How much pressure are you using? Mine seems to like pressure and it I lighten up to much it just polishes. I suppose that's one of the qualities that give them they range, though I do have a few that'll cut with much less pressure.
Washita Thread. Show off, discuss, etc.
- Thread starter SliceOfLife
- Start date
A quick lap should tell you. I kind of think it's mostly embedded swarf but I could be wrong.
Page 111 here talks about a "black Oauchita". It could be that stone is starting to get with in that range?
Annual Report of the Geological Survey of Arkansas
www.google.com
That's an interesting idea, and it certainly could be that this type of stone is the 'black mottled' Washita that he talks about. 'Use Sperm Oil' stones would pre-date Pike buying the Sutton quarries, so it's possible that some of the stones they were putting out beforehand might have been what Griswold (and @captaincaed by the sound of it!) thought were slightly inferior, or lower quality grades of Washita...
The penultimate piece of the jigsaw arrived today, which @2bit_collie kindly agreed to swap for, to help me fulfil my silly attempt to collect all of the old '30s/'40s Norton stones of note, with the carboard boxes.
It's is a very lightly used 6x2 30s/40s era No.1, with an SG of 2.19. I actually have a labelled, wooden box, 8 inch version of this stone already, but it doesn't fit with my w*nky aesthetic requirements of having them in the old cardboard. Stone is quick, with large pores, and certainly at the coarser end of the Washita spectrum. I like it a lot, with the one downside being that it's slightly tricky to deburr on.
You can see in the pics below that this style of box for the No.1 and Queer Creek is different from the others. Which is how they came in 1935, immediately after Norton bought Pike. Some later versions of these two stones do have the posher cardboard boxes with triangles I think, but I'm quite happy with the slightly flimsier older ones.
The other nice thing about this collection, which was unintentional, is that I've got stones here in 4, 5, 6, 7, & 8x2" as well as a slip stone, which was all of the standard offerings in the catalogue. I do have a 9x2 LW from the same period, though it doesn't have it's pretty cardboard box anymore so doesn't get invited to the photoshoot.
It's is a very lightly used 6x2 30s/40s era No.1, with an SG of 2.19. I actually have a labelled, wooden box, 8 inch version of this stone already, but it doesn't fit with my w*nky aesthetic requirements of having them in the old cardboard. Stone is quick, with large pores, and certainly at the coarser end of the Washita spectrum. I like it a lot, with the one downside being that it's slightly tricky to deburr on.
You can see in the pics below that this style of box for the No.1 and Queer Creek is different from the others. Which is how they came in 1935, immediately after Norton bought Pike. Some later versions of these two stones do have the posher cardboard boxes with triangles I think, but I'm quite happy with the slightly flimsier older ones.
The other nice thing about this collection, which was unintentional, is that I've got stones here in 4, 5, 6, 7, & 8x2" as well as a slip stone, which was all of the standard offerings in the catalogue. I do have a 9x2 LW from the same period, though it doesn't have it's pretty cardboard box anymore so doesn't get invited to the photoshoot.
Having said the No.1 above was a coarser stone, the finished edge will still do this...
Because as well as their speed and range, something particularly remarkable about pretty much all Washitas is the level of grip and aggression they leave on edges that are incredibly sharp. This has a lot of bitey teeth on it, and yet will still cut a hair in that manner.
Because as well as their speed and range, something particularly remarkable about pretty much all Washitas is the level of grip and aggression they leave on edges that are incredibly sharp. This has a lot of bitey teeth on it, and yet will still cut a hair in that manner.
I've tried really bearing down on it, even in softer Forgecraft steel, little action.
Sometimes lapping then can wake them up. I have a butterscotch colored one with speckles in it that's not much of a cutter and it's really hard but not fine enough to finish a knife with. It's the only one I've had that doesn't cut much. It's pretty though.
Funny how in some places there just seem to be none out there, a lot of my best, most impressive finds have been in person rather than online. Sure you'll come across something soon though, and if not - you can go track down the old Carolina sharpening stone quarries! There were a few historic sharpening stones from around there I believe (?)
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At first I thought that stone would eventually degrease to white tbh, but I'm not so sure now. It's been soaking for a few days and got slightly lighter, but nothing like what I'd normally expect. It may just be a kinda light, rusty brown colour. I need to go back and compare against people's pictures of RRs, cos this is certainly acting like I'd expect one to.
What do you reckon @Toro Blanco...? I think I remember that you've done some very long degreases and got things back to pure white, but this one really doesn't seem to be going anywhere fast. I've also tried a low temp oven for a few hours to try to heat some oil out (not much came out) before going back in the degreaser. Do I perhaps just have a brown Washita?
I got this one about the same time as you got yours. After a three day soak I’ve got it here, and I think I’ll call it done.
