Purchase of a Mystery Stone

[Lyon Heart]

Yesterday, I went into a countryside antique store and asked the owner if she had any whetstones. I enjoy looking around for the occasional straight razor or hone. She pulled out from behind the cash register a fully painted 8" X 1 3/4" X 1 1/4" stone saying this was my grandfather's sharpening stone for his razors. It's very good but she hadn't researched it yet.

I was a little bewildered. It had all 6 sides painted, what they heck did she think she was going to research that would tell her what it is and what price to ask.

I knew her from years past and I was perfectly happy to pay her $20 CAD for this unknown stone, but then she wanted $40. I could see that it appears to be a natural stone, the few scratches showed a creamy fine grain and the sides have bands that resemble wood grain. The creamy stone looks like Belgian Blonde Cuticole but the grains on the side made me recall something about Thurigan or Indiana Hindostone being formed in layers and showing these bands.

I have no idea what this stone is. I guess I'm looking for input, best guesses and advice before I start stripping off the paint. My inclination is to put it on a diamond plate and re-flatten its flat surface and give it a try on a razor. I'm also thinking of flattening one side to have a look at those bands or all 6 sides unless there is a reason that I should preserve the paint. I'm also wondering why the heck someone would paint the whole stone.

I'm not worried about the price or value. The entertainment in trying this out and getting back to her with information on her grandfather's stone would be worth the $40.

 

[Legion]

It is probably not paint. Probably "fossilised" old motor oil. Throw it in a pot of Simple Green and see what happens.

From the bit of stone I can see peeking out I'm going to guess Washita.

 

[duke762]

I believe Canada has a stone very similar to a Hindustan. I can't think of the name..... +1 on fossilized motor oil, we really need to see more stone to identify it better. I love mystery hones!

 

[abies]

Just out of curiosity, why would it be painted or covered in oil? Not skeptical, just curious.

 

[Legion]

Just out of curiosity, why would it be painted or covered in oil? Not skeptical, just curious.

Because back in the day people didn't care about cleaning stuff like that. It's most likely not a razor stone. It is most likely a stone that lived in the shed for honing knives and tools. People used whatever oil was handy and within reach, then just put the stone away when they were finished.

 

[Legion]

BTW, to the OP, do not believe ANYTHING people in antique stores tell you.

You were shopping for razors, so now the crusty old stone she has was her grandfathers razor stone. She doesn't know what it is, but it's very good. And somehow knew it was worth exactly double what you offered?

Give me a break.

Those people rank somewhere behind used car salesmen and politicians.

 

[HellGuapo]

I’d say that is likely a very oily Hindostan, maybe washita. I’ve had both that looked similar before a simple green bath. If he was a painter, he’d have signed it.
<edit>
This stone looked almost exactly like that before simple green

 

[LJS]

It is old oil and swarf and funk but it might as well be painted. It is surprising what comes out of a soak in degreaser. Clean it up and you may get more definitive identification.

 

[kcb5150]

It's either a washita or one of those layered canadian sandstones that looks like a washita. It's likely a tool grade stone and that is ancient oil. It needs to go in a sealed tub of straight simple green for a few days to sweat out the ancient oil. If you pad $40 it's more or less the going rate for a stone of this type lapped and without damage unless it is just huge so at least you were not ripped off. And yes, take anything an antiques dealer says with a HUGE grain of salt... It could have come out of a shed she picked 5 years ago, or anywhere, really.

 

[SliceOfLife]

Yes Id guess Hindostan or similar layered sandstone from the pic.

 

[Lyon Heart]

Being a bit impatient, I gave it 2 hours in the Simple Green before cleaning it off and having a look at it. I'm assuming that if I give it a night in the solution that it will become a bit cleaner. I put the flat surface on a 600 Diamond plat to get a sense of how flat it is. I couldn't understand why the edges or ends weren't wearing clean until I scribbled a pencil up and down it and gave it another rub. All the pencil lines disappeared and I realize that it is perfectly flat.(nice surprise)

Here are a few pics.

 

[Legion]

View attachment 1871667


Being a bit impatient, I gave it 2 hours in the Simple Green before cleaning it off and having a look at it. I'm assuming that if I give it a night in the solution that it will become a bit cleaner. I put the flat surface on a 600 Diamond plat to get a sense of how flat it is. I couldn't understand why the edges or ends weren't wearing clean until I scribbled a pencil up and down it and gave it another rub. All the pencil lines disappeared and I realize that it is perfectly flat.(nice surprise)

Here are a few pics.


