I hope to find a soft coarse one eventually. I love good razor stone but those workhorse naturals on the coarser end are something special to find. I've got a REALLY coarse charnley(probably a little coarser than my Grecian llyn idwal) that I need to flatten a lot. I have a feeling it will Beeville one of my favorite knife stones. My other medium coarse charnwood is an amazing knife stone.
Can't find a Turkey Hone thread so here it is.
- Thread starter SliceOfLife
- Start date
Got the stone today. A little time in the oven and it came out of the box. Not big but a nice solid piece.
Fresh out the box and then after a few hours in simple green. Still needs more time in the SG so once lapped and re soaking in mineral oil will add more pics. Unfortunately no label on the back of the stone as it is a rough natural back with what seems like skin. Top is smooth as glass , but I think needs a light lapping to get truly flat.
Really nice stone, Tom!
Ok this is one really nice 8x2 Turkey stone feels a bit finer than my other one. Still has good speed. Difficult to photo as the light and angle can make a difference.
Lots of reflections too. I think I am going to need to seal the label as it will get covered in oil otherwise.
Lots of reflections too. I think I am going to need to seal the label as it will get covered in oil otherwise.
This is my axe hone, which originally was the chunk that broke away from the stone in post #59. Just the right size for an axe puck.
Turkey stone is excellent for axes.
Turkey stone is excellent for axes.
They really are, and the size of yours is perfect for it. Still loving mine. Can't believe I went all these years without owning one.
I got one that's about that size in the mail. It'll be my first turkey stone. I have a Cretan but no vintage turkey. I'm always looking for a good axe stone.
Here's a little chunk i got recently.. I'll try to get sunlight pictures soon but I've been busy. I don't have a reference to compare it to but I'd guess this is a finer sample of stone. It's still very fast. I soaked it and it stayed dark but in sunlight it's very obvious it's a turk stone so I'd guess this is one of the darker pieces. The colors in it are really cool, kinda reminiscent of a trout without any spots, but I wish they were more pronounced. I'd put it 5k-7k but holy smokes it's got bite on a pocket knife post palm stropping. I barely touched the edge and I could feel micro serrations, finished on oil with really light pressure. I like this stone, I put it on an axe the other day and it did well but that axe is really hard(fiskars) and does better with coticules and diamond plates/ files. Fantastic axe, I'd recommend it to anyone, it holds an edge and stayed sharp enough to go cleanly through the last 4" of an 8" peach tree trunk(no rot at all, I kept the wood) in a single swing. The wedge in the trunk was ripe but I thought 5 or 6 more. Dropped an 8" x 12' kaber on my head. Fun times. I did a big oak branch into my forehead(with limb shears) 2 days later. Luckily I'm already brain damaged.
From those pics and the way you describe it (your description of the colours like a trout is perfect
) - I'm now pretty certain this is an older stone, yes.And your instinct is right - this kind tend to be finer, more consistent, and a little slower than 'average' Turkish. They were probably regarded as premium quality, high class versions I imagine, because they're extremely consistent. @rideon66 recently found one labelled by TH&Co. in the UK, I have one that was found in America and I'm pretty sure is probably a Pike stone. So if yours came from a seller in the US I think you can probably mark down as likely being that too.
I suspect it is probably half of a broken stone. I've not been able to find many examples of Pike catalogues with Turkeys in them, but there are a couple and the sizes offered seem to have been 7x2 and 8x2.
Nice find! This kind of stone is a little less common than other more typical Turkish/Cretans.
I was surprised at how aggressive of an edge it left, more so than my Washitas.From those pics and the way you describe it (your description of the colours like a trout is perfect
And your instinct is right - this kind tend to be finer, more consistent, and a little slower than 'average' Turkish. They were probably regarded as premium quality, high class versions I imagine, because they're extremely consistent. @rideon66 recently found one labelled by TH&Co. in the UK, I have one that was found in America and I'm pretty sure is probably a Pike stone. So if yours came from a seller in the US I think you can probably mark down as likely being that too.
