Slurry stone promoted to finishing hone

[bmiller3230]

So, I've given one of my slurry stones the elevated title of "Hone". Every base stone I've used it on has been elevated in performance. It's both fine and fast. I just used it to put a final finish on a blade and it has that "it can't cut you" comfort, but wipes hair away like a windshield wiper wiping off rain from a windshield.

This is my setup for the near future left to right.

My 6 X 2 La Veinette Select Plus from Ardennes
Unkown slurry stone, but it's also fine and fast and works well with the LV
La Petite Blanche slurry stone (elevated to finishing stone)
La Petite Blanche side view. Those striations and other characteristics are why I think its LPB
The test razor in question. A Dovo Barbarossa full hollow square point. (a short barber's razor for us bearded ones)

Love this setup.

 

[Legion]

So, I've given one of my slurry stones the elevated title of "Hone". Every base stone I've used it on has been elevated in performance. It's both fine and fast. I just used it to put a final finish on a blade and it has that "it can't cut you" comfort, but wipes hair away like a windshield wiper wiping off rain from a windshield.

This is my setup for the near future left to right.

My 6 X 2 La Veinette Select Plus from Ardennes
Unkown slurry stone, but it's also fine and fast and works well with the LV
La Petite Blanche slurry stone (elevated to finishing stone)
La Petite Blanche side view. Those striations and other characteristics are why I think its LPB
The test razor in question. A Dovo Barbarossa full hollow square point. (a short barber's razor for us bearded ones)

Love this setup.

View attachment 1749144View attachment 1749145

I'm not sure that is a LPB. It could be, but the surface looks different to all the ones I've owned, and all mine have been natural combos. I don't think I can recall ever seeing LPB glued to slate (but maybe they exist).

 

[bmiller3230]

It might not be. I was going by the swirling blue striations. Whatever it is, I'd like a #10 bout of it. I think the other edge shows the swirls better. The surface and color do look like my LV, but it's quite a bit finer and faster

 

[bmiller3230]

here are the swirls

 

[Legion]

here are the swirls

View attachment 1749148

I'm not sure what that is, but I just was going through the Henk Bos writing on them and pulled this on LPB

Definition
It is one of the narrow layers and therefore always a natural combo with BBW. La Petite Blanche is a harder but very fast stone and gives a milky white grinding paste. The stone is usually homogeneously colored and occurs mainly as a natural combination stone. The thickness of the Coticule layer ranges from 3 to 6 mm. Thicker stones are rare. Recognizable by a thin gray Chlorite / Quartz layer in the transition between the Coticule and BBW.

If you haven't read that it is a pretty great article with lots of pictures for reference.

https://bosq.home.xs4all.nl/info%2020m/grinding_and_honing_part_4_belgian_whetstones.pdf

 

[bmiller3230]

What do you think it is then? Because I'm in shopping mode for more of this and I happen to have a little extra $$

 

[bmiller3230]

But as far as the descriptions of "always attached to bbw"? Does that still apply? You can't buy it from Ardennes anymore, at least not on their website

 

[bmiller3230]

I was going by the description here:

Coticule Belgium Whetstone - Natural Whetstones

An overview of the Belgian coticule whetstone and associated attributes and veins of the stone itself. Visual descriptions and use cases.

naturalwhetstones.com

"A pale creamy color with no surface pattern. A very characteristic intermingling of blue and cream at the edge of the BBW line, a light mixing or churning of the two"

Looks like churning to me, and I don't think I've seen that description of any other veins. Certainly not LV or LG, which is most of my experience

 

[Legion]

I was going by the description here:

Coticule Belgium Whetstone - Natural Whetstones

An overview of the Belgian coticule whetstone and associated attributes and veins of the stone itself. Visual descriptions and use cases.

naturalwhetstones.com

"A pale creamy color with no surface pattern. A very characteristic intermingling of blue and cream at the edge of the BBW line, a light mixing or churning of the two"

Looks like churning to me, and I don't think I've seen that description of any other veins. Certainly not LV or LG, which is most of my experience

That site also says "One of the narrow layers of coticule and always a natural combo with BBW", which has always been the way with the ones I've seen and owned.

It might be a La Grise? I've seen some pics of those with some swirling in the sides, and they are often slate bonded. And the surface of those looks more like your stone that a LPB.

Edit; Actually it could be a Les Lat. You usually see those as a combo with a hybrid layer, but I just read they came slate bonded as well.