View attachment 1871668View attachment 1871666

Yep, that’s sandstone. I’m surprised how clean you got it so quickly.

 

[Alum of Potash]

All roads do seem to point towards Hindostan. I’m curious about that conspicuous blue layer.

Simple Green is strong stuff as to clean-up. Wish it was available in France.

 

[HellGuapo]

It is a nice looking stone. The layers are not as evenly spaced as my few Hindostans, but the books say the spacing can vary pretty widely. One of mine has a group of layers that is very thin, otherwise the rest of the stone is pretty uniform in spacing. I can’t wait to see it after more soaking. I have a white Hindostan that I spent months soaking, and I have given up trying to get it all the way clean. One thing that I found, and this is only my experience, is that letting the stone bake in the sun between soaks, and doing water soaks in between clean SG soaks, the oil migrates to the surface, allowing the degreaser of choice to work more effectively. I also dilute from full strength for the first few soaks to mostly water by the end. Nobody needs to be this obsessive

 

[LJS]

Yep, hindostan for sure.

 

[duke762]

Slice, I found an old post you made about Magog stones. Weren't those mined in Canada? Examples I've seen pictures of really resemble this stone in band width and coloring....but I'm color blind.... Interchangeable in my book as far as use and capabilities. I think I have a 6" very similar but different than my Hindos.
YMMV

 

[Lyon Heart]

I've given the stone an overnight soaking and scrubbing. I am buying into HellGuapo's concept of sticking it in the sun and maybe over time it will leach out another layer of oil, so I'll give it another soaking a month from now.

This is a very hard stone and I can now see that the parts of the surface that connected to the 600 diamond plate have taken on a reflective sheen.

I didn't challenge anyone's suggestion that antique dealers tend to lie. However this antique dealer is the grand-daughter of a farmer next to my grandfather's farm. It was after a bit of a chat about the Sherbrooke farms and family connections that she pulled out the stone and the stone was labelled "Razor Stone". This is relevant because those farms were in Saint-Elie-D'Orford which is the Magog side of Sherbrooke. A 20km drive from Magog and 48kms from Isle Whetstone where Magog stones were quarried.

While I would be absolutely happy to confirm that this stone is a Hindostan, I would be very interested in seeing a decent picture of a Magog Stone. Part of my original thinking was "How the heck would those old farmers in the hills of Quebec get there hands on a Hindostan and why?". The idea that they had a stone from the local quarry sounds more plausible.

I am from the area, so I will make a point of looking in a few Magog/Fitch-bay antique stores for old stones.

 

[cotedupy]

It's either a washita or one of those layered canadian sandstones that looks like a washita.

Slice, I found an old post you made about Magog stones. Weren't those mined in Canada?

I dunno if the Magog stone has ever been properly identified, from memory @Alum of Potash has done quite of lot research into it, and might be able to explain further...

There are things called 'Canada Oilstones' though, like this one of mine:

Which if it isn't a Hindostan, is certainly doing a spectacularly good impersonation of one. I think it is a Hindostan though. These 'Canada Oilstones' seem mostly to pop up in the UK, and I think the reason for the name change is this:

 

[cotedupy]

I dunno if the Magog stone has ever been properly identified, from memory @Alum of Potash has done quite of lot research into it, and might be able to explain further...

There are things called 'Canada Oilstones' though, like this one of mine:

View attachment 1872066


Which if it isn't a Hindostan, is certainly doing a spectacularly good impersonation of one. I think it is a Hindostan though. These 'Canada Oilstones' seem mostly to pop up in the UK, and I think the reason for the name change is this:


View attachment 1872065
View attachment 1872064

And if that is the case then it's almost certain that the East India Company, in trying to protect their interests, were directly responsible for the naming of the 'Canada Oilstone'.

In a similar, but kinda opposite, way that the other great trading company of the British Empire - the Levant (or Turkey) Company - were almost certainly the reason for the naming of the 'Turkish Oilstone'.

 

[kcb5150]

I think that magog quarry is underwater nowadays. To be honest, hindos were probably not a great proposition to import as they are so ridiculously variable. Like even worse than charnley forests... People back then must have considered arks a godsend.