Huh, look at that! They looked ever so similar to begin with. But yours has done what I’d expect and mine’s done the square root of f*** all. (That last pic I posted was from this morning, not when I got).
Tried yours out yet? Gonna become a convert...?
No, not yet. It’s spending today soaking in water to try and leach out any simple green, and I’ll try to give it a try tomorrow.Huh, look at that! They looked ever so similar to begin with. But yours has done what I’d expect and mine’s done the square root of f*** all. (That last pic I posted was from this morning, not when I got).
Tried yours out yet? Gonna become a convert...?
I know you are across the pond so you won't find easy-off but look for a oven cleaner or perhaps a barbeque cleaner.
Spray and place in a thick plastic bag. It dries out fast in the air so a plastic bag keeps it cutting and drawing out the oil.
Leave it in there for 24hrs and clean off with some simple green. Do this 2-4 times and it will come out white again. The worst stone took about 5 days but it was litteraly black as night.
It does in one day what simple green does in a week and I love simple green.
Just be careful and do this out side with plenty of ventilation as the vapors are very bad for your lungs. Trust me you don't want to breathe this stuff. It is the only drawback but it works so good ounce you us it you will be amazed. Wear gloves too when you are rinsing it off.
Even your stone will become white, trust me.
Ah yeah, I've remembered this tip... I do this every time I degrease a stone now, alternating between degreasing soaks and BBQ cleaner in a ziplock bag. Works very nicely on most, but this one is looking somewhat different atm, and a very unusual stone in use too. Vamos a ver...
Maybe try another brand of oven cleaner. State side easy-off is way better than any other brand I have tried. Worth a shot.
Somon! Buena suerte!
I have soaked Arks for months in sealed pasta jars with Simple Green, Awesome and Dawn Degreaser, all with good results. Oven cleaner works to remove surface oils but years of use can be deep in a stone. Dawn Degreaser is fastest but smells strong if soaked in an open container.
Just put the stone in some hot water, my shop sink puts out some very hot water, a few feet from the boiler. If there is oil in the stone you will see an oil slick, sheen on the surface of the water.
I have old Washita similar to yours, they appear root beer brown when wet and are good cutters with a wide range of finish.
Modern “Washita” cut fast but do not have the fine finish range of vintage Washita.
Just put the stone in some hot water, my shop sink puts out some very hot water, a few feet from the boiler. If there is oil in the stone you will see an oil slick, sheen on the surface of the water.
I have old Washita similar to yours, they appear root beer brown when wet and are good cutters with a wide range of finish.
Modern “Washita” cut fast but do not have the fine finish range of vintage Washita.
Easy Off is mostly lye, with some emulsifiers and a mild abrasive mixed in. Not sure what is available down under that is similar.
I can’t remember the brand, but I’ve used Aussie oven cleaner on a totally black India stone, and it got it looking like new in minutes. Being lye I’ve always been a bit funny about using the with natural stones.
Yeah, this is what makes me think there might actually be some brown colour in my one - normally you'd get surface oil coming out quite quickly and notice the colour change there, even if takes far longer to get it out of the middle. I'll keep going with it though, see where I get.
And yep - this one is super duper quick, even in comparison to other old Washitas. Cracker of a stone, if a little unusual.
@cotedupy , Burn a hardwood until it's white ash , collect the ash and slowly add water until you've got a manageable consistency and soak your stone in that. Thats potassium hydroxide.. it's what was used as the strong base in soap before lye became really available across the frontier in the United States(and at various times throughout history all over the planet) to average people with no knowledge of chemistry. Lye is *sodium* hydroxide and far more caustic and dangerous. Use hardwood ash for the strong base instead of buying poison chemicals AND you get to enjoy a badass campfire, source supplies for DEEP degreasing stones, and have plenty of time to *enjoy a campfire* and have a 4 finger glass of Scotch... gentlemen....our ancestors, about 2 centuries ago, were probably the most clever humans to have ever existed, all over the world. Clever doesn't mean good necessarily but they were all quick, and tenacious. Even the ones I know that were 80/90 years old 25 years ago, were a stock that can not be replicated. Everyone was at war but human invention was push incredibly far ahead in an extremely short amount of time..
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Another option would be to make a very concentrated solution of water and automatic dishwasher machine powder. That would still be very caustic, but without the fumes and with more degreasing power.
I used to use pure sodium hydroxide in a lab I worked in, to alter the PH of chemistry. Really nasty stuff.
I used to use pure sodium hydroxide in a lab I worked in, to alter the PH of chemistry. Really nasty stuff.
Gracias!
I did wonder whether the new type of soaking degreaser I’m using might not be all that good, so chucked a couple of Lily Whites in too. And actually I think it is quite good - this is definitely the cleanest I’ve ever had these two. Particularly the old Pike one on the top, which had been a kinda caramel colour for a while.