 

[bmiller3230]

No--I own about 7 La Grise and all but one are natural hybrids. Its always a gradual, kind of hazy transition to the BBW, and they are all kind of a wood like almost beige/light olive color grain. And they are all really slow. La Gise, it ain't.

I only have one Les Lat and a few Les Lat slurry stones. But I can't imagine them putting Les Lat on slate. People want that pretty hybrid side.

Plus, the coticule side of my Les Lat doesn't have the finishing qualities of this one.

Oh, well. It will remain a mystery until I see one, then I'll know it and buy it, and life will be all that much better.

But, the current setup has me set pretty well, I think, for my current needs

 

[Legion]

No--I own about 7 La Grise and all but one are natural hybrids. Its always a gradual, kind of hazy transition to the BBW, and they are all kind of a wood like almost beige/light olive color grain. And they are all really slow. La Gise, it ain't.

I only have one Les Lat and a few Les Lat slurry stones. But I can't imagine them putting Les Lat on slate. People want that pretty hybrid side.

Plus, the coticule side of my Les Lat doesn't have the finishing qualities of this one.

Oh, well. It will remain a mystery until I see one, then I'll know it and buy it, and life will be all that much better.

But, the current setup has me set pretty well, I think, for my current needs

Hard to say, but apparently the Les lat consists of two slightly different coticule layers with the hybrid layer sandwiched inbetween. But sometimes they got thicker sections of one of the coticule layers, and those got slate bonded, as it was the side away from the hybrid bit.

But I am just repeating info I read, I don't have examples myself, so take that for what it is worth.

 

[marv]

@

I'm not sure that is a LPB. It could be, but the surface looks different to all the ones I've owned, and all mine have been natural combos. I don't think I can recall ever seeing LPB glued to slate (but maybe they exist).

We will see more...If you had seen the stones that Ardennes sells these days as La Veinette a few years ago, would you have classified them as La Veinette?

Ardennes likes to give old popular names to each new useful layer it finds...

 

[Legion]

@

We will see more...If you had seen the stones that Ardennes sells these days as La Veinette a few years ago, would you have classified them as La Veinette?

Ardennes likes to give old popular names to each new useful layer it finds...

Yeah, fair point. I always assumed the name La Veinette is descriptive, and referred to that thin little vein of coticule that runs through the BBW side of those natural combos. If it is a modern stone that has been bonded to slate.... Then I guess there is a bit of trust involved when we are going to happily go with that is the same stone as the vintage ones.

 

[David]

But I can't imagine them putting Les Lat on slate. People want that pretty hybrid side.

I’ve seen a lot of LL yellow glued to slate, and quite a few LL hybrid glued to slate. True, when guys mention Les Lat they usually have the hybrid side in mind, and for good reason, but the yellow side can be incredible as well.

 

[timwcic]

But I can't imagine them putting Les Lat on slate. People want that pretty hybrid side.

In the good old days, Les Lat did not have the same appreciation standing that it holds today and were glued down to a backer. I had to lap thru a few mm of brutally hard stone to get to this beauty

 

[Wid]

I've pretty much given up and vein naming unless it comes labeled or if Rob or Maurice gives it a name. I've bought a few stones that the seller claims this or that vein and they normally do have the characteristics of said stone but some I’m not sure of.

Just my opinion but that doesn’t look like a lpb to me either.

 

[David]

I've pretty much given up and vein naming unless it comes labeled or if Rob or Maurice gives it a name.

Agreed, 100 percent.

 

[SliceOfLife]

Yeah my first thought was "probably a LL yellow" from the side look...

And yes, it was the practice back in the day to glue down the hybrid and use the yellow... less so these days, but that hybrid (if that's what it is) looks kind of swirled up in the yellow layer, so I'm guessing they couldn't get a clean piece of LL and when they realized that, flipped it, glued it and sold it.

Honestly that looks like the hybrid layer got ultra thin and you've got almost a sandwich of both yellow layers with a wisp of hybrid, glued to a back.

 

[bmiller3230]

Interesting. Never would have guessed Les Lat. But, I only have a couple of examples to compare it to (one small hone and a couple of slurry stones) and those look like they could be cut from the same block.

 

[bmiller3230]

I'm going to have to give that little LL hybrid hone I have another look too I guess. I do know I don't like edges off the hybrid side, and I only bought it to try that. I might try finishing a razor just on the coti side and see how that is.

If its anything like the apparent slate back piece I have, it will be a keeper too