Yep, thanks to ebay I'm now an owner of a big Water of Ayr hone, 30.5 x 6.5 x 2.5 cm. :D
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Yep, thanks to ebay I'm now an owner of a big Water of Ayr hone, 30.5 x 6.5 x 2.5 cm. :D
Nice big stone - just pipped me to it! I just scored a combi Tam/ WofA from my old home town - Ayr! I got a section in the Ayrshire Post a couple of weeks ago with my search for Ayr hones on it - got a few kind folk from the area giving them up to me. I have had to put up with ribbings from my brother and friends, who still live in Ayr, about my ugly lathered up mug with a razor stuck to my face all over the pages of their local rag.
The book by Tucker goes in to some detail on these stones - Simon has quoted from it previously. It interests me so much as I used to play in the river as a child where these were mined and walked down the banks past the quarry with my first 'real' girlfriend 25 years ago. She came from Trabboch, literally 1 mile away. I really want to pick up one or two of the Mauchline ware boxed paddles - they had a partnership with the hone mill re combining products. These boxes were often adorned with Burns Country scenes etc., I have a small one that I keep stationary things in. I lived round the corner from Burns Cottage most of my life and used to drink in the Burns Monument bar far too often. It will be nice to own and hone with these. I will just keep my eyes open.
Good luck and if I were you, on reflection I probably would not cut that in two. Nice to keep such a long stone in one piece.
cheers
Stephen
Congrats on scoring a Tam/WoA combo, even at that cost ;)
I agree about cutting it up. When I had won it I was seriously considering cutting it in two, but now I have it and seen it it seems a shame, so I'll keep it as it is for now. It's going to be clunky when I lap it though. :)
Bjrn...had I heard you were going to cut it in two I may have just caught a plane to come knock on your door....lol...
I return to an earlier conversation with some one else...these should be more costly than eschers....they are a damnsite harder to come by thats for sure....congrats on the win tho....i missed it...lol...
Have fun with your TOS, simon
Guys, keep me posted on your results with the WOA stone. I have an 8x1 and I'm not certain exactly what I think of it. On a couple of razors it seemed to bring the edge down a bit, not as sharp as an escher or coticule. And then on another I got great results. It does seem to require 100+ strokes to get anywhere with it.
I'd really like to hear others' feedback.
I've been looking for one of these as well for some time. Congratulations. And I thought Gugi's recently scored vintage yellow coticule mated with a Belgian Blue at 9" was a long stone. 30cm for this Water of Ayr?! That's a gosh darn foot long!!! You'll be able to knock down that 100 passes Dylandog needs down to 50 on your stone.;):D.
Chris L
Water of Ayr stones are so scarce that I have never seen one. It is far easier to find a Silkstone than a WOA. You guys in Scotland definitely have an advantage.
Enjoy,:tu
Wow.
Anyone remember when Belgian hones were hard to come by? This is a whole new level of rare.
BTW anyone remember, was it a WOA stone mentioned as being used after the coticule at Dovo? I remember there was another hone used, but do not remember what type it was from the old Norbert Schick video, or somewhere I remember seeing the information.
John P.
If you want a WOA stone, Sutton Tools UK have them, amazingly !!
Sutton tools is a Jewellers supply place in Birmingham.
I asked what sizes they have, the gentleman on sales had a look and 'ummmed and ahhd', I said oh!,what the hell, whats the biggest you've got in stock? I bagged a 6inch X 1inch square.
£23 excluding vat and a couple of £'s delivery.
On a side note, he said they are waiting delivery on more stock from the mine!! I said nothing! :w
I ring the mine nearly every morning and get to talk to British Telecoms answerphone:rant:
BTW The sizes on their web site a not representative of what they have/had/will (ha ha ) have, or so he told me.
The link bellow (but I'd ring them to see what is left:D)
Sutton Tools Water of Ayr Stones
Love M :y
Here is the mine
Its the last picture.
