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Well here's an interesting stone...

It took me a little while to convince @Legion to part with this one, but I'm rather pleased he did, because I haven't been so surprised by something in quite a while. It's one of two or three stones he's found in the last half year or so which are possible candidates for what is the only Australian whetstone that has ever really been quarried on any significant commercial scale - the Mudgee Shearstone.

This is a layered, grey-blue stone with a strong micaceous twinkle, and it's very heavy - from memory David measured at 2.89 or something (?). I think it's probably a phyllite.

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There are quite a number of interesting attributes here, so let's have a look... Even without a raised slurry the stone is fast, quite a lot faster than I would expect from something like this.

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In the picture below you can see what looks almost like a wood grain pattern running up and down the length. The stone abrades faster, and probably finishes coarser, if you work across that grain rather than going parallel to it.

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Depending on how you work that the stone can leave quite a significant scratch pattern.

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Or not. Worked differently it wants to take even the wrought iron cladding of this kiridashi toward mirror (though interestingly didn't do this on the mild steel cladding of the kiridashi in the first pic).

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The resulting polish is really rather nice I think.

IMG-5396.jpg



Which means it probably has quite a wide range of effective grit or finish levels, at a random guess something like 4k - 8k+.

A good razor honer could probably use it to finish, but that quite frankly would be a crying shame because as a whetstone this is utterly sensational. The knife edge in the video below isn't just very good - it's world class. Extremely sharp, but still with a bewildering level of bite and aggression. Although the stone is quick, it abrades without really raising much of a noticeable burr, and in this way it reminds me a little of Belgian Blue, Tams, and certain Suita. But however it's working, this sits happily with the very best Washita / Turkish /Coti / BBW / Jnat knife edges. I was amazed.




There's not much known about the Mudgee Shearstone, but what scant information we have speaks of it very highly, often drawing favourable comparison with Turkey stones. And you know what... if this is a Mudgee - I kinda get it.
 
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How did a highly-regarded stone mined in quantity on an isolated continent just go missing from the modern world?


If you click on the link up in the first para there's some info about that might help explain. But long story short...

1.) The stone was quarried extensively, but only for about two years in the last decade of the c.19th century.
2.) It was primarily aimed at sheep shearers, so they would've got used hard and worn out quickly.
3.) Mudgee is in the middle of bloody nowhere, even in Australian terms. Which is saying something.
4.) Even today some 85% of non-indigenous Australians cannot read or write. They're very bad at recording stuff.


(One of those reasons isn't necessarily 100% true).
 

Legion

Staff member
How did a highly-regarded stone mined in quantity on an isolated continent just go missing from the modern world?
They started business about the same time as shearing sheds went to electric clippers, and went broke.

Well, that was a lucky find then! And by lucky I mean there was about zero chance of telling what it was when I found it, all covered in grime.
 
It took me a little while to convince @Legion to part with this one, but I'm rather pleased he did, because I haven't been so surprised by something in quite a while. It's one of two or three stones he's found in the last half year or so which are possible candidates for what is the only Australian whetstone that has ever really been quarried on any significant commercial scale - the Mudgee Shearstone.

This is a layered, grey-blue stone with a strong micaceous twinkle, and it's very heavy - from memory David measured at 2.89 or something (?). I think it's probably a phyllite.

View attachment 1611319


There are quite a number of interesting attributes here, so let's have a look... Even without a raised slurry the stone is fast, quite a lot faster than I would expect from something like this.

View attachment 1611316


In the picture below you can see what looks almost like a wood grain pattern running up and down the length. The stone abrades faster, and probably finishes coarser, if you work across that grain rather than going parallel to it.

View attachment 1611323


Depending on how you work that the stone can leave quite a significant scratch pattern.

View attachment 1611324


Or not. Worked differently it wants to take even the wrought iron cladding of this kiridashi toward mirror (though interestingly didn't do this on the mild steel cladding of the kiridashi in the first pic).

View attachment 1611318


The resulting polish is really rather nice I think.

View attachment 1611326


Which means it probably has quite a wide range of effective grit or finish levels, at a random guess something like 4k - 8k+.

A good razor honer could probably use it to finish, but that quite frankly would be a crying shame because as a whetstone this is utterly sensational. The knife edge in the video below isn't just very good - it's world class. Extremely sharp, but still with a bewildering level of bite and aggression. Although the stone is quick, it abrades without really raising much of a noticeable burr, and in this way it reminds me a little of Belgian Blue, Tams, and certain Suita. But however it's working, this sits happily with the very best Washita / Turkish /Coti / BBW / Jnat knife edges. I was amazed.




