Pennsylvanian Whetstones
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Really, really cool!
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- #63
That is very neat, looks like very large gems.
Just realized i have no frame of reference in that photo. That rock is roughly 2x1x1. It is also very soft, i can flack it apart by hand. That area historically had almandine garnets so they should react to a magnet.
Trying out some sandstone and some kind of iron rich shale. Still got a lot of lapping to do on the shale. In hindsight, should have separated the light and dark parts of the sandstone. Lighter side is much softer. Next time i am literally standing on tons of it right now.
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- #66
@Pack line That sandstone looks so coarse and hard, but if the soft part sheds grit then maybe that would be a cool low grit stone for garden tools or something. There's an application for any type of stone.
I'm more interested in that iron rich shale!
I'm more interested in that iron rich shale!
Both sides seem promising as far as i can tell but there seems to be a toxic line between them. Gotta find a better sample to cut.
That shale is gonna take a while to lap. But there is definitely layers of rust on it.
I have 10-15 boulders of the sandstone to play with and at least one boulder of shale. Maybe i can cut a natural combo of the sandstone
Just got back from my in-laws in NEPA. Wish i had some tools with me. Came across something i wanted to take home. The bottom rock is bigger the 1 square yard. Square meter for the rest of the world. I seem to have a thing for sandstone lately. Probably because most of my Pa stones are in the mid range so i have an eye out for coarse stones and finishers. It has some nice layering. I don't think they are going anywhere so next time i will bring a hammer and chisel.
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All of these stones i have around got me thinking. I have a tanto that i made many years ago that needs some attention. Needs a little reprofiling and polishing. I could buy a full progression of japanese stone, but that most likely will end in divorce. Why not use what i have collected. That started life as a front coil spring in a 1968 chevy camaro. It was clay hardened but very hard to see the hamon the way it is polished. Used sandpaper for the course work then those synthetic nagura water stones and finally a buffer, i think, it was around 10 years ago. I might be insane but would be an interesting way to evaluate some of the local stones i have found.
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- #71
The PA stones I've found are terrific at bringing out the contrast in kasumi finishes, so I look forward to your results. I have a wakizashi that needs polishing, we should compare results.
i know we both have an abundance of free time....
Finally got my hands on a reasonable size piece of west mountain paver. Comes from a quarry in north east pa, i think they also quarry bluestone. Can't wait to cut it up.
The second is a rock i literally found on the ground today. Could suck but it reminds me of something.
The second is a rock i literally found on the ground today. Could suck but it reminds me of something.
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Looks like one side is slate and the other sandstone. You could have a combo with an amazing range right there if you're lucky!
Probably lap it today. Too bad it is only 3x3x3/8 inch
Yeah a bigger splash would be nice but 3"x3" is big enough to hone a razor or pocket knife.
Finally got a little time with a saw. I seem to have a knack for finding quartz/chert/jasper, not really sure what it is but it is hard as hell to cut. Rocks in the photo are some of the more promising stone, not quartz. Looks like i have a lapping session in my future.
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Layered sedimentary stone, hard, other then that no idea what it is. Cream colored slurry that turns gray as soon as you start honing. Then just gets darker. Whatever it is, it is very abrasive and really good at suspending steel particles.
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- #79
I really like the look of that darkened slurry. Would you say it's a medium grit stone?
Seems lower mid range with slurry, but finer with just water. Slurry gets dark quick. Going back to look another one next week. Luckily i remember where i found it. Might have found the first stone i am going to use to polish a tanto i made a while back. Pics are from before the last lapping.
