Can anyone ID this hone?

Attachment 224885

Next to glasses for size comparison. I've had it for a while and use it for sharpening kitchen knives mostly.

Bought it for about $5 on local classifieds.

Seller had a bunch of them and said they were 'surgical hones.' I was / am skeptical but I figured for $5, what the heck?

It feels like ceramic. VERY porous. Absorbs water real fast.

Also very smooth - Less smooth-feeling than my Apart, but smooth.

But it seems that the smoothness degrades rather easily and there are rough patches. Not sure how to correct that. Maybe high grit sandpaper?

At any rate I clearly don't think this is of surgical quality. But I'm not convinced it was a bad buy. Thoughts?

Right off the bat, I'd say we need more pics... bottom, sides. Does it have saw marks? Does it slurry? Pics of slurry. Region of the country in which it was purchased?

Sandycrack

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Originally Posted by Sandycrack

Right off the bat, I'd say we need more pics... bottom, sides. Does it have saw marks? Does it slurry? Pics of slurry. Region of the country in which it was purchased?

Sandycrack

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Purchased in Utah. The back looks the same as the front. No saw marks. No slurry.

It is about LxWxH: 7 in x 6 in x 1/4 in

I can post more pics this evening.

Edit: for all I know this is just a piece of unglazed tile or something. *shrug*. Maybe not even a hone!

Does it show layers on the side?

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Originally Posted by shooter74743

Does it show layers on the side?

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No sir it does not.

Rules out Hindostan.

Looks like a tile to me, or some man made ceramic.

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Originally Posted by FAL

Looks like a tile to me, or some man made ceramic.

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Yup.

It polishes ok for knives but I'm not sold on it for SR's.

Either way, it is *clearly* not a surgical instrument hone. :o

Some better photos might help, probably a hard ark or synthetic.

Back in the day surgical instruments were honed on Arks, probably were the term Surgical Black Ark came from.

From BEST Sharpening Stones website. Arkansas Black Surgical Sharpening Stone

"The Black Arkansas stone was traditionally used to sharpen dental tools and scalpels. The Black Arkansas stone will put a razor sharp edge on all knives and tools."

Am sure they used Lilly Whites and Tranlucents as well.

Clean it with some Simple Green.

It needs to be cleaned for sure but the stone just absorbs everything I have put on it. Does Simple Green excel at cleaning such materials?

I have a small pocket translucent Arkansas hone and this is definitely different. My Arkansas hone is stupid easy to clean. Swarf just gets sucked right into this stone though. Water is absorbed slowly if at all into my Arkansas, but incredibly quickly into this stone. It's like the pores of this material are just huge and anything / everything gets sucked right in.

Perhaps its a different kind of Arkansas?

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Originally Posted by Euclid440

Some better photos might help, probably a hard ark or synthetic.

Back in the day surgical instruments were honed on Arks, probably were the term Surgical Black Ark came from.

From BEST Sharpening Stones website. Arkansas Black Surgical Sharpening Stone

"The Black Arkansas stone was traditionally used to sharpen dental tools and scalpels. The Black Arkansas stone will put a razor sharp edge on all knives and tools."

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Just as a note of interest: Hard Black Arkansas Hones Are Still Used World Wide For Touching Up Dental Tools/Even Today!

I know this as a Fact as I helped a young man in India acquire one for touching up his Dental Tools. (That young man is now an Oral Surgeon) I also asked my personal Dental Hygienist what she used to keep her tools sharp and she said that while some like the translucent Arks she preferred the Hard Black.

As I said; Just a point of interest :shrug:

Sounds more like a synthetic, but looks like it could be a Lilly White Ark.

Simple Green soaking cleans natural stones well, just soak in Simple Green and water and swarf and oil will come to the surface, then scrub with stiff brush, dish soap and water. Keep soaking until it stops releasing oil.

If it is synthetic, some soaps can damage stones.

I don't think it's a hone, wrong dimensions.

6x7x1/4 white material fine grade.

Jewellery soldering/brazing pad would be my guess. It's not thick enough for brass brazing, and the material looks fine enough to make the swarf recyclable.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=jewelry+soldering+pad&source=lnms&tbm=isc h&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwju-9r_qLfKAhVGbxQKHS6HAFsQ_AUICCgC&biw=1779&bih=892

http://picclick.com/SOLDERING-BOARD-...589220251.html

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Originally Posted by Iceni

I don't think it's a hone, wrong dimensions.

6x7x1/4 white material fine grade.

Jewellery soldering/brazing pad would be my guess. It's not thick enough for brass brazing, and the material looks fine enough to make the swarf recyclable.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=jewelry+soldering+pad&source=lnms&tbm=isc h&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwju-9r_qLfKAhVGbxQKHS6HAFsQ_AUICCgC&biw=1779&bih=892

http://picclick.com/SOLDERING-BOARD-...589220251.html

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Thanks so much Iceni! It looks exactly like the pictures you attached. :D

I think that's it!

If it weren't for the fact that it kind of decomposes as I hone on it, this thing would actually be decent for kitchen knives.

Glad it looks about right.

I wouldn't worry about picking up the odd duff. It's part of the game. You see a bargain on ebay with poor pictures and take a gamble in a lot of cases, Especially when you are looking at natural stones. The odd old synthetic will appear through the post and you chalk it up to experience.