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Finding a hone in nature

I know i am a month and a half late here but this is a topic of great interest to me. Lately i have been picking up just about anything that looks sedimentary. No luck, so far, finding a finisher but couple of interesting stones.
I make my own blades so honing it on stones i found, cut, and lapped would be very satisfying. Especially if the shave is better then good.
 
Plenty of rocks just not processed yet. Got what appears to me blue/black shale with tiny mica flakes almost done being lapped. Enough flat area to test. Sticky with water, with loop looks to me a step back from a coticule finish. Have to try it with lather, glycerin etc still but promising for a chisel finisher.
Just about finished building a fixed post grinder for making telescope mirrors. That will definitely help with lapping.
 
Plenty of rocks just not processed yet. Got what appears to me blue/black shale with tiny mica flakes almost done being lapped. Enough flat area to test. Sticky with water, with loop looks to me a step back from a coticule finish. Have to try it with lather, glycerin etc still but promising for a chisel finisher.
Just about finished building a fixed post grinder for making telescope mirrors. That will definitely help with lapping.
I found this little rock at work in north Texas and it's an amazing finishing stone for tools and knives. It's aggressive like a la lune but it's also super hard like a hard ark. Did great finishing off what was left to be done after my Washita.
20220525_202033.jpg
 
I've been experimenting with making hones out if rocks ive found too. I have been using the "spoon test", rubbing a spoon on rocks to see what they do to metal. Ive avoided slate type rocks as I have too many nice slate type hones anyways and was focused on unique rocks. I have found it difficult so far with some legitimate failures. One failure was an iron ore type rock, mostly just scratches a knife bevel up slowly and prediodicily rips the edge up. Another was a piece of hard petrified wood with lots of tiny crystals, it was very toxic to metal edges also, and too brittle. I have a few more that I need to flatten and was thinking of getting a diamond cup wheel to speed the process up.

Here is the one semi successful rock:

As found after cleaning and light lapping:
20220327_220049.jpg

After the most work ive ever put into lapping a rock:
20220527_230013.jpg20220527_231046.jpg20220527_230105.jpg

I pulled this "ugly mud rock" out of a creek and was excited to see it pretty flat with nice sediment layers. Thinking how it wouldn't be hard to flatten, oh how wrong I was. This rock DESTROYS SiC! Within seconds the SiC is pulverized and nothing has happened to the rock. This rock is tougher than any arkansas ive lapped by far. It took me multiple days of exhausted muscles and alot of powder but I eventually got it flattened and preped. It works good with knives-pressure, making a very bright bevel and biting sharp edge. But it just doesn't seem great for razors... too hard and little feedback, almost nothing happens at razor honing light pressure. I spent about 5 minutes honing a good shaving razor on it and it did add some sharpness, but an arkansas stone clearly is superior.

Anyone know what type of rock my ugly mud rock is? I just couldn't believe how tough it is. I don't recommend anyone waste time on a rock like this unless desperately in need of a knife finisher stone or excercise!
 

duke762

Rose to the occasion
There are hones out there somewhere, there has to be. Living in northern Indiana, USA , the hills are a glacial terminal moraine. We have every dog gone thing that exists in Canada but in smaller, rounder pieces. I've found tennis ball sized nodules of the hardest, translucent, butterscotch, quartz that would make you cry if you found one that was big enough to cut a hone out of.

I spied something interesting at the fast food drive through. Tucked into their landscaping, it appeared to be about 4 x 6 x 2 inches and looked like quartz of some. I figured I'd go by there when they were closed and heist it. Landscapers did something with it before I got there. Probably saved me from criminal charges and a record as a rock thief.
 

Legion

Staff member
There are hones out there somewhere, there has to be. Living in northern Indiana, USA , the hills are a glacial terminal moraine. We have every dog gone thing that exists in Canada but in smaller, rounder pieces. I've found tennis ball sized nodules of the hardest, translucent, butterscotch, quartz that would make you cry if you found one that was big enough to cut a hone out of.

I spied something interesting at the fast food drive through. Tucked into their landscaping, it appeared to be about 4 x 6 x 2 inches and looked like quartz of some. I figured I'd go by there when they were closed and heist it. Landscapers did something with it before I got there. Probably saved me from criminal charges and a record as a rock thief.
Do solid lumps of quartz work as a hone? I'd have thought not, but never tried. I live in gold country, so there is quartz everywhere.
 
It is amazing how much work it is to manually flatten a stone. I have been trying to cut off a small slurry stone sized piece to flatten first. Much less work. Then test it with a small kiradashi i made from 1095, somewhere in the 60-62C range. Gives me a large bevel to inspect. Most stones i have found leave too many stray scratches to be useful for razors.
 
I've been experimenting with making hones out if rocks ive found too. I have been using the "spoon test", rubbing a spoon on rocks to see what they do to metal. Ive avoided slate type rocks as I have too many nice slate type hones anyways and was focused on unique rocks. I have found it difficult so far with some legitimate failures. One failure was an iron ore type rock, mostly just scratches a knife bevel up slowly and prediodicily rips the edge up. Another was a piece of hard petrified wood with lots of tiny crystals, it was very toxic to metal edges also, and too brittle. I have a few more that I need to flatten and was thinking of getting a diamond cup wheel to speed the process up.

Here is the one semi successful rock:

As found after cleaning and light lapping:
View attachment 1463010

After the most work ive ever put into lapping a rock:
View attachment 1463011View attachment 1463012View attachment 1463013

I pulled this "ugly mud rock" out of a creek and was excited to see it pretty flat with nice sediment layers. Thinking how it wouldn't be hard to flatten, oh how wrong I was. This rock DESTROYS SiC! Within seconds the SiC is pulverized and nothing has happened to the rock. This rock is tougher than any arkansas ive lapped by far. It took me multiple days of exhausted muscles and alot of powder but I eventually got it flattened and preped. It works good with knives-pressure, making a very bright bevel and biting sharp edge. But it just doesn't seem great for razors... too hard and little feedback, almost nothing happens at razor honing light pressure. I spent about 5 minutes honing a good shaving razor on it and it did add some sharpness, but an arkansas stone clearly is superior.

Anyone know what type of rock my ugly mud rock is? I just couldn't believe how tough it is. I don't recommend anyone waste time on a rock like this unless desperately in need of a knife finisher stone or excercise!
I am tired just looking at that stone. I don't think i am the ambitious yet.
 
It will go faster when i finish my fixed post grinder. Essentially a big turntable spinning around 60-100 rpms. Originally started building it for making cast iron lapping plates and small granite and glass surface plates but with a sheet of glass on the table and some SiC it should flatten stones pretty well too.
 
I have a more if the sandstone. If anyone is interested i can send out a piece or 2 for some pear review testing. Will be a little bit since i am in the middle of a move but i would be interested to see what other people think. I think it is in the low to middle mid range but it leaves a real nice polish. Pm me if interested, US only, i have not figured out international shipping yet.
 
I have a more if the sandstone. If anyone is interested i can send out a piece or 2 for some pear review testing. Will be a little bit since i am in the middle of a move but i would be interested to see what other people think. I think it is in the low to middle mid range but it leaves a real nice polish. Pm me if interested, US only, i have not figured out international shipping yet.
That stone almost looks like a Tam O'shanter.
 
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