escher rubbing stone

[dylandog]

How important is it to use an escher rubbing stone with an escher? I have a small (5 x 1) Escher but no rubbing stone; I'm thinking of just using a Coticule rubbing stone. But I do want the slurry to be an escher slurry, not a Coticule slurry, since one of the main reasons I'm trying out this escher is to see the difference between it and a coticule.

I wonder if anyone who uses Eschers has a suggestion...

[Sweeney Todd]

There was a discussion a while back on this that I just re-read now that I find myself in the same situation as you. Same size stone, as well.

The ideal seems to be using Thüringen on Thüringen, coticule on coticule, etc. but Lynn mentioned getting good results using a Nagura stone. Also, if you check for a thread entitled "What stone to lap/make slurry for escher," you'll find some points to ponder but no definitive answer. When I can find time to, I was planning on trying to build the slurry with my Swaty barber's hone, but rubbing fairly gently to do so. If I manage to do that before a better response comes along here, I'll let you know.

[dylandog]

Swaty, now that's not a bad idea. They're hard as hell and not likely to generate any of their own slurry.

[JMS]

I use my "Super Punjab" barber hone to flatten my Escher. It creates quite a slurry and I am fairly certain that none of it comes from the barber hone!!

[izlat]

I have used water, oil, and a Celebrated Water hone (which I undersand is a Thuringen / Escher stone). I like the latter most.

By the wayl oil worked well too (better than water, in my experience)

Tony Miller is getting new Thuringens, right? He seemed to say that he rejects numerous stones from the shipment - maybe we can ask him to cut one up for slurry stones? - food for thought

Cheers
Ivo

[Laager]

I have a spare large yellow/green stone that I can cut up into slurry stones for people.

I suppose a slurry stone 2" x 1" in size would suit most people.

Thoughts? Pricing suggestions?

[Sweeney Todd]

I'm going to have to ask everyone to calm down a moment...

I have used water, oil, and a Celebrated Water hone (which I undersand is a Thuringen / Escher stone). I like the latter most.

By the wayl oil worked well too (better than water, in my experience)

Isn't one of the key rules-of-thumb to avoid these coming into contact with oil? It's my understanding that the oil will ultimately reduce the efficacy of the stone and that it's not too easy to clean oil from a water stone.

I now return you to your regularly-scheduled yellow/green hunt, already in progress. But with one sorta related question: Would using a less-rare, blue/grey piece to slurry a yellow/green make any sort of difference at all? The judges seem to still be out on whether or not there's much difference between the two stones in the first place.

[Howard]

I have about four different escher stones and I just use them without a slurry stone. Why? None of mine ever came with a rubbing stone. I don't even know that the escher rubbing stone is made of escher stone material. The japanese nagura stones are not made of abrasive material and are just chalk. They work well with japanese stones but I don't like nagura on coticules or blue belgians. Your experimental set up is correct. You could use an escher with a coticule rubbing stone (cotigura) but that wouldn't show you the difference between an escher and a coticule so much as the difference between an escher and a coticule using a coticule slurry. Try using both stones without a rubbing stone and I think that will show you more of the difference. I also suggest using a number of different razors for this test as you will see a difference. Remember to check the edges under magnification.

[izlat]

Howard,

I don't have your extensive knowledge but it seems some Eschers come with same grade slurry stone in a box that looks to be original and made to hold same stone (note the grooves in the sides of the wood between the hone and the rubbing stone)

Cheers
Ivo

[izlat]

Oh, and my shipping ZIP is FL, 32751

Thank you
Ivo