Thread: 2 Old Whetstones, Suitable for Honing?

I found two old whetstones at a second-hand store today and picked them up. Having done some edge care with boy-scout knives and chisels, I figured they're not bad to have on hand. Any thoughts on if they be suitable for my razors?

Both are quite old, but both have some incomplete information on them. Both are well oiled and have a texture far better than any 'general purpose' stone I've used in the past.

The First is 8" x 1" and is labeled on the end "Pike" "This Stone is FINE" and on, presumably, the back a heavily worn label where I can only make out the center word of some title text "...WHITE W..."
The Second is about 5" x 1/2" and is stamped "A Goodrich Chicago" - if the 1st is "FINE" I'd guess the second is a bit less, or perhaps just less well oiled.

Thoughts?
(sorry no pics this time round)

I guess the "...WHITE W..." is short for "Lily white washita"

Great, thanks for the direction! - According to a discussion at Badger & Blade the Lily White Washita's apparently does an okay job on razors.

Originally Posted by jpmizell

Great, thanks for the direction! - According to a discussion at Badger & Blade the Lily White Washita's apparently does an okay job on razors.

Good for a starter edge on a pocket knife IME. Then I take it to the soft arkansas. I don't go any higher up the ladder on my knives. For razor honing I've taken razors from the norton 4/8 to either a translucent (hard) arkansas or a black hard arkansas. Just IMHO.

+1... First finisher I ever used was a Black Hard Ark.
I haven't read the B&B thread but the couple of Washita I used were not razor finishers but ok bevel setters.

Originally Posted by jpmizell

I found two old whetstones at a second-hand store today and picked them up. Having done some edge care with boy-scout knives and chisels, I figured they're not bad to have on hand. Any thoughts on if they be suitable for my razors?

Both are quite old, but both have some incomplete information on them. Both are well oiled and have a texture far better than any 'general purpose' stone I've used in the past.

The First is 8" x 1" and is labeled on the end "Pike" "This Stone is FINE" and on, presumably, the back a heavily worn label where I can only make out the center word of some title text "...WHITE W..."
The Second is about 5" x 1/2" and is stamped "A Goodrich Chicago" - if the 1st is "FINE" I'd guess the second is a bit less, or perhaps just less well oiled.

Thoughts?
(sorry no pics this time round)

Pics would have been nice, any coming in this thread?
Were these stones part of that discussion at B&B?

I would like to help, try & post pics when you can.
Congrats on finding them at the second hand store.

The Goodrich one, could be a barber hone .

The First is 8" x 1" and is labeled on the end "Pike" "This Stone is FINE" and on, presumably, the back a heavily worn label where I can only make out the center word of some title text "...WHITE W..."
The Second is about 5" x 1/2" and is stamped "A Goodrich Chicago" - if the 1st is "FINE" I'd guess the second is a bit less, or perhaps just less well oiled.

Probably a Norton Pike Lily White "Washita". Washita is a relatively coarse grade of Arkansas stone, when compared to the Hard, True Hard, Surgical Black, and Translucent stones. Perhaps even when compared to Soft Arkansas. The names are just labels, and whether a stone is truly Fine or not depends upon your application, I suppose. Washita is at the lower end of the grit spectrum, regarding natural Arkansas stones, and is a good stone for knives. Maybe a bevel setter too?

Originally Posted by 1KnifeGuy4U

Maybe a bevel setter too?

I really like it for setting bevels on pocket knives, and it would probably do for setting bevels on razors if there weren't so many quicker alternatives in the synthetics we usually use. So if it is all I had I could get the job done eventually, but it would take a lot longer than a 1k in the usual waterstones. Just IMHO.

Originally Posted by Bushdoctor

The Goodrich one, could be a barber hone .

I would be intersted to see some detailed photos of the "Perfekt Brocken" you have in the picture. Could be the same maybe as the Reform Brocken from Escher company I posted in the thread Escher- Artificial some month ago!?