half of it is wetted). There is a distinct difference in the grain pattern, to my eye.

I know that arks were provided by laboratory suppliers to hospitals, etc, for sharpening lancets and the like - hence 'surgical black arkansas' but these were, well, black!

I don't really rate tams as that slow either - some cut reasonably quickly.

Regards,
Neil

It looks like an arkansas to me...

Originally Posted by BKratchmer

It looks like an arkansas to me...

It does to me too, to be honest.

Regards,
Neil

My first glance read it as an Arkansas, and the provenience would suggest that. Alx