Pop quiz, what is this hone?

[BakerAndBadger]

Ok, spotted two hones and was wondering if you experts can help identify. I think one might be a dirty lily white washita but not sure about the other. If I'm right about the lily white is it any good for a straight? F As always thanks for your thoughts!

 

[BakerAndBadger]

More info, what I think is a lily white is 6" by 2" and the other is 9" be 2"2/8

 

[SliceOfLife]

I'd agree the first is probably a washita. Not sure about the second, I'd guess a low grit synth but can't be sure. Too much oil. It appears in the last pic to be two sided, but it could just be an oil-line from being in a box.

 

[BakerAndBadger]

Cheers Ian. I'll keep away from the second one then. Ever try a lily white for a straight? I did hear that they were more often used for wood working tools rather than straights.

 

[SliceOfLife]

I've tried them, but unless you use quite a bit of pressure, their speed is really wasted. I prefer synths or coti's at that grit range. I suspect they'd work quite well with wedge grinds, but these days I'm almost exclusively using full hollows.

 

[PapaFish]

Hard to say exactly what those stones are. I agree the second one looks synthetic, but could be mistaken. Washitas (to the best of my knowledge) came in 2"x6", 2"x7", and 2"x8", so the 9" stone wouldn't be a Lily White. I have a Lily White and like it a lot. It's not a great finishing stone, but does good filling the gap between 1200 grit and 12,000 grit. I **can** shave off it, and with a pasted balsa strop I can get a usable to good edge, but following the Lily White with my C12K seems to be where it is . If the first stone is a Lily White, you can expect it to finish in the 7K range. I find it to work quickly, but my other stones are notoriously slow...
One caution: Lily White's were the best of the Washita stones, and the only ones that were waranted to be good for using on straights and other fine cutting tools. The #1 Washita had imperfections, but usually had one usable side. The #2 Washita would not be good for straights due to imperfections throughout. SO, even if the stone turned out to be a Washita, it may not be a Lily White. Lily Whites were graded by experts, and I my friend, am no expert .

 

[BakerAndBadger]

Cheers Papa, like I said the one I think is a lily is 6x2 but dont know if it's worth the punt. Got my eye on another coti so may just stick to what I know a little about.

 

[PapaFish]

I know what you mean about it maybe not being worth the cost. I have found numerous old stones that I can't figure out what they are. They are caked in oil and dirt and normally terribly warped. They would require LOTS of time and 220 grit W/D to get to the point that I could even test them. Plus, they normally have a price on them that makes me say "I can get a good stone (one I KNOW is good) for just a little more than that".

 

[BakerAndBadger]

Yeah, currently have m eye on coti number 3. It's a funny shape, vintage and 7 inches by 1 inch and seems to be a combo. Don't know if it's natural yet but if I win Ill post it here!