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Post your local/flea market stone scores. (There's none left. Tim found them all.)

timwcic

"Look what I found"
A return trip to last weeks estate sale yielded these beauties. A 4x2, 6x2, and 6x3 hard Arks. The 6x2 trans is in an old Norton labeled oak box. The 4” looks unused and the larger 6” is well used. The forth is a mystery stone, 2x1.5x7 inches. It is a hard, dense, heavy, high grit stone that is maroon red/brown color. It looks and feels like Novaculite but the size and color is something I have never encountered before in a Ark. Has some cracking that goes in different directions, not parallel. This fifth one is a strange mystery to the seller and myself. Two thin unknown slices of something epoxied to a piece of wood. Came from the estate of a watchmaker. Watchmakers have the strangest, coolest tools. A straight edge says that the surfaces are lapped together in the same plain. They have almost no sensation of grit. I was going to pass on it but seller told me to take it so as to keep the collection together. Told him I would give them all a good home

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Cool finds. Thats nice looking stones, congratulations!
Just got myself my first ark aswell, coinsidentally from a watchmaker. It is a small vintage pike hone a hard white translusive. Took like forever to flatten, hard little stone. Going to try a razor on it but have too read up a bit on them. Posting pictures soon.
 

timwcic

"Look what I found"
Thanks Gents

Cool finds. Thats nice looking stones, congratulations!
Just got myself my first ark aswell, coinsidentally from a watchmaker. It is a small vintage pike hone a hard white translusive. Took like forever to flatten, hard little stone. Going to try a razor on it but have too read up a bit on them. Posting pictures soon.

You can sure break out in a sweat lapping a hard Ark. It is a tough stone

the little stones may be touch stones you rub a precious metal on it and test with acid to tell the karat

We thought that might be the case but a lot of work for a rub stone. Coincidentally, a few years ago I got a 9” Coticule from a “we buy gold” guy who wanted a smaller rub stone. I gladly took it off his hands
 

timwcic

"Look what I found"
I've been hoping to find something worthy of posting here for a few years, but it seems that the best stone i've found was from a local sales site, so i hope that doesn't disqualify me. It was included in a lot, 4 stones and 5 straights plus oddities.

YEAH BABY!!! THURI GOODNESS!!!

And some good steel ain’t too bad either
 

David

B&B’s Champion Corn Shucker
I've been hoping to find something worthy of posting here for a few years, but it seems that the best stone i've found was from a local sales site, so i hope that doesn't disqualify me. It was included in a lot, 4 stones and 5 straights plus oddities.
Your stone is giving me the evil eye in the second picture.
 
I've been hoping to find something worthy of posting here for a few years, but it seems that the best stone i've found was from a local sales site, so i hope that doesn't disqualify me. It was included in a lot, 4 stones and 5 straights plus oddities.
One silly question though, are these pics good enough to identify the stone type? The one that i had is a "suspected Thuri" which is in the background of the last picture and it's dark blue and harder than my new one i think. the color is very homogenous with no variations or strata visible. The new one, let's name it winky...has variations that are visible, more so when it is wet. They show up in the second picture. I'm guessing blue/green, so it should produce a moderately keener edge than a dark blue if that is true?
 
Comparing the stone to "the genuine water hone" i found a couple of weeks ago, it's surprising how many small differences there are. The Celebrated feels smoother, has less feedback, and the water beads on the surface in larger balls of water, leaving more surface dry.
 

timwcic

"Look what I found"
Some farm fresh pickens from this weekend. Markets have been slow lately but this is a nice turnaround. A 8” soft ark, a 7” Washita-India combo stone and a 7” coticule. The soft is labeled but sure looks Washita. Don’t normally post B-hones but these two are nice. A Shapleigh Hardware Diamond King in the aluminum case and a Carl Monkhouse C-Mon hone. The C-Mon I believe is from the American Hone Company. It is the dual, this side first, this side second feature and has its directions for use inside the box

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David

B&B’s Champion Corn Shucker
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Excellent finds, Tim. I have a Soft/India combo that I keep with my camping gear and have found that it is one of the most practical stones that I own. Ian is right you don’t see very many. Mine doesn’t have a label but is stamped.
 

timwcic

"Look what I found"
Don't see many glued india washita combos. Neat.

View attachment 976474 Excellent finds, Tim. I have a Soft/India combo that I keep with my camping gear and have found that it is one of the most practical stones that I own. Ian is right you don’t see very many. Mine doesn’t have a label but is stamped.

Thanks Guys. It’s funny, I almost did not buy the combo. It is in a box covered with black tape. When I first looked at it all I saw was India stone. It was not until later that I took it out to see how fine the India is and then I saw the Ark. In my bag it went. The label is ready to fall off. Will carefully remove and give it a good cleaning
 

timwcic

"Look what I found"
Life has been frantic and stressful for the last couple of weeks while traveling. With that, I still find the time for a new flea market to try my luck. And a wee bit of luck and and some new stones I found. A 4” Washita, a 4” and 5” trans Ark, a very handsome 7” Coticule. I usually pass on waterstones, I see Kings all the time. But for the first time, a minty looking vintage Suehiro Deluxe 6k with wood base went in my bag. A little less stress for a few hours

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timwcic

"Look what I found"
Thanks David @Dcaddo It is one of the reasons it went into my bag. Glued to a unusual shaped base. It also provenance to a past owner autographed in the bottom. Seller had no idea who the owner was

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