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cabinet maker buddy has a big box of stones

The other day a buddy and I were talking about wet shaving. He does wet shave. But, he uses disposable blues from the dollar store and and green gel from a can, which surprised me. he is a true local, and except for a stint in the navy, has lived in the same home as his father and grandfather before him. he is a retired cabinet maker and has accumulated quite a lot of wood working tools over the years. We got to talking about SR's and stones. he said he still has several SR's from his grand dad. I, offered to hone them up and give him a short shaving demo. he politely declined the offer. then he offered to have me come over and have a look at his 'shelves' of old stones. some are his and some, he said are his dad's and grandpa's. The picture in my mind blossomed into a treasure trove of unrecognized and under appreciated, gunk covered beauties. "hmm", I said "that sounds cool". I bashfully offered to buy or trade for a few stones. He said, " nah, I can give you some". I said I am looking for a ark black or translucent for finishing SR's. he said he bets there some like that in there. I started to get that anticipatory feeling; you know what I'm talking about. Not sure if he will follow up on his offer. You know how it can be wen people offer free stuff in a casual convo. sometime the "big box" can a bit of a let down. and other times the buddy changes his mind, upon reflection on the thought of parting with 'grandpa's stuff". I'm saying this because similar "come take a look" offers of beekeeping equipment and ham radio stuff have ended up evaporating. But... our wives often get together. so there's that. and I definitely dont want to queer the deal by applying any pressure. So, I'm choosing to relax about it and going to let him bring it up.

but if Im allowed into Aladdin's cave of hones and it doesnt turn out to be a dusty box of broken grinder wheel fragments, the question is:

what should I be keeping an eye out for?
 
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Look for natural stones, but don’t be surprised if you find a lot of old synthetics, India and Carborundum. Up until recently most woodworkers did not sharpen finer than 6-8k with modern (1980-90’s) Japanese synthetic water stones, ala King and Norton. And for most woodworking a good 6k edge is/was good enough for cutting wood.

Carborundum stones were prized (which is why you often find them in custom made boxes) because they cut quick, India were finishers. Some finished on hard Arks, mostly Washita’s. But you never know what is hidden under years of oil and dust.
 
Ask about the finest finishers.

Take pictures if you can.
yes. I mentioned that I needed a larger finishing stone. thats when he offered to give me "some". so there's that. my wife, was present for part of the conversation has chimed in to tell me to let it go. lol. wives can be good at reminding us that maintaining relationships are far more important than getting more nasty old square rocks. and they are right, of course.
 
Look for natural stones, but don’t be surprised if you find a lot of old synthetics, India and Carborundum. Up until recently most woodworkers did not sharpen finer than 6-8k with modern (1980-90’s) Japanese synthetic water stones, ala King and Norton. And for most woodworking a good 6k edge is/was good enough for cutting wood.

Carborundum stones were prized (which is why you often find them in custom made boxes) because they cut quick, India were finishers. Some finished on hard Arks, mostly Washita’s. But you never know what is hidden under years of oil and dust.
Im imagining going into that shop and being shown a shelf of stones. from what he said, I may be allowed to choose a few.

are there certain likely sizes and shapes that nicer natural finishing stones may be hiding within those gunky old stones ?
 

Legion

OTF jewel hunter
Staff member
From the way you write I’m assuming you are in the uk. (People, put your location in your profile!)

Look for natural stones (perhaps slightly irregular shape, unfinished back, etc) with a hint of green colour poking out from under the grime.

If you are hunting for a trans Ark take a small torch with you. You can also use the torch on your phone to shine light through.
 
If you are in the uk, anything green and natural could be something fun. Washita are common from wood shops, can be very nice stones once degreased and flattened. Anything mounted in a wooden paddle should get a look, for whatever reason you see finishers in paddles more often than in boxes.

Are you a natural stone hound already?

If he’s freely offering, I’d feel ok accepting a stone or two. When I pass tools on to people who appreciate them, it feels good to know they’re going to be loved rather than kicked around in a thrift store.
 
well, he gave me an old stone. here is the before and after a night's soak in dawn dish soap. I suspect that it is not a finishing stone based on the feel of it. Im thinking that it may be a soft washita
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I'd actually lean towards Washita from these pics... but I wouldn't rule out synth/india.

Some of the chippy spots particularly on the left in the top down view look more Washita than India to my eyes...


Either way, as you inferred, it's not a razor finisher. Very useful for other stuff though.
 
I vote Washita, originally 8" long. I have one that looks very similar but not broken.

A little to coarse for a bevel setter unless you burnish it down, but great for knives and bevel setting on plane blades.
 
"Im thinking that it may be a soft washita"

Looks more like a dirty synthetic India stone. Does it drink water?
It does not absorb much water. funny thing about that last picture. its surface is not quite as granular as that pic makes it seem; the grain it medium tight. My buddy did show me several vtg barber hones there to show me. but (as I anticipated) he didn't want to part with any of them. On a workbench, he showed me a two dozen or so older stones and he separated three, off to the side. Said I could pick one of the three. One was a very course reddish norton 8 inch. one was 3 inch piece of an india stone. I chose the best of the 3. I may soak it in de-natured alcohol- just to see.
 
The barber hones are likely junk. To me, barber hones all are. Your rock there is a washita as the guys said. Better than the other two other synths your mentioned. I would suggest you soak it in a degreaser over the alcohol - does a better job of pulling old oil out I think.

To no surprise from a wood worker’s lot of stones, none are really fine razor finishing stones. Washita is a good stone. But most wouldn’t call it a finisher (although I’m sure someone will disagree).
 
Yea, hard to say from the photos, I have bought many a greasy Carborundum for a dollar, hoping it was a natural finisher, sometimes they are.

Spray it down with dollar store oven cleaner, and scrub it down. That will get rid of the bulk of the grit and slurry. Then as said, soak in 50 or 100% degreaser, I like Simple Green or Dawn Degreaser overnight. I use glass pasta jars from the thrift store with glass lid and rubber gasket.

Depending on what was use on it will determine how long it needs to soak.
 
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