Thread: Mystery water hone- need ID help

So I just acquired this "Finest Grit Water Hone" that states on the package "The only razor hone produced in America". Now I don't know about you, but everything about this hone says Thuringian to me. The size, appearance, directions on the box and description of the hone, etc. I also is fairly soft, scratches easily and leaves a white mark, slurries, feels like and even smells like other Thuris I have. It is a dark gray with strong olive tint. What do you think? Is the "Produced in America part" creative marketing, or could this be some other sort of stone?

The slurry doesn't look like escher/thuri slurry to me. everything i've seen from an escher/thuri or other slate type stones is thicker and creamier. Looks more like the slurry off one of my arkansas stones???

Check out this forum post on another forumn. Apparently this company was the manufacturers of the famed Frictionite 00 hones that everyone goes crazy over. They also do mention thuringian stones as well. Take it for what it's worth??

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/archive.../t-174282.html

Well...Say I buy some buffalo horn from India, then I cut it into scales? Did I produce those scales in America? The answer would be yes. Those scales were produced in America. So yes, I think it's creative marketing.

I believe it's Thuringian, and would have bid on it as such, had I seen it for sale. I don't believe judging this stone by the appearance of the slurry consistency is a good way to approach the examination. Slurry consistency is a direct result of the proportions of water and powder in the mix.

Bottom line: If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, smells like a duck, hones like a duck, and slurries like your other ducks..you get the picture. I think Martin103 posted an advertisement with a hand drawn picture of this stone in it. We talked about whether or not it was Thuringian then too. But since none of us had the stone, it was impossible to really make any declarations. Might see if you can find that thread. Cool stone btw!

I was thinking something similar. Perhaps they just cut or even just dressed the stone in the USA (appears to have been lapped smooth on all sides and show no signs of previous use) and felt justified in putting the "Produced in America" tag on it. I have read previously where manufacturers had tried to hide German origin around times like WWI so perhaps that is the case here also.

Oh I totally agree that it probably is one, the link I provided had other guys talking about the exact company producing thuringian stones, so i don't doubt it. My observation of the slurry was just that, an observation. It didn't look as thick/creamy as any other escher slurries i've seen, that's all. Looks like a nice rock!