Thread: Water hone for penknives ect.

I ran across this beautiful stone at a antique store today. I would like if someone could positively identify it as a thuringian. This is the first hone I have ever HAD with a label saying 'made in Germany'
I am wanting to use it as a baseline when comparing to other flea market finds,







This is just a comparison to some of my other stones. None of which I have 100% identified.
The stone on the inside right, is on a paddle with a leather strop on the other side, it has German writing saying 'extra fine waterstone". The inside left is unmarked but just as fine as the other two. The outside left stone, could just be a slate stone. The slurry looks good but it's not very fine. Maybe 3000-4000 grit...

I don't know , but they are nice stones, thanks for sharing them.

I wouldn't have thought a Thuringian would do much for a penknife and the slurry is grey. Thuringian slurry is more white. There are other German hones such as the Hunsruck and Schwedenstein. I can't tell what the other hones are from the pictures.

Thank you for the info, that is exactly what I was wanting to know. The stone on the inside right, is on a paddle with a leather strop on the other side, it has German writing saying 'extra fine waterstone". The inside left is unmarked but just as fine as the other two. The outside left stone, could just be a slate stone. The slurry looks good but it's not very fine. Maybe 3000-4000 grit...

I will do some reading up on the stone types you listed.

IIRC Hunsruecker hones give brownish slurry. You may ask Tony Miller, he used to sell them.

The Well Shaved Gentleman The Heirloom Razor Strop Company

Hunsrücker are more recent I believe; Schwedenstein is more variegated and usually comes in very thin formats (like the one on the paddle). Mine have grey slurry.

The box looks a lot like this one.

On this Russian forum, there is a discussion on a Thuringian in a box similar to yours and a courser stone, which is presumed to be a Russian imitation.

Thankyou that is interesting reading. I love rocks. Recently I have had more fun collecting and researching hones than razors.

sidmind,

your hone is definetly a Thuringian hone. Thuringians were not only made as hones for razors, there also have been penknive and knive hones. This hone you have was mined and sold from a company located in Steinach, most possible C. Luthard F., who was the company that existed the longest among the Thuringian hone companies. The company closed in 1966.

The following image shows a comparable hone that is shown in the slate museum in Steinach.

That is cool, are there more photos from the museum? google failed to find anything...

Are you certain they are Thuringian hones and not another variety of German hone, or a coarser type of Thuringian? The slurry is darker than that of my Thuringians, despite Thuringians being rather fine for a penknife.