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How do you test an unknown natural stone?
Got this stone on eBay. Would like to know how some of you go about testing an unknown stone. I think it's a Turingian. I thought of finishing a razor to an 8k, then try the stone and test to see if it improves. Just curious to see what other people do. Thanks in advanced, Double O
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How do you test an unknown natural stone?
Tongue test. Best way to determine.
The other unscientific way I use it to determine how quickly it'll absorb water compared to other hones. Faster, lower grit.
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How do you test an unknown natural stone?
Thanks for all the replies! I took a little of every body and this is what I ended up doing. I didn't cook the stone but while I was honing two razors from bevel to 8k I heated slowly the stone with tap hot water. Started with warm and in three stages ended with full hot tap water ( about 15 min). This was to bring the temp of the rock slowly so it would not crack.
Then I washed it with soap, water and old tooth brush. Rinsed well and lapped it with a well worn 325, then atoma 1200 (I suspect is a Turingian). Let dry and come to room temperature. Did a scratch test with nail. Took pictures, dry, wet and with slury. Here they are, the one in the wood narrow box, it's supposed to be a dark blue vintage Turingian.
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Then I let the slury dry on top of the stone. Compare smell and tasted them with tongue ? I hope this is not one of those beginners prank! Took a very nice 8k edge, went to the 16k shapton and then water only on stone.
Here are the observations.
Color, texture and hardness appeared the same as the 1" dark Turingian. They both smell like river dirt, with a hint of iron somewhere. The taste on both, was tasteless. The slurry, was the only thing different. The known Turingian slury was very dark grey, giving a bluish hue to the milky slury, the unknown wider stone, was grey, bordering on light grey, giving a milky appearance to the slury.
Took a tpt and a hht test before the stone (after the 16k) and then, after the unknown stone. It felt as it didn't improved or degraded. The shave is tomorrow. I'll let you all know if it's a keeper or a dud, so far it looks promising. Double O
How do you test an unknown natural stone?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Hirlau
I say it's time to give it a name. :shrug:
"Turingian"? If it walks like a duck, quack like a duck, it's a duck! LOL! Double O
How do you test an unknown natural stone?
I was told on a pm, by a very polite member here (more than I would be), that the licking test, is a real test, but is not for taste, it's to find smoothness or roughness on the toungue (more sensitive than your skin). So I would have to do that again, when I get a chance. Thanks for correcting me, and it makes more sense to me now! Double O
How do you test an unknown natural stone?
Ok, it's a finisher! The stone improved the razor's smoothness and sharpness from the 8k. The Henkel out of the 8k was smooth and sharp and gave a very decent 3 pass shave, about 87-90% BBS. After the suspected "Turingian", it gave not as smooth, but sharper for a 3 pass 90-93%.
So today I took it back to the stone and kept at it a bit longer (water only), shaved and the smoothness (from the first shaved off the "Turingian") and sharpness improved for a 3 pass 95-97% BBS. However the smoothness was not as smooth as out of the 8k???? Not bad but not as smooth.
The funny thing is that the Waterville that came out of the 8k not as sharp and smooth as the Henkel, came out of the Zulu smoother and as sharp as the Henkel that was stellar out of the 8k. I did take the Waterville back to the 8k for some more laps, but didn't shave afterwards, then went to the 16k and then my regular Zulu progression (light slury to almost water).
So I'll experiment with the slury, to see if it improves the smoothness.
Yes, I licked all my finishers and they all felt the same. I may have gotten intimate with one of them, I think the Zulu. I couldn't resist the smoothness! Double O