Thread: Vintage Norton

I guess we should assume I'm answering perfectly!
I'll send you a PM about the honing.

Originally Posted by todot62

Thanks for all your help with this. Apparently you are either answering the question perfectly or nobody else is interested, so thanks.

...or no one else knows?

A good way to get an idea of the grits would be to run a razor along each side and see what it does. Using a blade that has just been over a known grit (like a razor straight off a 1k, 4k, or 8k) would be helpful to aid in the approximation.

Yup, excellent point.

(Another perfect answer on my part!)

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

...or no one else knows?

A good way to get an idea of the grits would be to run a razor along each side and see what it does. Using a blade that has just been over a known grit (like a razor straight off a 1k, 4k, or 8k) would be helpful to aid in the approximation.

+1 there. I'm sure the limited responses are because it's nearly impossible to tell the grit of a hone from a photograph, especially when the stone is badly blurred, but the bank statement it's sitting on is nice and sharp. Basically, all anybody has to go on is the color, and the shape of the logo, which wouldn't be of any help at all unless somebody happened to own a norton stone with the same color combination and logo, and even that would be no guarantee.

I would do what h4p suggested if you're able. If not, I probably wouldn't put a razor on it, because for all I can see from the pick, it could be a 12,000 grit finishing hone, or a large yellow and black eraser.

I've found this to be one of the most helpful forums I've ever encountered, but identifying a hone, especially a man made hone like a norton, is just not something most people can do without testing it.

Based purely on the color combination, and the fact that it's a norton hone, it could be an older one of these: Razor Strops, Hones, and Accessories

h4p's suggestion would give us more info to work with, but if it's an old version of the one I just linked, it's a 220/1000 grit combination stone, which would be excellent for repairing a damaged edge and setting a new bevel, but completely useless for actual honing.

Thanks for the reply guys. I certainly was not meaning to imply that this was not a helpful forum! In fact, it is SO helpful that I was hoping someone would just give me a "there is is no way to tell," or "you might try this," kind of answer which I now have.

I know nothing about hones, other than Norton is a brand that is used and that this one is an old version of a Norton. I thought that maybe someone could tell just by seeing one side is black and one is brown. Obviously that is not possible. Now that I've kind of played with it for a bit, I CAN tell that if I were to guess, the brown side is no finer than a 1000 and the black is less. So it would appear that VeeDubb65 is on the right track.

Let this be a lesson to all of us. If we don't get what we want, just whine a little.

As always, Thanks,
Tod

Well, if I am right about it being a 220/1000 or something in that neighborhood, I'd hang on to it. A new one will set you back $60-$70, and they are one of the more popular choices for going from ebay trash blade up to a good working bevel that is ready to be honed.


Since you think we may be on the right track, you might poke around a few woodworking stores, and see if you can find a 220/1000 norton and compare.

Originally Posted by VeeDubb65

Well, if I am right about it being a 220/1000 or something in that neighborhood, I'd hang on to it. A new one will set you back $60-$70

Hm, I got a King 220/1K for $20... I agree that it's worth it to hang onto the stone though, it sure will come in handy for setting bevels and removing chips. Just be careful that the 220 side isn't too soft/doesn't wear too fast and stays plenty wet when you use it. I find that low grits tend to break down faster than higher grits, and they are very porous, so they lose their water pretty fast.

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

Hm, I got a King 220/1K for $20...

I'm not at all familiar with the King 220/1k, but I based that statement on the link I posted, which you will see is a norton 220/1k at classicshaving.com for $64.99.

I just check the norton stones store, and they sell them for $49.41 So, I guess it's more like $40-$65 than $60-$70, but like everything else, I'm sure they can be had cheaper if you shop around and find a bargain.


Also, you should probably note that the color of your stone, and the color of the 220/1k norton are not quite the same. This could be because your stone is grimey from use. I've seen plenty of water stones that have been used with oil for one reason or another. It could also mean we're barking up the wrong tree.

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

A good way to get an idea of the grits would be to run a razor along each side and see what it does. Using a blade that has just been over a known grit (like a razor straight off a 1k, 4k, or 8k) would be helpful to aid in the approximation.

I was going to ask just that question. I recently bought what I think is a granite hone from a road side stall in Thailand. It was cheap and at the very least I am using it to learn how to lap a hone. I wanted to find out if there is any way to tell what grit size it is.
Thank you. You have answered my question before I asked it.