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Scottish Dalmore Blue
Edit: thanks to Piet I have changed the title of the thread and the mystery has been solved.
Picked this up at the antique mall for a couple dollars... At first I thought I was total junk. But after getting home and spending a few minutes lapping, I realized this thing is actually Much Much finer than I thought, I am comparing it to my German Honess, and it is just as fine grit. 8000+ but much different in regardes to hardness. It's nothing like any other stone I have. Small sparkles, but hard. And fine, with grain.( what is the geological term used for those dark lines you see... I need to learn the terminology)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...y/69dbebba.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...y/836955f2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...y/c0ee08dd.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...y/185a6e09.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...y/fd66fe60.jpg
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I dont have any confirmed thuri's. But I have some German labled stones that are probably thuri.. This feels just as fine grit, but the slurry I think is to white, and it is harder to create a slurry...
I always wondered what the experts on these forums would charge if I were to send a flat rate box, with a return label in it. For them to classify my stones.... Perhaps If I can ever actually start winning some labled thuri's on the bay. Or heaven forbid an esher.. Or I get lucky and find some at flea markets. I will finally have something to compare to.
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It reminds a little bit of a Dalmore Blue, a sandstone ranging from coarse to fine. I don't think it is one but it might be similar.
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All Thuris I had in my hands (last one was today) were not that hard. Can you show wet picture without the slurry.
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Every thuringian I have had in my hands are pretty soft & you "can" generate a slurry off the stone with just a razor & circles with just a slight pressure. If the water soaks into it readily, I'll bet Piet is right on the $.
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Scottish Dalmore Blue. I like that Piet, and after spending several hours cleaning it up, with several hours more to go. These are the photos. With different angles, and different lighting,,
So are these rare? Google only turned up a few old threads on SRP. One article I read showed one in a box with the exact size as mine, 8x2x1
As you can see its pretty beat up.. How much would you guys keep lapping? I am thinking until it looks like a new stone, which will probably change the thickness to around 7/8 or less.
I am not good at solving the mystery of grit size. But I ran my fingernails across my Norton 4k. And then the Dalmore blue. And I think that is close.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...y/61c4d8a2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...y/2c68e8b4.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...y/250f7327.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...y/a73606e2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...y/6262b468.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...y/b517f06c.jpg
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I think it's better to round the edges instead of a 45 degree angle. You don't have to lap away all the chips but you should round the edges of the chips.
Here are some of my DBs for comparison. They're not common but I wouldn't call them rare either. They're pretty porous and sparkle.
Attachment 101319
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Hmm Piet's famous wooden table. I would agree with himjust roun the edges. I would use only one side of it for honeing- the one without the flaky chip. For Dalmore Blue it in my opinion does not have enough yellow streaks. Can you show detail of that flakey chip?
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in piet's photo the two stones to the left is what i recognize as a dalmore blue . the pattren on your stone is different . but piet and adrspach has more experience on this stone then i do .
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Yeah the pattern of his stone is similar but different. His 3rd pic is exactly how one of mine looks upclose though.
The stone in the middle of my pic actually came with a labeled box so not all DBs have that characteristic wave pattern, which make me believe the two at the right are DBs as well because they're the same in any other way.
adrspach, that's the floor. It happens to be the best lit area of my place so I take almost all pics there :)
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It certainly shares some of the characteristics of a Dalmore Blue, but I agree that the yellowness you most often see in them is missing and the pattern isn't the usual. striking pattern that makes them such a lovely stone. Here are a few more confirmed examples - the banding in the sides is a bit like yours:
Attachment 101350
Attachment 101351
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However, as they are natural stones then I suppose they reserve to right to assume different looks - just to confuse us!
Regards,
Neil
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I'm pretty sure it is some type of DB variant - the chips on one I have in front of me at the moment look exactly the same as the chips on yours. Perhaps your stone has been cut at a different angle to the way they are usually cut, leaving banding exposed rather than layer surfaces? Of course, there wasn't anyone laying down the elements that make these stones - they occurred naturally by deposition of minerals, etc, in water - sedimentary, before being changed by natural forces. Over time a number of things change - the dust picked up by air and water changes, water streams change course and begin adding new minerals to the mix or losing what they abraded from wherever they passed in former times, fires and volcanic action filled the air with particles, still waters that gently laid down their deposits became turbulent - in short, anything could change at any time, and change over an extended geological period is more or less a given.
The hard thing to ascertain is when something has changed radically enough to no longer be what we are familiar with, but to be something else entirely, an unknown. We are going from "if it looks like a dalmore blue, feels like a dalmore blue and hones like a dalmore blue then it is a dalmore blue" to "it doesn't look much like a dalmore blue, it feels like a dalmore blue, but it doesn't hone like a dalmore blue, so it might be a dalmore blue" - a kind of leap of faith!
What seems to have happened to your stone when it was being laid down is that heavier, more abrasive particles seem to have been giving way to finer particles, as most DBs are rated by most users in the 5k range, and you say your one is around 8k+ (usual boring proviso about using grit ratings to judge natural stones applies!). Can it still be called a Dalmore Blue, though? I guess only a trained geologist with the correct analytical gear can answer that one, and I don't see that happening anytime soon!
Regards,
Neil
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I should have been more clear and updated my first post, more testing (using my teeth to feel the grit). I determined this is closer to 4k ish. +/- 2k
Thank you for the interesting read.
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Thank you for those additional pictures. At first I thought of LI but from the picture of the chip it possible to say it is not LI. As with question of what it is? I would tend to go with Neil even thought I was also thinking of Douglas hone as described by Alex some time ago.
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Have you looked at any Hindostan stones? They were cut different ways and they show many different layers. From what I recall, mine is in the 2-4K range.
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I googled Hindostan stone, and not a single photo looks any thing like mine.
One thing that makes me sold on the D.B. Is how white it is when dry. I can put a diamond lap to it. And it is like talcum powder comming off. You can see I the one photo of my finger. My stone looks ALOT like piet's when dry.