How do Water of Ayr hones compare to coticules/Eschers/Thuringians?
Are they fast or slow cutters? How fine are they? Any estimate of grit size?
I'd say there's a very good chance what they're selling is the Tam O'Shanter. Although the mine has for some time distinguished between the 'fine' Tam (which is grayish brown and mottled/spotted) and the 'very fine' Water of Ayr (which is dark charcoal-gray-almost-black with no spots or 'figure'), I've noticed that in many circles the two names are used interchangeably and what's being referred to is always the Tam. And indeed in the past the Tam was properly called the 'Water of Ayr' stone. The true 'Water of Ayr' is very rare.Quote:
Originally Posted by littlesilverbladefromwale
I would be careful here, and ask Sutton Tools to describe the appearance of the stone. It should be very dark and homogeneous, like a new Thuringian or Hunsrueck but without the inclusions.
If it's the same website I'm thinking of (the one that shows no pictures of the "Water of Ayr" stones at all), I contacted them about 4 months ago and asked them to describe the appearance of the stone. They're selling Tams and not Water of Ayrs. And, if I remember, the sizes available are small. So, I absolutely agree with you, Tam and Ayr are unfortunately used very loosely and are not definitive.Quote:
Originally Posted by dylandog
Chris L
It'll be here tommorow, I'll let you know.
I actualy got through to the Scotch Hone Mine/works today while at work:eek: I was shocked!!!
I asked what was available, the man on the end of the phone said "what do you want?"
I thought I may have rung a crack delear by accident:roflmao I prefered hash in my younger days! Nothing too hard you know!
I said a TOS, a DB and a WoA, he said "what sizes?" I said "6x2 of each"
he said "give me your phone number" I did! I daren't refuse:eek:
He said "I'll ring you back on this number once I've worked out how much and delivery"
Have I rung the Godfather!!??:rolleyes:
He hasn't rung me back yet, I'm a bit frightened, a car with blacked out windows might turn up :w
M
Are you sure you weren't drugged up to your eyeballs when you rang and the man on the phone actually was YOUR crack dealer?:roflmaoQuote:
Originally Posted by littlesilverbladefromwale
On a more serious note: you owe it to the SRP community to buy as many hones as you can lay your hands on and put them on the B/S/T forum.:)
Hey hey I'm no "druggie" I had a couple of puffs in my younger days ala Bill Clinton.
I'm not holding my breath that the guy will even ring me back to be honest.
He did seem keen to know what I wanted though!
I really think someone like Howard should use his shop to sell them. He could put in a proper large order and keep the market fully supplied, I don't think an "Individual" could really do it.
If I manage to get some/one I will tell you all.
Quote:
Originally Posted by littlesilverbladefromwale
:OT
Good old Bill who never inhaled and enjoyed watching Monica enjoy his cigar. I still cannot believe Hillary never realised what liability he was to her campaign.
But, look on the bright side, he never wasted tax payers money on his dry cleaning!:roflmao
Sorry for meandering off course captain....
a few words here....DONT HOLD YOUR BREATH!!!...that is why i stopped selling them...best time to call the mine, tuesday AND THURSDAY morningS between 11.30 and 12.30....Quote:
Originally Posted by littlesilverbladefromwale
I would definitely buy a WOA hone. Approx 6 x1 or 6 x 2 size.
I just do not want another TOS. Simon took care of me on that already.
If someone can verify that it is a WOA of course.
What grit size do you estimate the WOA hone at? Is it a slow or fast cutter?Quote:
Originally Posted by randydance062449
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kees
Good Morning Kees!:)
I have never used or seen a WOA stone so I cannot comment, but I definitely want one! It sounds like a finishing stone so 8k-10k????
Kind of like the Chinese 12K ( which is actually a 8-10k in terms of grit size) is what I am expecting.
