Mystery hones... Let's see what you have
- Thread starter kcb5150
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@silverlifter You have a nice Karasu JNAT There. The Kanji on the side if translated may help you identify the mine or more about the stone. Here is mine for comparison:
Went to the estate sale of a retired barber yesterday and came home with a shoebox of rocks. These teardrop-shaped rocks were in the box. I can't scratch them with a fingernail, so that rules out talc and gypsum. They all have grooves in the sides, presumably to make them easy to hold when rubbing on another surface.
Any idea of what they are or why a barber would want them?
Any idea of what they are or why a barber would want them?
Strange shape, almost like they are some sort of slip stone for a particular tool.
Certainly could be. Internet photos of pumice stones look to have a lot more porosity than these, but then variability is a hallmark of natural stones.
You wouldn't try to slurry a coticule with pumice, right? That sounds like a horrible idea. It sounds like something that would get me banned from this forum.
It is also possible that they have no connection to barbering. Those teardrop-shaped mysteries may very well have landed in the shoebox with the coticules because that is where the estate sale organizers put them. There was a SiC stone and an AlOx stone in there. Maybe the shoebox was the default location for any stones on the property?
Do they float? From memory pumice floats on water?
Haha! Yeah - from the pieces of pumice I’ve felt there’s no way I’d use them to slurry something. And as you say they’re usually a little rougher / more porous than yours look. Though I guess if using on someone’s face you might want a smoother version that you’d use on feet...
Looks like Taylor’s of Old Bond Street still sell pumice, so I guess it’s the kind of thing that might’ve been in a barber’s arsenal:
Pumice Stone
Coarse pumice stone used for dry skin on hands and feet. International shipping options. International shipping options. FREE UK shipping options. Shop online today.
And I have once seen a piece cut into what looked like a whetstone shaped block, though it felt like it’d be pretty rubbish for sharpening, so I don’t actually know if that’s what it was for.
I don’t really know much more about how it was used tbh, apart from this interesting little fact from Griswold 1890:
When Washita stones were sold new, it was the pure white ones that were regarded as the best quality. And that didn’t escape Pike-Norton; who sold their stones uniformly bright white, and almost soft to the touch... by coating them in pumice powder.
I have a NOS Norton Lily White, which I’ll snap a pic of in a minute. It doesn’t really look like a Washita so much as a piece of chalk.
Here we go fwiw... pumice on a 5x2 LW Washita, No.1s would have looked identical:
I have used one side of this stone once (cos you kinda want to know what a brand new LW was like!), and after just a couple of mins you can already start to see what the stone actually looks like underneath:
I have used one side of this stone once (cos you kinda want to know what a brand new LW was like!), and after just a couple of mins you can already start to see what the stone actually looks like underneath:
I'm not sure I ever knew that, let alone remember it.
You have nailed it! This stuff definitely floats. I don't know if other rocks might float, but these do.
Haha! Yeah - from the pieces of pumice I’ve felt there’s no way I’d use them to slurry something. And as you say they’re usually a little rougher / more porous than yours look. Though I guess if using on someone’s face you might want a smoother version that you’d use on feet...
Looks like Taylor’s of Old Bond Street still sell pumice, so I guess it’s the kind of thing that might’ve been in a barber’s arsenal:
Pumice Stone
Coarse pumice stone used for dry skin on hands and feet. International shipping options. International shipping options. FREE UK shipping options. Shop online today.www.tayloroldbondst.co.uk
And I have once seen a piece cut into what looked like a whetstone shaped block, though it felt like it’d be pretty rubbish for sharpening, so I don’t actually know if that’s what it was for.
I don’t really know much more about how it was used tbh, apart from this interesting little fact from Griswold 1890:
When Washita stones were sold new, it was the pure white ones that were regarded as the best quality. And that didn’t escape Pike-Norton; who sold their stones uniformly bright white, and almost soft to the touch... by coating them in pumice powder.
I have a NOS Norton Lily White, which I’ll snap a pic of in a minute. It doesn’t really look like a Washita so much as a piece of chalk.
I had forgotten about Griswold's words about washita 'cleaning' with pumice. He really didn't like that practice.
Nice LWW!
So, you can't start to see the 'pepper' until the pumice is ejected with the swarf. Interesting!
That also explains the initial appearance of a NOS circa-2000 Norton soft/fine that I've got. I seem to think others have mentioned a chalky appearance to some of their stones. Pumice!
Mrs. Scandalous is of the opinion that they would be used on fabric, to prep for dyeing or even just for laundry.
I love reading this thread. I have been using straight razors for quite a few years, all my stones have been bought knowing what they are. Only now am I looking at vintage stones, with absolutely no clue what I am looking at 
you gents on here are absolutely superb the way you discuss each stone and try to work out what it is, a big 
to you all.
you gents on here are absolutely superb the way you discuss each stone and try to work out what it is, a big to you all.Give Mrs. Scandalous a hug on my behalf. That bit of information is consistent with the contents of about a third of the basement at the estate sale. Many things associated with fabrics and garment-making were in there.
Will do, sir. Glad to help solve a small mystery.
Yeah I was a little surprised when I first received that LW... it was a random cheap (and very lucky) find on Facebook of all places, and I assumed the pictures were just massively overexposed. But then opening it up it was just pure bright white, clearly never touched, and then put two and two together after re-reading Griswold one day.
Your cotis that you got with those pieces of fabric pumice look awesome btw. Couple of properly thick slabs, and rather pretty as well
.Your cotis that you got with those pieces of fabric pumice look awesome btw. Couple of properly thick slabs, and rather pretty as well
Thank you.
I should have done something productive with those two this weekend, but the time just flew by.
I must have been having fun. I'll ask my wife. She'll know.
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