Thread: Ideas what this is?

Arkansas IMHO. Also because of the cedar box it came with.

sorry to butt in I actually have 2 blueish translucent arkansas I bought from Wojtec I was thinking of giving one to my g/f's brother to learn with as it's a slow cutting stone I'm still pretty unsure of the grit ... I've heard 1k 2k also I've just never had the pateince to sit with one ans see how it performs .
I figured if it cuts that slow then he won't go too far wrong ..

I suppose it could be an arkansas but the color is almost the exact color of my blue/grey Eschers

That's a nice stone. Looks like a Translucent Arkansas to me as well.

I have an 8"x3"x1/2" from Norton that set me back about $90. I had memories of using one for knives when when I was a kid, so I was willing to spend $$ to get one. Sounds like yours has even more nostalgic value. If I hold mine up close to a 60 watt desk lamp I can just see it glow through. Also, the surface is hard enough that I can't scratch it with a thumb nail.

Those chips could be removed by thinning the stone, bit I suppose it probably would work fine as is.

The Norton branded Translucent Arkansas is advertized as a 4K stone. But like the others have said here, it is supposed to be a good polishing grade stone for a razor. I haven't tried mine for that yet.

Originally Posted by RMC_SS_LDO

As a side-note, that stone was cause for one of the most memorable spankings I ever got!

The box it is in has my initials carved into it. Carved by a kid about 7 yrs old with his trusty Old Timer pocket knife.

Man was my dad pissed! Those initial are still there though and it's mine now anyway.....

I don't know any better way to say this...
That is so cool! In essence you laid claim to your future possession when you were "just a little shaver!"

I have a similar stone and the box is also quite familiar. It's made of cedar and butt-lapped as is typical of American made boxes. The boxes from Belgium and Germany are works of art from a cabinet making tradition. The boxes I carry from Belgium are routed out so there's no way they'll loosen up or come apart.

Yea, I guess it was inevitable! I just thought the stone was cool looking when I was a kid! I have no idea how old the cedar box/case is or if it came with the stone originally. My father passed away nearly 10 years ago and he was the youngest, so I have no one to ask about it that would know. I just don't recall seeing in our house as a kid (with my father's stuff) until after my Grandfather passed away. I didn't actually recall my Grandfather shaving with a str8 until my mother mentioned it a few weeks ago (we were talking about an old razor I was cleaning up). Based on the little I can recall about it, I'm going with it WAS in fact my Grandfather's!

Several have suggested it is a translucent Arkansas. Going with that, it passes zero sun-light or from a flashlight so I don't know. It is a light gray (slightly lighter than a pencil mark) when dry and is very smooth, feeling almost like a ceramic to the touch. Close visual (un-aided) examination it looks almost shiney with some visable "pores" on the surface. It does slightly absorb water; after soaking it water will still absorb slowly as it is used requiring me to add a few drops to the surface after a few passes (maybe 10-15) to maintain a uniform wet surface.

I did play with it this past weekend for the 1st time. Nearly zero drag when dry. When wet, very smooth uniform feel until the edge gets dialed in. With some patience it put a wicked edge on an eBay Torrey. I just got the new (old) razor and this was the 1st real attempt to spend any time with this stone. Bit of a learning curve, I initially thought I had screwed the edge up badly prior to using this stone (posted here: http://straightrazorpalace.com/showthread.php?t=16489). Turns out I was just mis-interpreting what was going on with it. I shifted to using soap lather to lubricate as I finished up and it worked well. I think the stone could use another light round of lapping but it is pretty darn flat now.

I have never seen an escher, nor do I know anything about them (yet) so I have no clue if it could be one. If someone could provide a link to some good descriptions and pics of various eschers, I'd be curious.

I had wondered if there was any way to re-grind both sides to eliminate the chips in the edge, but it actually works fine as-is so I don't see the need. Plus, this thing was a PITA to lap to start with so a re-grind is way beyond anything I would attempt.

Thanks for the info so far!

v/r

Allen