ITS MORE OF A FINISHING STONE....i have a combo one and i never use it...more a case of 'it would be nice to have' than a need to have..8-10 k is about right.Quote:
Originally Posted by randydance062449
Don't know if you have seen my post in hones section, I'd say it's a TOS not a WoA.
I should ring Sutton and tell them they have the wrong descriptions on their site.
Well, I have a TOS now. Done a bid of bevel polishing with it, very shiney too:)
The TOS is a great stone, depending on your sequence maybe even more useful in its way than the WOA.Quote:
Originally Posted by littlesilverbladefromwale
If you do call Sutton go easy on 'em. Their description isn't really "wrong" per se because "Water of Ayr stone" was an official and accepted name for what's now called the Tam O'Shanter for much of that stone's history, and it continues to be a popular name for it. You see it referred to as such even in textbooks and encyclopedias.
At some point – I think it was the late 19th century, there's a thread about it somewhere – the mine officially gave the name "Water of Ayr stone" to the finer, darker, and much scarcer stone. Probably because of this very scarcity the name distinction didn't seem to catch on, and people just went on using both names for the more plentiful and familiar Tam.
Well Marcus, phoning once and getting him straight away was a miracle. Let us know when you manage to get a stone in your hand... Getting a stone is as hard as getting blood from one - I wish you the best of luck. I found picking them up at the mill was the best way - a short journey from Wales!
BTW did that dragons tongue ever arrive? Mine hasn't - must phone them.
cheers
Stephen
Quote:
Originally Posted by coully
:thinking:I get free train travel, so I may resort to that
Still no sign of my Tongue.
There seems to be a common issue with these bloody stone suppliers, I wonder if thats what killed off straights the first time around?
I have got a stone out of them. I ordered a DB, but he sent me a TOS/WoA combo by mistake:o
He did ring to warn me though!
My DB hasn't turned up yet.
The TOS side of the combo is softer, coarser and much more speckled than the 6x1 TOS I got from sutton tools. The 6x1 is much lighter in colour too.
The WoA stone is very dark grey almost black with a couple of even darker spots.
Well done Marcus - you must have caught him at the right moment!! He is a card indeed...
What you need to do now is see if you can get a bulk order (OK 10 or so) from him and do a SRP UK special sale at the Brum meet in September. Get them sent to me and I'll take them down - pre orders welcomed. Maybe he likes the sound of your voice better - I gave up after 3 stones...
I'm not holding my breath, I'm still waiting for my DB:shrug:
I think the best thing to to is order one Woa, one ToS and one DB, What I hear you say?
Yes one of each
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each 6 foot long and 1 foot wide and cut the buggers up for everyone:D
BTW, I have spoken to someone who may do the stones some justice at last, and may after checking them out offer them retail!
Thanks for continuing to work on this, Marcus. I'm crossing my fingers and toes for the possibility of getting a DB and a WOA.
Chris L
BTW, now I'm no geologist (I have probably even spelt it wrong) but the WoA don't half look like my Dragons Tongue!:eek:
Hey Chrisl, What's the score with the two TOS, they don't even look like each other?
Look at the pictures! 1st and 2nd.
I noticed the TOS were different. I have to solid Tams purchased from Simon. They both look like your new Tam rather than the one you purchased from Sutton. Once you lap the stone, the coarse feeling is gone and mine are quite smooth stones.
Chris L
What MO do you use with the TOS Chris?
I have not yet put the Tam "through the paces" as I'd like to. Meaning, I have not incorporated it into a regular honing regiment. I have certainly used it some. I've used slurry and also plain water. Randy Tuttle aka Randydance, IIRC said slurry and a Tam are an absolute must.Quote:
Originally Posted by littlesilverbladefromwale
Slurry on the Tam cuts well. Not quite as quickly as my Belgian blue with belgian blue slurry (not yellow coticule or "cotigura"); blue on blue.
I'd like to use my Tam more to really get a great feel for it. I'm glad I have the stone in my arsenal.
Chris L