Thread: Welsh Thuringian

Originally Posted by Neil Miller

The seller says that he obtained the first lot of 'thuringian' stones from a central european source - where they were 'probably used to sharpen medical equipment.'

As for the 'welsh thuringian' there is the possibility that it was mined before. There is a natural stone called a 'silkstone' that was once marketed (well into the 1960s I believe) with 'A Cambrock Product' or something similar on the box. A telephone call to Companies House in the UK verified that there was never a company called 'Cambrock' registered with them, so it evidently referred to the product. 'Cambrian' means from or related to Wales, so Cambrock could simply be a combination of CAMBrian and ROCK. What has this got to do with a welsh thuringian? Well, the silkstone is very much like a thuringian - it looks like one, it is the same type of slate honestone and it performs just like one - not like the best of the select thuringians, but extremely good nevertheless. They perform much better than the grey Yellow Lake stones (I have a friend who has researched them in depth and has pin-pointed four different types all called Yellow Lake Oilstone). To my knowledge, no-one has ever pinpointed where in the British Isles the Silkstone came from, but from the 'Cambrock' name I am inclined to believe it came from Wales.

What I have never come across is an old reference to a Welsh Thuringian - that name seems to be newly coined.

Regards,
Neil

Self fulfilling prophesy anyone? I see the seller has 3 stones listed as possible silkstones and some listed as possible cutlers green! ( well only one possible CG left now)

He is stating many of the stones are reclaimed slate and has mentioned finds in reclamation yards.

I am not questioning whether these stones are able to produce an edge but I am not convinced that they are really Dragons Tongues and Llyn Melynllyn. I suspect they are cut from slate that has been found in reclamation yards, probably old flooring, hearths, window sills etc. I'm sure it looks like the named hones but unless you know the quarry they came from they are just slate to me!

Certainly I'm uncomfortable with "possible" descriptions which seem to be cashing in on reputation and mystique.

Originally Posted by Jeltz

Self fulfilling prophesy anyone? I see the seller has 3 stones listed as possible silkstones and some listed as possible cutlers green! ( well only one possible CG left now)

He is stating many of the stones are reclaimed slate and has mentioned finds in reclamation yards.

I am not questioning whether these stones are able to produce an edge but I am not convinced that they are really Dragons Tongues and Llyn Melynllyn. I suspect they are cut from slate that has been found in reclamation yards, probably old flooring, hearths, window sills etc. I'm sure it looks like the named hones but unless you know the quarry they came from they are just slate to me!

Certainly I'm uncomfortable with "possible" descriptions which seem to be cashing in on reputation and mystique.

Im with you on that one!! But i must say i did chat with him via e-mail and he seems like a nice fellow! but what bothers me
he sold a few Magog Oilstone for very good money when i truly believed they are Hindostan stones. I did quite a bit of research on the Magog Oilstone when i heard about it, and as far as color of the magog it is said that its a greyish white stone ,
and to me thats no where close to what he claimed he was selling. But thats my opinion yours may vary!!

Its totally out of control ! Too late.

I got my set the other day and have had a chance to put a couple of razors across them and I am well pleased with the edge they put on my razors I like them enough that unless I run across a Escher/Thuringian at a real bargain My quest to obtain one has come to and end I like these hones this much this is just my opinion

I'm happy with mine as well. I'm new to honing, but I was able to hone a couple razors in the last 2 days and get them shaving nicely.

One thing I noticed on the finest hone in that set, know when to stop. I over did it on the first razor, and the shave test was harsh. I gave it a few laps on CrOx and the shave was much more comfortable.

So how are people rating the Green Stone against the Purple one? I'm tempted to order one of them and it seems to me that the purple one is getting more "love" than the green one, but that could well be my imagination.

After almost three weeks, mine set of stones is finally out for delivery! I'm seriously looking forward to doing some honing tonight!

Originally Posted by myersn024

After almost three weeks, mine set of stones is finally out for delivery! I'm seriously looking forward to doing some honing tonight!

Wow 3 weeks. Enjoy them. Let us know how you like them

Yeah, 3 weeks to arrive... AJ mailed them on February 27th and they arrived in New York on February 29th; it took from then until March 17th to get to my house.

Anyway, despite what AJ's ad said, the stones weren't anywhere near flat. After lapping them I did a few tests, and they definitely improved the edge on a razor that was previously finished on my PHIG. I did about 30 laps on each stone, DT first, LM second, and the Welsh Thuringian or whatever it's called last. I won't shave again until Monday morning, but the results are looking positive thus far.

FWIW, I bought the micro-sized set (each stone is about 4"x2"), and despite their small size they were easy enough to use and I'm happy with my purchase.

After receiving the stones a few days ago, I re-finished the edge on a razor that was starting to tug. My stones are the micro-sized ones, so it probably took about 40 or 50 laps on each stone for me to be satisfied with the scratch patterns. I shaved with the razor this morning, and I'm very happy with the results. Did my usual shave, and the edge was noticeably sharper and smoother than before. My goatee area is pretty tough, and the razor sliced right through like a hot knife through butter. Got almost no feedback from the alum block, and my face has felt great all day.

The only other finishing stones that I have are a PHIG and a coticule, so I can't directly compare my experience with these stones to a real-deal Escher in regards to honing on them. However, I do have a razor that was finished on an Escher by another forum member, and the edge from the stones AJ is selling is very similar to how that razor feels; in a side-by-side test, I probably couldn't tell the difference. I haven't tried shaving with the edge from the DT or the purple slate, so I can't attest to those edges either. I just used the stones in progression. I've attached a pic of my stones so that anyone interested in the micro-sized set can see how big they are. The DT is on the left, LM in the middle, and Welsh Thuringian is on the right.