Lynn Idwal thread

[SliceOfLife]

So I've got a couple Lynn Idwals around, and have owned maybe 10 or 12 over the years. Never been especially thrilled with them. This one that just arrived will hopefully prove to be an exception.

Appears to have been used with water, so I'm continuing that. It feels a lot like a soft charnley, but not quite so soft, and finer. Feedback is pre-school tier. Super easy to read. Not especially fast... which makes me hopeful that it's fine enough to be a good finisher... but shave test will tell.

Roughly 9x2"

 

[SliceOfLife]

Shave was alright. Definitely not any reason to use it over Thuri/PDSO though... so I'll try it with a knife next.

 

[eKretz]

Yeah good luck. I've been through a fair few of these and not really found any that were super for razor finishing use. Some can be super fast with a diamond plate slurry for an intermediate razor step though.

 

[timwcic]

This stone that I am fairly certain is a LI lives in my bakers dozen of top finishers. The funny thing is I almost did not buy. It is so big I did not want to carry the poundage around a flea market. Luckily HAD won the day. A beast measuring 14 x 2 1/4 x 1 inch thick. It was 1 1/4 thick at time of rescue but lost the extra thickness removing years of damage. Strangely has vertical and horizontal holes drilled into the ends. It, at one time my have been the star of a sharpening/honing device, but if so, that is long gone. The stone itself is medium hard, very fine and slow during use. It is also a easy to use, low learning curve hone. I like the long runway for lengthy, slow strokes. I get the best edge using light oil, not as keen using water. Using water with glycerin or glycol at 2-1 or 1-1 preforms almost equal to oil. The stone is too worthy to be homeless so I made a deco style case for it to live in

 

[SliceOfLife]

Nice stone, that's massive. Maybe I'll try a thin oil on this and clean it off just after. Quite liked it with water for my knife though. Gave a nice edge and had good feedback. Again really similar to my Soft Charnley but a little harder, slower and finer.

 

[LJS]

This stone that I am fairly certain is a LI lives in my bakers dozen of top finishers.

Nice looking stone. Looks a lot more like Vermont slate to me than LI, but I am no expert.

 

[kcb5150]

The glanrafon branded ones (assuming they are some derivative of idwals) finish razors fine.. Just need to make sure there's no yellow in those. I have one now that looks just like one I had but harder and no yellow.

 

[kcb5150]

But then some ppl see those and say they look like grecians..

 

[permafrost]

Excellent stones for knives, recently sharpened a kitchen knife on it. Gives a very aggressive edge.

 

[timwcic]

I was on the fence about this being a Llyn Idwal or Charnwood but I am leaning toward LI due to the cleave ripout on the bottom. Measures in at 7 3/8 x 1 5/8, harder that a Coticule but not as hard as Novaculite. Was glued into a wood base with that nasty English red glue/cement. Striking pattern to the surface and the parallel diagonal lines are not scratches, they are in the stone. Using oil, polished a smooth, keen edge, although the bevel did look unpolished. Definitely a razor grade stone and nice add to my green UK collection

 

[Empire straights]

I had trouble with mine, and didn't like it at first(same with the thuri). I keep hearing most aren't razor stones so I assumed it was an upper midrange, even though it felt glassy. I got frustrated it was dulling everything, even with no pressure until I realize that it was way finer than I figured and it was good for like post trans ark. I like it more, it looks awesome and my favorite color.

 

[cotedupy]

I have a little 5x2 Idwal / Grecian slip, which I mounted by shoving a load of wood shavings under so it was level, and then flooding with epoxy. It's a very good knife stone; not quick, but not tediously slow, leaving fine but aggressive edges when used with pressure. I've never tried it for razors, but perhaps I shall.

Can anyone tell me if there's any accepted distinction between Idwal and Grecian stones? I got this as part of a job lot, from someone who knew a bit about stones and described it as a 'Grecian'. Though there doesn't seem to be a massive amount of consensus whether the two are synonymous, or whether Grecians are a particular type of Idwal...

 

[rideon66]

This one has perplexed me since I got it. Super hard like Atoma 600 worn won't slurry it for awhile. I for some reason feel like it is a schist type slate. The main guesses are Slate or Lynn Idwal of some type at 10" X 2 3/4".

 

[Empire straights]

I have a little 5x2 Idwal / Grecian slip, which I mounted by shoving a load of wood shavings under so it was level, and then flooding with epoxy. It's a very good knife stone; not quick, but not tediously slow, leaving fine but aggressive edges when used with pressure. I've never tried it for razors, but perhaps I shall.

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Can anyone tell me if there's any accepted distinction between Idwal and Grecian stones? I got this as part of a job lot, from someone who knew a bit about stones and described it as a 'Grecian'. Though there doesn't seem to be a massive amount of consensus whether the two are synonymous, or whether Grecians are a particular type of Idwal...

I've noticed the insane amount of difference a little pressure will make for the edge. The longer I have mine the more I love it. I love my LI.