Thread: lap hone in geology lab?

Originally Posted by xanderhal

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P.S. I've seen a few barbers hones for cheap on ebay that are combination straight/safety hones. They seem to be smaller than the true straight hones (one I was looking at was 2.5"x2"). Would one of these be OK for refreshing a shave ready edge, or does the small size make it too impractical?
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I have several of the DE hones (≈ 1 6/8" x 2 3/8") and the size seems a bit small for a razor. I would reserve mine for emergency straight razor use maybe. One of them is a fairly fine grit.

About the smallest hone size that I use consistently (and comfortably) is 7/8" wide x 4 3/8" long. Those are the DMT hones in my avatar. I am becoming quite fond of the tan W4EE 8,000 mesh. It works, for me, as well or better than the D8EE. It's much lighter and handier to pack around.

I would first lap the hone with a coarse grit until it is flat. Then move to finer grits in stages. I finish lapping with a 1000 or finer on my hones.

Just my $.02,

Thanks for all of the info guys. It helps clear some things up before I sink some more money into fleabay!

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

I can tell you that just about every rock and mineral that exists in the world can be found in the U.S. The rub is that many of the more esoteric species are found in such small quantities they aren't economically feasible to mine. That doesn't mean you couldn't go to a location and get plenty of the stuff for yourself. The problem is doing the research to locate what you want. You would have to start out by know something about the morphology of the rock you want and how it relates to other surrounding rock.

Originally Posted by xanderhal

Well it sounds like the novaculite is a chert, which is basically super-fine grained (microgranular) quartz. Some of the finer japanese stones sound like they are a mudstone. Mudstones can contain many mineral grains such as quartz particles and clays, but they have to be smaller than 62.5 microns. I guess for a whetstone the smaller and more uniform the grain size the better. You'd also want to find a mudstone that is not fissile or laminated (like shale)...it would have to be massive. I bet if you read formation descriptions on USGS maps it would give you areas to scout out.

Xander

So......you guys are saying that it's possible that there may be a mudstone of superlative razor edge finishing caliber within the confines of the U.S.? One that would rival or surpass Belgian, German or Japanese waterstones? Hey, a guy can dream, can't he?

Chris L

Oh, its more than possible. I would say its a given. But remember the stones in japan or germany or belgium are found in economically sufficient quantities to make mining profitable. That will not be the case here.

Just think when diamonds were discovered in Hot Springs, Arkansas and Sapphires in Yogo Gulch, Montana people thought these minerals didn't exist in this country.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Oh, its more than possible. I would say its a given. But remember the stones in japan or germany or belgium are found in economically sufficient quantities to make mining profitable. That will not be the case here.

Just think when diamonds were discovered in Hot Springs, Arkansas and Sapphires in Yogo Gulch, Montana people thought these minerals didn't exist in this country.

Ah, new fodder for a whole tangent of daydreams for me. Sir, I will now have visions of native USA superstone waterstones dancing in my head. Yes, a guy can dream. All we need is the right farmer's field, an excavator or possibly even just a backhoe, a wet saw and we'd have plenty to go around to SRP members!! Now where do we start to look?

Chris L

Minnesota slate formations, deposits would be my guess.

I have read somewhere in the past that there are slate formations with embedded silica along the North Shore Drive.

Originally Posted by randydance062449

Minnesota slate formations, deposits would be my guess.

I have read somewhere in the past that there are slate formations with embedded silica along the North Shore Drive.

Ah, my old stomping grounds. I know it well. Do you think I could get away with loading up some Lake Superior shoreline and taking it with me?

Chris L