not to hyjack the thread but i got some nice sedimentry stone the other say it was a mud stone and it gives the best finish on my knives like using a coarse stone because it still has bumps and needs to be lapped but finishes like a weird natural. i was told it was a mudstone that had been pressurised over the years to make it so hard and also some petrified wood stone. needs to be lapped to be used
Making a hone
- Thread starter xMackx
- Start date
Oh.... but aren't you a brave fellow! PM me your address when you get a chance.
Tasmania? Oh damn.... bet the shipping would be outrageous. By all means, post pics & let people know how it works.
- Thread starter
- #163
Those look really nice squared up like that. The first and the third from the left look the most beautiful out of the bunch. Least to me anyways. You're doing a great job Jeff. Tomarrow if I can I think I may take a hike where I know where a lot of different types of stone are. Also I'm thinking when i have the cash I'm going to invest in some diamond or carbide cutting discs for a die grinder. I found a dark blueish stone that feels and looks like it may make a good whetstone but it's not large enough. Keep up the good work fellas!
I have to say, Jeff, you have had some great offerings! I am hoping that you get all the feedback you are looking for from your experiment. That Candy Jasper sounds very interesting... no, all of the stones have sounded very interesting! I really have to get out and look for some slate/flagstone locally...
this thread is awesome.....
i picked up a piece of slate at lowes.... it is hard as hell to lap.... tomorrow i will have to use one of the belt sanders at work...
i have managed to lap one small piece and have finish honed a razor with it..... niceeeeeeeeeeee......
will post photos tomorrow of lapped slate....
i picked up a piece of slate at lowes.... it is hard as hell to lap.... tomorrow i will have to use one of the belt sanders at work...
i have managed to lap one small piece and have finish honed a razor with it..... niceeeeeeeeeeee......
will post photos tomorrow of lapped slate....
That sure as heck's isn't the same "slate" as I have! I actually would guess mine is closer to shale... Finishes like a 6K (American Standard) hone. Not quite good enough to shave with, but works fast. I look forward to seeing pictures so I can compare to what I have! It's amazing what you can pick up for a couple bucks if you know what to look for, isn't it?
- Thread starter
- #167
Welcome aboard Paco
... I'm really glad I made this thread here at B+B. I tried looking for stuff on hone making all over the net and came up with very very little. Tried getting others interested on other forums but everyone said why bother when you can just buy a hone. Just another reason I love Badger and Blade. I bet anyone looking to make their own whetstone will find more help and information here amongst our little group than searching the net. I know that because I have spent hours searching lol. This is turning into a long term project/experiment, and the more people with a D.I.Y. can do attitude the better! 
- Thread starter
- #168
Went to the one place where I know to find stones. Couldn't find many decent sized ones But I found several nice sample candidates that happen to be flat enough to try out on some pocket knives. The white rock I didn't notice until I got home has a shell fossil in it. I lucked out finding all the small flat ones because they were eroded by water and sand. I'll test some of them out today and tell you guys what results I get.
Attachments
Welcome aboard Paco
i spoke with you about how to make this hone over on another site.... lol.... really glad i found this thread here... you guys are doing awesome stuff here.....
the piece i have is like a "shale".... it is very flaky.... but it had a ~3square inch area of the darker stuff that when i lapped that piece the dark stuff polished like a mirror.... a sparkly mirror... that was very very fine and polished the edge well.... the "grayer" stuff cuts faster like you mention.. ~6kish.... when i get to work i am gonna lap the other piece i have and will post photos...
- Thread starter
- #171
The black slate that sparkles is what you are looking for as it is loaded with fine silica. All black slate whetstones I have seen have been really fine finishers. So if you can find that type of slate anywhere hop on it, as a lot of our hardware stones have different grades.
Greyer stuff vs. darker stuff... interesting. The chunk I have has color variation to it, so I will have to try honing on the whole thing, but only finishing on the darker stuff and see where that gets me. I have to say, NONE of my stuff will take a polish... they just won't! Still worth a try, seeing as how it's now a FREE experiment!
Stones are on their way. It's early enough that even delivery to "Da City" should be before Thanksgiving.
Yeah, it's a big relief having some basic cutting ability onhand. Picked up a cheapie saw from Harbor Freight and put a nice American blade on it. The stones themselves are dictating their own shapes due to their physical peculiarities. I broke the sharp edges along the sides on the honing surface on each one and the underside is untouched. They should be good to go as they are and with a surface for experimentation.
Indeed they are interesting and all are a little different from one another. That's been a bit of a surprise. They are all iterations of silicon dioxide, which is the same material as novaculite, but the arrangement of the crystaline structure varies and sometimes mixes in strange ways and layerings. It will be interesting to see what Gamma says. His is the strangest stone of the bunch to hone on.