There's not much known about the Mudgee Shearstone, but what scant information we have speaks of it very highly, often drawing favourable comparison with Turkey stones. And you know what... if this is a Mudgee - I kinda get it.

That's a cool stone. It seriously looks like a green BBW with that grain effect. I wonder if it could be of similar geological formation. Your description even sounds abit like the very best of BBWs to me.
 
Well, that was a lucky find then! And by lucky I mean there was about zero chance of telling what it was when I found it, all covered in grime.

It most certainly was. Thank you.

I was genuinely taken aback by how good it was. And the polishing and edge in that video was just from my normal quick stone testing run out, I wasn't spending a load of time perfecting things. It was just excellent straight off the bat.

You didn't prise anything further out of Sandy at the Mudgee Historical Society than I did then? I wonder what she made of us!


That's a cool stone. It seriously looks like a green BBW with that grain effect. I wonder if it could be of similar geological formation. Your description even sounds abit like the very best of BBWs to me.

Good point. Now that you mention it - the Roches Salmiennes paper that @ErieSurfer is translating describes Belgian Blue as a phyllite iirc.
 

Legion

Staff member
It most certainly was. Thank you.

I was genuinely taken aback by how good it was. And the polishing and edge in that video was just from my normal quick stone testing run out, I wasn't spending a load of time perfecting things. It was just excellent straight off the bat.

You didn't prise anything further out of Sandy at the Mudgee Historical Society than I did then? I wonder what she made of us!




Good point. Now that you mention it - the Roches Salmiennes paper that @ErieSurfer is translating describes Belgian Blue as a phyllite iirc.
How good would it be if this stone was a con I dug up from my yard, and cut 2x6. Next week I’ll “find” a 10x3 example and sell it for a million dollars.
 
How good would it be if this stone was a con I dug up from my yard, and cut 2x6. Next week I’ll “find” a 10x3 example and sell it for a million dollars.


That's one of the main reasons I'm medium confident that this is actually a Mudgee - it justifies all those gushing newspaper reports from the 1890s. Too good just to be a stone that some charlatan like yourself stumbled across in the bush one day. ;)
 
How good would it be if this stone was a con I dug up from my yard, and cut 2x6. Next week I’ll “find” a 10x3 example and sell it for a million dollars.


This took Standen ten years from conception. Tirelessly searching day and night before his patience was at last rewarded, when he finally found payable quantities of the true shearstone!

Wasn't just dug up by some blagger in their back garden you know.


Screenshot 2023-02-25 113619.jpg



(I have a feeling I would've got along with Mr. Standen)
 
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Legion

Staff member
This took Standen ten years from conception, before his patience was at last rewarded when he finally found payable quantities of the true shearstone!

Wasn't just dug up by some blagger in their back garden you know.


View attachment 1611683


(I have a feeling I would've got along with Mr. Standen)
You are making me regret sending our cultural heritage to the other side of the world. I know that is standard operating procedure for you guys, but still…
 
You are making me regret sending our cultural heritage to the other side of the world. I know that is standard operating procedure for you guys, but still…


Ah no, you see what you've actually done is at last realise the dream that Standen and Bird had, of being able to send the Mudgee Shearstone back to England for approval from their colonial overlords. This moment has been 130 years in the making, and you David have played your part in the tale!


Screenshot 2023-02-25 121220.jpg
 
Oli have you checked with our friend on any other info?


I haven't actually. Though by the look of his pictures he hadn't ever used that 'Cudgeegong' stone, and his track record of replying to emails isn't the best.

So I think we need to encourage @Legion to go inspect it in person next time he's in Melbourne...
 

Legion

Staff member
I haven't actually. Though by the look of his pictures he hadn't ever used that 'Cudgeegong' stone, and his track record of replying to emails isn't the best.

So I think we need to encourage @Legion to go inspect it in person next time he's in Melbourne...
If you are referring to who I think, I actually sent them an email on the subject a couple of weeks ago. No reply.
 
I haven't actually. Though by the look of his pictures he hadn't ever used that 'Cudgeegong' stone, and his track record of replying to emails isn't the best.

So I think we need to encourage @Legion to go inspect it in person next time he's in Melbourne...

I don't think he ever used it either. I just meant some info back story on where he may of got it from.

If you are referring to who I think, I actually sent them an email on the subject a couple of weeks ago. No reply.
Typical. He always replied to me. It just sometimes took months. Heritage saw making consumes his time. Apparently he would get months worth of work at a time.
 
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