I suspect it is probably half of a broken stone. I've not been able to find many examples of Pike catalogues with Turkeys in them, but there are a couple and the sizes offered seem to have been 7x2 and 8x2.
Nice find! This kind of stone is a little less common than other more typical Turkish/Cretans.
@cotedupy the structure of the stone is almost identical to a translucent. I questioned if that's what it was when I first opened the box. My Cretan is more like a soft ark or washita in structure. It's not really flaky either.
My most homogenous Turkey was all covered in black gunk when I found it, and from the shape weight and feel I was betting it was a trans. But I was actually more pleased when a Turkey popped out of the dip.
I'm glad mine isn't a translucent, I've got plenty. I'd much rather have this one. It makes quick work of knives.
Same. Trans Aeks are all pretty similar in my experience, so how many do I really need? At least Turkeys vary a bit.
@cotedupy @Legion @rideon66 I put this thing in sg for several hours but it never changed color, I believe it had been degreased before I got it. It's feels very much like a translucent. I put a couple drops of oil on it last night and honed a pocket knife. Today it still had the same amount of oil sitting on top of it. I don't think it absorbed a single bit. It's a really hard and fine one. It doesn't auto slurry on knife pressures, but I could see it shedding a little with plane iron or chisel pressure but not much. It kicked off a little on an axe. Have you guys ever seen a turkey stone that's been degreased that doesn't absorb oil the way an actual hard ark does? This seems really uncharacteristic of these stones from what I under stand. My Cretan drinks oil. I've soaked it multiple times and it still drinks it like a sponge. This turkey is a small stone but it seems to be an absolute perfect sample of very fine/ hard turkey stone, which is why I generally love smaller stones. It doesn't have and flaky spots(save one chip but I think it's from lack of Chamfer) and one inclusion but it's nearly lapped out, I bet I could get it in a reasonable amount of time with a diamond plate. I didn't lap this stone at all, it came flat on all sides. What do you think fellas?
I dunno. It's a weird one. All the Turkeys I've thrown in SG, even for a little while have started to turn white like dog poop on a summer lawn.
Though, how quickly a stone degreases is directly related to how porous it is, and how quickly the oil goes back in. I suppose if it was a section of super hard, high SG stone (like translucent ark) it could behave like that. Unusual though.
Turkeys are about the most variable of the natural stones, and even in one hone you could have two or three bits that act differently, so anything is possible.
I've posted this before, but look at this one after a quick degrease. The two sides look very different, though you cant really see it when it is oiled. @cotedupy has a similar one with the two different parts top and bottom.
I was hoping it would turn white because I've never seen one make that dramatic of a change that fast in sg and I wanted to see it first hand. Density may be a reason to soak it in brand new sg for a few days instead of hours. I'm glad I got it though, I almost passed on it. It's one of those that will never go anywhere until it goes to my son and I know he won't sell them. He's like me.
If you start lapping it you should get a Sulphur smell. It was faint in my really hard fine labeled one.
That one turned white in SG also and still drinks oil now.
That one turned white in SG also and still drinks oil now.
It smells faintly like sulfer when honing on it. I don't want to change the surface any because of its performance. I just put the time in on one of my pocket knives I use for food and the bevel is really hazy but pretty. Looks like soft iron honed on a jnat or bbw. In going to shave off this stone this weekend because I edge up the hair line on my neck with said pocket knives but it didn't irritate it at all and that spots usually pretty sensitive. I think if I use a feather touch and "strop" my razor on the stone before I hit the leathers I bet it'll give up a shave that'd be appreciated in a tight pinch. In going to try a harder steel first as my knife is pretty hard and using a light touch it won't take much material and can probably be coaxed to a pretty high grit. I'd put this stone at 8k in my first half dozen sharpening on it, that well could change. For bonus point I honed it with the pick of the litter from my new round of livestock sleeping on my stomach. 
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