Found something interesting for you:
http://www2.geo.ua.edu/map/
Looks like the link you need may not be working at this exact moment, but there's a lot of info there. Bet you can find chert nodules around the streams in the very least. God knows what else. The slate belt is probably a ways from you, but strange outcroppings can go undiscovered & undocumented. It isn't like state geologists literally walk every square foot when they are doing surveys. Good hunting! Wish I could join you.
Yeah, it's a big relief having some basic cutting ability onhand. Picked up a cheapie saw from Harbor Freight and put a nice American blade on it. The stones themselves are dictating their own shapes due to their physical peculiarities. I broke the sharp edges along the sides on the honing surface on each one and the underside is untouched. They should be good to go as they are and with a surface for experimentation.
Indeed they are interesting and all are a little different from one another. That's been a bit of a surprise. They are all iterations of silicon dioxide, which is the same material as novaculite, but the arrangement of the crystaline structure varies and sometimes mixes in strange ways and layerings. It will be interesting to see what Gamma says. His is the strangest stone of the bunch to hone on.
Found something interesting for you:
http://www2.geo.ua.edu/map/
Looks like the link you need may not be working at this exact moment, but there's a lot of info there. Bet you can find chert nodules around the streams in the very least. God knows what else. The slate belt is probably a ways from you, but strange outcroppings can go undiscovered & undocumented. It isn't like state geologists literally walk every square foot when they are doing surveys. Good hunting! Wish I could join you.
yeah... Well its a moot point... Trying to lap it it started flaking and i gave up.I will search at one of the local stone cabinet top makers.... I will be looking this coming week when i'm off work.....
Did a quick check. Looks like there is silicified wood in Florida as well as sandstones & such.
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/geology/geologictopics/rocks/silicified_wood.htm
No idea if there is anything near to Miami. I do know the "slate" from India (Home Depot & Lowes here) just didn't seem to work for me.
A piece of good old blue slate flagstone is what I would like to find.
hmmm.... gonna have to go huntin....
- Thread starter
- #177
One other note that I found is that You can buy blocks of novalcite for flint napping, thought that was interesting.
Where at Mack?
- Thread starter
- #179
Buy Novaculite by the pound, says to email them with your order if you want bigger peices. And it comes from Arkansas.
http://nativeway.safewebshop.com/heated_arkansas_novaculite.html
http://nativeway.safewebshop.com/heated_arkansas_novaculite.html
That's pretty interesting. If they can get small pieces, then why not large? If I didn't have more novaculite than I know what to do with I'd sure give 'em a call. Spoke with my lapidary yesterday about getting a large bench stone Lapped & polished. It is no hand job!
Meanwhile, I've learned a new rock name: Phyllite
Turns out the Finns have been using it for centuries and still quarry & sell it for that purpose. Guess they forgot the advertising budget. It's apparently a more metamorphosed slate. And wouldn't you know, I've had pieces in my hand on past rockhounding trips out here!
http://geology.about.com/od/more_metrocks/ig/phyllite.-CN2/phylliteslabs.htm
Oh, and I got another hunk of mystery stone but it is cut across the indicated grain. Can't really get it to do more than polish. Has very little cutting action. Very odd.
Edit: And a little more reading turned up a curious passage: In the Squaw Peak syncline, quartzite overlies metarhyolite. The quartzitemetarhyolite contact zone is characterized by a manganese-rich layer with Mn-andalusite, piemontite, Mn-chloritoid, spessartine garnet, and Zn-rich staurolite (Thorpe and Burt, 1978b).
If I stand on my roof, Sqaw peak is just miles away... Hmmmm. That's too easy.
Meanwhile, I've learned a new rock name: Phyllite
Turns out the Finns have been using it for centuries and still quarry & sell it for that purpose. Guess they forgot the advertising budget. It's apparently a more metamorphosed slate. And wouldn't you know, I've had pieces in my hand on past rockhounding trips out here!
http://geology.about.com/od/more_metrocks/ig/phyllite.-CN2/phylliteslabs.htm
Oh, and I got another hunk of mystery stone but it is cut across the indicated grain. Can't really get it to do more than polish. Has very little cutting action. Very odd.
Edit: And a little more reading turned up a curious passage: In the Squaw Peak syncline, quartzite overlies metarhyolite. The quartzitemetarhyolite contact zone is characterized by a manganese-rich layer with Mn-andalusite, piemontite, Mn-chloritoid, spessartine garnet, and Zn-rich staurolite (Thorpe and Burt, 1978b).
If I stand on my roof, Sqaw peak is just miles away... Hmmmm. That's too easy.
Last edited:
Similar threads
