Thread: Any ideas about this Hone or its origins?

The pictures are pretty clear as to what this stone looks like. It is a 9.25 x 2.24 x .75 heavy dense and fine grit stone. It was easy to lap, and raises a slurry easily so it is also soft. I would say 4-6K with slurry and you can set a bevel with it but it is slow. With just water it seems to be somewhere in the 8-10K as a finisher...feels like glass. I put a very passable 'shave ready edge' on a razor from start to finish with this stone, but the edge was definitely improved the second go around with my Barbers Gem Escher.

It is Greenish-Grey ( more Green than Grey) with really nice slanted horizontal stripes running the length of the stone. The striping becomes more pronounced when wet. When I first got this stone I thought it might be a Dalmore blue but it is green rather than Blue, and it seems to be much finer than what I have read about the Dalmore stones.

Anyway...check out the pics and I will defer to the many experts here a bouts as to what they think it may or may not be...Thanks!

DBs are sandstones and their wavepatterns, if they have one, are more erratic. Especially since you describe it as glassy I would think it's a LI. Here's mine, you can have a look and see if it matches.

Thanks Piet... I have a Lynn Idwall and it is 'much much harder' than this stone, and almost impossible to slurry. This stone is much softer than any LI I have seen...although the color is more like the 'Green' of a LI. The two 'Black Colored Spots' on one side of the stone seem to be harder than the rest of the stone if that means anything?

Hmm this one and 2 others I had were all just as hard as the other darkgreen LIs. So perhaps it is something else or a LI that just happens to be softer.

I does resemble some Tams and LIs that both myself and Piet have debated over in the past, however if soft as you confirm, seemingly it is neither. It may be a softer exception, but considering the latter are hard stones in comparison to some mainland European stones, it is unlikely even if soft it would be this much softer as I am inferring it is.

There are coticules this colour, but the 'snaked' pattern I have only seen on UK hones so I think this can be ruled out.

Anyone know what a Dalmore Yellow looks like, and its relative hardness?

Edit - if you can indeed set a bevel with slurry, again, not a LI. My guess would be some sort of Tam. Both Tams and LIs are hard hones, but my experience is that Tams are a fair bit softer than LIs.

Here a TOS with similiar patern but i dont think the color is the same but the OP pics are with water i believed.

Originally Posted by Martin103

Here a TOS with similiar patern but i dont think the color is the same but the OP pics are with water i believed.

Martin...what is the color of that Tam...Grey? I have a Tam and it is definitely grey with a speckled pattern. This stone is Green...here is a pic of it with no water:

Originally Posted by Scipio

......if you can indeed set a bevel with slurry, again, not a LI. My guess would be some sort of Tam. Both Tams and LIs are hard hones, but my experience is that Tams are a fair bit softer than LIs.

Thanks for the input Scipio...I have a very nice Tam and I can tell you that it is much harder than this stone...I don't think it's a Tam. At least not like any I've seen????

Yes definately grey for sure, i was thinking the patern was somewhat similar and not common for a TOS.Perhaps
its the famous cutlers green!

The consensus is that the Cutler's Green was a fine finishing hone. I doubt this is it. I'm beaten as to what it may be given that it is a soft hone.