Thread: Help ID the "Gnomestone"

My friend Darl (Tarkus) shared a find of three stones a while back here. He found this hone and a labeled Escher as well as a smaller one seemingly an Esher. He gave me this stone. (THANKS, Darl!) I jokingly told him if it was no good, I would put it in my flower garden and set a gnome on it.
After much joking it took on the name of the Gnomestone. We compared the flattening effort to the Eschers, seemed the same. I have no experience with naturals other than playing around with a Coticule. I have finish-honed 2 razors on it after my usual progression, substituting it for my usual Naniwa 12000. It felt awesome. I could tell it was really getting sharp and the bevel is super shiny and smooth. I will shave test these razors tomorrow to see what I have in a finish. The sides are rough sawn and irregular. It has a light gray surface with darker gray splotches.
Any Ideas what the Gnomestone is?
Thanks,
Tom

I don't know. I would recommend more pix. A side shot, dry ..... different views. Piet, Oldengarde, those guys are real schooled on Thuringan type stones. Maybe one of them, if not someone else, can enlighten us. Also, post the dimensions. Eschers, Hohenzollerns are mostly a default dimension. A few variations of size overall but pretty standard dimensions with the different 'models'.

I remember the thread Tarkus started and the stones - I remember that only one of them was labelled, so although they were all assumed to be eschers you could only definitely say that one was.

I have had thuringians with little inclusions in them before, and some hard to discern mottling or patterning, but nothing like yours. The nearest I have to yours is a pale green/blue/grey welsh slate - overall its vaguely greenish I suppose, but it gets to look a lot like yours when it is wet. It has the mottled patches, but not darker spots. The colour of yours - on my monitor anyway - is something like the overall colour of some Tams I have had, but of course we both know that you wouldn't easily confuse that with another stone if you look at it closely.

I'd love to see more photos, close-ups of it both wet and dry and slurried.

Regards,
Neil

Tom - could you also photograph it outside, please - I have just seen from the highlight reflections on the stone that it is taking on a colour cast.

Regards,
Neil

Here are some more pics. It is 6 3/4X 2 3/8 X 1 1/4

Well, Whatever it is, it looks like the same type of stone that I posted a couple of weeks ago. I would love to know what it is.

Originally Posted by Neil Miller

Tom - could you also photograph it outside, please - I have just seen from the highlight reflections on the stone that it is taking on a colour cast.

Regards,
Neil

Pics outside!

Originally Posted by mackie

Well, Whatever it is, it looks like the same type of stone that I posted a couple of weeks ago. I would love to know what it is.

Indeed, it does look same!

Tom - I have seen Llyn Idwals like that, of the type called 'Grecian' - not exactly similar, but very like it. The little dark spots seem to sweep across them in scattered bands with the occasional larger dark spot.

Those orange spots - honing residue/rust from swarf caught up in the depressions, or part of the stone? Residue, I'm guessing. If it is some form of LI than it is a very hard stone - much harder than thuringians. They don't auto-slurry and you have to use another piece of the hone or a diamond plate to raise the thinnish, gritty feeling, slurry.

If its a slate type hone (like welsh slates, silkstones and thurinians, for example) it will slurry quite easily and be relatively soft in nature (relatively speaking of course - sort of middle in the not-very-hard, medium hard and very hard range).

Regards,
Neil

Yes, the spots are debris, paint or something, not part of the stone. I tend to think it does not auto-slurry as you mentioned. With it freshly flattened, it did not raise a bit as I finished two razors on it. My worn DMT would not touch it as flattening. I used a newer one to flatten and smoothed with the worn one. The slurry from flattening was the same colors as the stone, but not especially gritty. I am hoping for great results as I shave test my victims. I will get it slurried up later this evening and post pics. Work Calls!
Perhaps calling it the Gnomestone is as good a name as any name!
Tom