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Glanrafon Welsh Hone

timwcic

"Look what I found"
Glanrafon Welsh Hone, the newest addition to my den. It has been in my mystery box since the summer. Slowly trying to get the box empty for the winter shopping season. I was on the fence about this stone because of the bottom. I was reading cleavage fractures and slate cleaves. Two tells from different stones. Was not until taking pictures that I noticed there is a inclusion running thru. That was the cause of my misinterpretation. Takes a hunk out of it but does not reach the surface. It seems to be hard for a slate and soft for novaculite. It was not until I did some research and the grateful help of very knowledgeable members that a Glanrafon came into focus. I was not overly impressed at first, it gave a slightly harsh, toothy edge. It was not until I lapped a second time to a higher grit that performance improved. It is a hard stone with a dense, ceramic feel in my hand. Love the blue/black swarf like bands in the olive green surface accented with dark dots. I am digging this rock and a nice addition to my UK hone collection

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Very pretty isn't it!

Do my eyes deceive me or does it have some translucency to the edge? And if so - I wonder if it can be considered a slate (I don't know of any translucent slates). It would I'd have thought more likely a kind of chert, with slate-like layering or cleavage... maybe!
 
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timwcic

"Look what I found"
@timwcicMine are weirdly hard like ceramic/glass.

It was a long mystery that is put to rest. The hand feel like ceramic was the selling point to me

Very pretty isn't it!

Do my eyes deceive me or does it have some translucency to the edge?

I seen and thought the same thing but has no signs of translucency. Light reflection and cell camera trick on the eyes
 
It was a long mystery that is put to rest. The hand feel like ceramic was the selling point to me

Well I am truly delighted. I joined this forum initially for the sole purpose of hone ID help - and it makes me quite happy if I can actually help others identify their stones.

That is a more unique one for sure. That and the fiddich stone I hunted for for some time before finding. Good score on that one. The Henk Bos writeups have some info if you are curious.
 
Ah gotcha, thought it might a trick of the light!

The more I see of these stones, the more certain I am that my own pretty mystery green UK stone is not a Glanrafon. It's probably equally hard, and perhaps even finer, but emphatically slate-y in feel, with no ceramic-like aspect at all.

That is a more unique one for sure. That and the fiddich stone I hunted for for some time before finding. Good score on that one. The Henk Bos writeups have some info if you are curious.

Do they... whereabouts? I just did a quick search of part 3 but couldn't find it, is it hiding somewhere else?
 

timwcic

"Look what I found"
Well I am truly delighted. I joined this forum initially for the sole purpose of hone ID help - and it makes me quite happy if I can actually help others identify their stones.

That is a more unique one for sure. That and the fiddich stone I hunted for for some time before finding. Good score on that one. The Henk Bos writeups have some info if you are curious.

Fiddish River Stone is #1 on the hone bucket list. Been searching the fields for years looking for that marble like stone. When I see those lines, I be all over it. Found this hone when I was least expecting it. Henk #3 was very helpful in the ID
 
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timwcic

"Look what I found"
Which volume has the information on this stone type? I've got all four PDFs and could not locate the information.

Thanks much.

I don’t think it’s in there directly. I used the essays to help me with what it’s not and narrow down its identity. It was not with out the help of members here, I would still be staring at it
 

Legion

Staff member
I just finished lapping the dish out of my new Glanrafon. Man! That is a hard stone. Supposedly it is slate, but it’s like no slate I’ve ever lapped before. The Atoma wouldn’t touch it, except to smooth it at the end. Thank God for 60 grit SIC powder.

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I would lie to hear what you guys think of the Glanrafon as a hone. Beautiful stones, kind of a depth to their surface when wet.

I'm going to give mine another run this evening on a razor, which I haven't done for a while. My memory is that it was quite good, albeit very slow, and that I slightly preferred the Llyn Nantlle stone I was comparing it against. Though they were fairly similar tbh, and both completely useless for knives!
 
I really like mine for razors and anyone that likes a Charnley Forest edge they are very similar. Actually even though they are obviously not a CF (different material and location) and are a Welsh stone there are labeled versions Charley Forest Glanrafon Quarry.

I really like using Tam O Shanter slurry or Thuringian slurry on mine. I have a Glanrafon slurry stone, but these are really hard stones and not easy to slurry. I will sometimes use a light slurry of its own using the slurry stone and it is also nice. I seem to recall when I lapped them the thicker slurry was faster. Maybe Atoma slurry would work with knives. I need to test that. The lighting seems to give them more of green tint here not sure why. I added an outside shot for more color accurate.

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