I was looking to add a Charnwood to my stone collection and stumbled across a Canadian company producing novaculite hones in Red Deer, AB. I picked this one up this morning as I was very very interested. This one is 6 1/8” x 2 13/16” x 1. They are claiming that it’s around a 16k grit equivalent. I know you can't rate naturals based on a grit size but is seems to me to be in the same league as a good black Arkie or Charnwood at a far more reasonable cost. Once I get to put a razor to this stone I will give a review of my impressions. Does anyone else have used a stone such as this?
Canadian Novaculite
- Thread starter Rugger007
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You won't know if it's in the same league until you try it. Hopefully that will work out for you. Let us know when you get a chance to give it a test run, I've noticed an eBay seller posting several different varieties of stone from this quarry or wherever that I haven't seen offered elsewhere but the prices are a bit high to me for an unknown quantity.
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- #3
I will keep the thread updated. They have an actual website as well as a Facebook page. They do offer a few different varieties and/or grades. this one was $110 Canadian shipped. Not too bad.
IMightBeWrong
Loves a smelly brush
I’m definitely interested in how this turns out!
So that is shipped in Canada to Canada. What would it be shipped to the US?
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- #6
hones
I'm not sure on shipping to the US, however based on past US shipping my best guess would be $20 cad. Based on current exchange rate it would be $93 USD shipped. Rough guess
I checked out what's available there. Always great to have another North American source for stones. Thanks for starting this thread.
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- #8
Here’s a few links.
Federal Abrasives Company
Home | Federal Abrasives Company
Royal Flint *Superior-Fine Grade Novaculite**natural hone/sharpening stone | eBay
All of theirs 16k rated stones and some others are available thru their eBay shop.
Federal Abrasives Company
Home | Federal Abrasives Company
Royal Flint *Superior-Fine Grade Novaculite**natural hone/sharpening stone | eBay
All of theirs 16k rated stones and some others are available thru their eBay shop.
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IMightBeWrong
Loves a smelly brush
I’m sure the 16k rating will have a lot of members rolling their eyes but it is what it is lol
I’m definitely interested in hearing about the results with it. I find my Arks like water more than oil and wind up with a VERY keen edge. It almost feels like it wants to bite my skin if I make any tiny mistakes! If these provide any more gentle an edge they’d be winners in my book. More keen would be overkill lol
I’m definitely interested in hearing about the results with it. I find my Arks like water more than oil and wind up with a VERY keen edge. It almost feels like it wants to bite my skin if I make any tiny mistakes! If these provide any more gentle an edge they’d be winners in my book. More keen would be overkill lol
Slip Tooth slurry stone & complimentary Kuuseira slurry stone cost inclusive.
What do they mean by this? Do they come with slurry stones? Also would one use a slurry stone in this type of hone?
I have a Charnley Forest that I cut a slurry stone for. It does work, but wouldn't want to use slurry for finishing. Also very difficult to slurry too. Just curious if you got a slurry stone and what you think of using slurry on this type of stone.
What do they mean by this? Do they come with slurry stones? Also would one use a slurry stone in this type of hone?
I have a Charnley Forest that I cut a slurry stone for. It does work, but wouldn't want to use slurry for finishing. Also very difficult to slurry too. Just curious if you got a slurry stone and what you think of using slurry on this type of stone.
Off-topic, but a lot here may have to do with what went before, as for example the edge being jacked up too far on synths before the Arkansas was introduced, contributing to a perception of harshness. May also be an argument against using them with water or water-based solutions. What was the progression used prior to the Ark stone, and have you tried them with oil? The reason I ask is that Arks have a reputation for smooth edges rather than keen and are traditionally used with oil. Last night, I took a near wedge to the dressed side (to maintain cutting action) of a Dan's true hard Ark followed by the smoothed side (steel only used in smoothing). Both sides were used with cold-pressed virgin olive oil. This was followed by a few laps on linen and several laps on horsehide. This evening, the shave was just as smooth and close as can be. No alum block tingle afterwards and absolutely no sense that the blade would reach out and bite me during the shaving process. It seemed most forgiving.
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- #12
I haven’t received the stone yet, but it does come with a matching rubber and a coarser rubber as well. I don’t think I will use the stone with slurry, just as a straight finisher.
IMightBeWrong
Loves a smelly brush
I have a Dans Trans from Kelbro and picked up a Surgical Black from Dans also. I’ve tried with Dan’s Oil and didn’t get as keen an edge as I liked. Then I tried running water and got a much more keen edge that’s a bit aggressive. I usually tone it down with a Flax linen strop which is my go to tactic for anything that’s too aggressive.
Water on Arks - FWIW - I finish on Arks with water, soap water, glycerine-water all the time, have been for a really long time too. All I ever experience are super stupid smooth smart edges. Never ever get a tendency for them to bite. So I'd look toward the earlier stages, or perhaps not enough time on the Ark - or how the ark was dressed. But water is fine on Arks and it's definitely not a creator of edge issues.
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- #15
I have a Lydian Touchstone which I’m just starting to play with, so far it seems to refine a Thuri edge in a good way. Guess we’ll see what this new stone is capable of.
IMightBeWrong
Loves a smelly brush
I’m not trying to say the Ark gives me problems. My SB just makes a very keen edge that I feel I need to be careful with. It doesn’t feel uncomfortable, just not as forgiving as an edge on a Coticule or my synthetics for example. It may very well just be my particular SB, I haven’t used my Trans as much and it may give me a smoother edge. It also could be that I go up to 20k on my SG before going to the Ark to take out as many scratches as possible in an attempt to minimize time needed on the Ark. when I go to the ark after that it feels a little more aggressive than the 20k. When I go to a JNAT or a Coticule after the 20K they steal the whole scratch pattern and replace it so it’s just kind of a different thing. I may need to make an adjustment somewhere.
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- #17
The understanding I was under was that the Ark is only doing the final polishing of the blade, not actually changing anything just enhancing what was already there. So from my limited understanding of them, if a 20k SG was the last stone used prior to the Ark and the edge was already hyper keen and a bit agressive, harsh, whatever you want to call it, would the Ark not just exasperate the problem and enhance any flaw which may be present?
Ahh - should have clarified my direction, my post wasn't a response to yours. My only point was that using water is fine and IF there is something to look it, it would be elsewhere. It could actually be the stone itself - I am convinced that a good number of mislabeled SB are out there.
Ahem, I think it might have been a response to mine. ;-) I agree that the problem probably has to do with something earlier in the progression. Salad dressing on an Arkansas stone, anyone?
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- #20
Well the stone finally arrived. Holy hell this is the hardest stone I have ever had to deal with. 2 hours and 4 sheets of 220 wet/dry and I’m about half way there. I know understand what specific gravity means and I see why this was tested at 3.0+. Once I get this flat I will get to honing. I looks like it is going to be a very very nice stone, but only time and a blade will tell.
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