Thread: Salmen Yellow Lake vintage

So vasilis and sidmind, slate and thuringians have quartz in them so you guys are saying that thuringians are a slate stone. iam i understanding this right ?

Yes. slate is made up of high levels of quartz.

http://geology.com/rocks/slate.shtml
Slate is composed mainly of clay minerals or micas depending upon the degree of metamorphism to which it has been subjected. The original clay minerals in shale alter to micas with increasing levels of heat and pressure. Slate can also contain abundant quartz and small amounts of feldspar, calcite, pyrite, hematite and other minerals.

I think your definition is fine and really means nothing to how we use them. Let's not sweat over wording, let's talk about Hones.

So do you have any UK slate/chalk hones? If so how do you like them?

I have a Tam O'Shanter verging into some Water of Ayr with a Salmen label on the back. Nice hone - I like it for the chippy steels.

James.

Originally Posted by sidmind

Yes. slate is made up of high levels of quartz.

Slate: Metamorphic Rock - Pictures, Definition & More
Slate is composed mainly of clay minerals or micas depending upon the degree of metamorphism to which it has been subjected. The original clay minerals in shale alter to micas with increasing levels of heat and pressure. Slate can also contain abundant quartz and small amounts of feldspar, calcite, pyrite, hematite and other minerals.

I think your definition is fine and really means nothing to how we use them. Let's not sweat over wording, let's talk about Hones.

So do you have any UK slate/chalk hones? If so how do you like them?

i did some looking in to slate i was wrong by saying there was no quartz in slate there is quartz in slate and in thuringians and in ark's and in cf and in hindo in LI and many other stones, but just because the stone shares a mineral with another stone does not mean that the stones are the same we dont call ark's,CF, IL slate stones thats what bothered me. i'll try to post some pic's later in the day.

I think any rock from any hole in the ground can be a great hone. It just has to have a few properties. Which as big as this earth is then its very possible there are many rocks that do. Of course some of them might be 30 miles under the crust of the earth...lol

1) fine particle size in loose matrix ( ie Escher). Or not so fine particle size in hard matrix. (arky)
2) minerals harder than steel

That's it, everything else is going to be end user preference. Forget names of rocks or location of quarry. They just have to meet the above requirements. (on a basic level of course).

Escher happens meet the above requirements and also the end user preference for most anyone.. A perfect combination...

Please do put some photos up, we love hone porn...

first 5 pics are of my new gray slate paddle hone 6th one of AJ's (WT) slate 8th pics is a I.J dragons tongue and a AJ DT slate 7th pic two paddle slate one blue one black

first few pic AJ purple slate (LM)last pic a small purple slate in wood block

Thank you for sharing, very nice UK hones, we already know you like your Escher the best. But what are your thoughts on these?

i use one of the paddle hones for knives and it works great the other stones from I.J and AJ i can shave of the stone all in all slate is one of my favorite sharpening/honing stones

Well,
sidmind is correct,
the Thuringian whetstones of the upper devonian age you know as water whetstones like the labelled Escher stones consist of slate. In Germany they are called "Wetzschiefer" translated something like whetslate, which is a special form of slate, consisting mainly of mica, chlorite and a little bit of quartz. This special slate is found in very thin layers between other layers of slate and quartz, mainly in the thuringian area of Germany. The quartz particles do have particle sizes in the very low range between 1 and 10 µm. Thats the reason why they are very smoooth and capable for sharpening razors and medical instruments.