Thread: Where Can I Buy A Real Escher or Thuringian?

Are these modernly mined thuringians?

I've read about them before somewhere, can't recall much about it, but I think they're from a different quarry than the vintage ones and they're a hit or a miss; mostly read that they're not as fine as the old mined ones

Originally Posted by TristanLudlow

Are these modernly mined thuringians? ...snip...

May or may not be. Modern ones are about 8K and gritty. many threadss about them.
~Richard

Originally Posted by Kkeeton53

Well I do have Naniwa 12k coming, perhaps I should master that first, I just keep reading how spectacular a natural Stone finish really is..I am very interested in obtaining one

Learn to shave well with a straight razor first and foremost. I have a 12K Naniwa and am not considering getting any other finisher. Consider the finest tools are only as good as the person using them. If you have no experience with a tool then it really does not matter if you have the best or second best because you will not be able to get the most out of either.

Doing research is laudable but don't get too far ahead of yourself.

Bob

I had looked at a 30k but just could not see spending that much $$, all I have is a C1K, 4-8K GS and a couple JNATS and a coti but then I scored a used NN 12K for a great price ( seller even tossed in a NN 1K that I have no use for ) so now my progression is 4,8, 12IK then JNAT with a hint of slurry and strop and edges are good for me. I have been tempted to cough up the coin for a G20 though.

The Nani 1k makes for a good finish on kitchen knifes,, as to the SG 20k. Great stone, I had one for a while, but had a friend who tried mine and liked it so I let him have it. To me the difference wasn't that much better than what I can get off of my 12k Nani, I have it down pat, then straight to leather. The 20k is a great stone, just never thought it was worth that much money for very little improvement. But I had the same opinion of most finish , they weren't any better than the 12k I was getting, and that was from some of the best out there honing. I did keep my Zulu, it's a real good one,, and sometimes I'll use it, but the same thing. If you just like trying stones, the 20k will not disappoint. Tc

Originally Posted by Kkeeton53

I have recently come across a website that claim they have real Escher and Thuringian stones https://www.timbertools.com/cart.php
What I am looking for is an awesome finishing stone. If anyone can help me out I would greatly appreciate it thanks..

You might check with member Hatzitcho from Germany. I snagged an outstanding light green vintage barbers Thuringian he posted on SRP Buy, Sell Trade a few years ago. Let me see if I got a pic... We like pics.
Mike

Here you go, he (Peter) threw in a very nice chunk of L/G rub stone. You really need to heed the earlier advice as naturals do take a bit more time to learn., he,he.
MIke

Originally Posted by Dieseld

A Nani 12k is an awesome stone. When it comes to naturals there can be variables. Not with synthetics, they are spot on almost every time. Just stick with the Nani.

And no matter how you hone it, in my opinion, the smoothness of the edge comes from good stropping YMMV JMO

I'll second this. For the first handful of shaves, 3 to 5, I can tell which of my stones the blade was honed on. For the next 15 to 20, they more or less feel the same because the strop has done it's work.

I have seen Thuringians currently being mined. But remember they aren't coming from the same hole in the mountain that a vintage thuri came from. Performance may not be the same, I've not purchased one yet and have no vintage to compare to so I can't opine.

There's also a person in the area that visits the original mine and takes home bout stones - irregularly cut stone slabs - left behind when the original mine was operational and flattens them for sale. Their performance should be comparable to a vintage stone.

If I remember, I'll post a few links when I'm home and at my computer to make locating them easier. Posting links from mobile is a pain.

Having just gone through the process of learning to get a razor shave ready on synthetics, then buying and learning lots of naturals, and moving back to synthetics... I can agree that most of the advice you're getting here is spot on.
If you really just want to hone your blades, it's hard to beat the setup of 1k Chosera, 4/8k Norton, 12k Naniwa. I find the Norton a little "chippy" so I wouldn't dismiss anyone who says there's a better mid range stone. But as already stated, when you buy a synthetic you know Exactly what you're getting.
Now, I moved to naturals because I find them very interesting and exciting to learn. So if that's your motivation then go for it! The good ones (i.e. real Eschers) aren't cheap and it's very unlikely that you'll stumble across a cheap one without many months of searching estate sales and antique stores. I myself have had great buys here on B/S/T and have gotten an Escher in a trade here that I absolutely cherish, so I can definitely recommend that route. On the other hand, there are usually decent Eschers on the bay... but there are usually some very suspect ones as well. My advice if you want to go that route is to educate yourself on what to look for in a real Escher. Then, before you pull the trigger, confirm with one of the more experienced members here that everything looks correct. There are several dead giveaways on "modern" thuringians and not-so-authentic Eschers.
Hope that helps. I've gotten burned before so hopefully this advice will save you from that trouble!

The links I promised earlier, starting with vintage bouts:

Abziehsteine

And newly mined stones:

Natürlicher Wasser-Abziehstein - fein - Toolshop

I do not believe these are the Mueller stones that you see advertised from time to time. Those I have seen reviews on as being gritty and not as fine as a Thuri should be. These are Hebertz, maybe the quality is a little better from them than the competition?

I would probably buy from the seller in my first link though, given the exceptionally low price in the second I suspect a knife quality stone that may not be suitable for razors. But I have yet to buy one of either so again can not speak to quality of either. I'm fairly certain some users here have a stone from the first site though, as this is where I originally found the link to the seller's page. Maybe somebody who has one of his stones can vouch for him, but I suspect they are as advertised - good quality reclaimed material.