What is your most recent “unbelievable find/deal” that you came into on hone(s)?

[HoneThis]

I mean, I’ve read a bunch of the various “show your x” threads and literally edge very close to an existential crisis when I see how lucky some folks are compared to others, but I’m not talking about in terms of value. I mean a find that you really viewed as special and unexpected.

For me, it doesn’t include any super valuable stones that I got for dirt cheap. I’d have a hard time choosing between a lot of 3 coticules I bought for $150, and the AB Salmen Silkstone(?) thing I stumbled on for like $60. Both on the sleezebay, which doesn’t really provide deals for me often.

So let’s see your “favorite” find. I swear, if some guy named Tim guy comments saying he found a yacht built out of Eschers and solid gold bars I will finally break.

Coticule lot and Salmen stone pics below.

 

[Empire straights]

Those look like very very good coticules. My favorite ones. The old ones that don't have a name but they got that wavy line and glassy(yet still raspy on some) but are always very fine.... these are my favorite stones(at least this year).

 

[Empire straights]

This is my favorite stone I've ever owned. Thousands of dollars trying different stone from different time periods , from all over the world, and this little 3.5" x 1.35"(?) That cost me a shipping $35 dollars is the best stone I've had, on any blade, any shape, any hardness, regardless of how keen I need the blade to be. Love that rock. The yellow coticule is a little faster but the blue side is the part of it that makes it my favorite. People will think I'm crazy my favorite stone is a really old be bbw, but it is. Light is bad in the last picture, it's very much more dark stone colored than black. Slurry is pink. Lots of garnets in this stone, it's very hard and dense. I post it a lot..

 

[J B Addis]

One dollar US for the coticule half of a (no longer) glued 7x1.5" combination coticule, found at a junk shop. Hard to beat that. It was filthy and the store owner hadn't recognized it, but I had become suspicious the moment I saw it, and was certain as soon as I got outside and looked at it in sunlight. It was a very joyful find for me. Relaminated it on to a scrap of slate, and I now use it mostly for knives, very pretty peach colored stone with patches of midnight purple-black manganese foliage. It's packed away at the moment so no pictures, unfortunately.

 

[HoneThis]

Those look like very very good coticules. My favorite ones. The old ones that don't have a name but they got that wavy line and glassy(yet still raspy on some) but are always very fine.... these are my favorite stones(at least this year).

All 3 are quite good. I think the pinkish glued one stands out performance wise as it’s the fastest/smoothest cutter. The others aren’t far behind though.

Not long before finding them, I bought a very similar one which cost more than the lot of three cost…

I like coticules because they vary so much. It’s like a game to find “the one”.

 

[Empire straights]

All 3 are quite good. I think the pinkish glued one stands out performance wise as it’s the fastest/smoothest cutter. The others aren’t far behind though.

Not long before finding them, I bought a very similar one which cost more than the lot of three cost…

I like coticules because they vary so much. It’s like a game to find “the one”.

Agreed and when you do find "that one" is really special.

 

[duke762]

Got a Norton razor hone (axman) for $69 on ebay one night if that counts.

 

[Empire straights]

Got a Norton razor hone (axman) for $69 on ebay one night if that counts.

Are barber hones really that great for axes? I've been tempted to get one for that exact purpose. I chop lots of wood around my place and it's a pain getting an axe where I like it because the steel is so hard. I usually have to use coticules because they cut everything.

 

[Loner16]

I found this coticule on e-bay UK years back for $60 US. One of the finest coticules i have!

 

[Empire straights]

I found this coticule on e-bay UK years back for $60 US. One of the finest coticules i have!

That's beautiful. That blue-ish patterning that looks like it's under the surface is how my little one is.

 

[Loner16]

That's beautiful. That blue-ish patterning that looks like it's under the surface is how my little one is.

Thank you, Sir..

 

[Legion]

Are barber hones really that great for axes? I've been tempted to get one for that exact purpose. I chop lots of wood around my place and it's a pain getting an axe where I like it because the steel is so hard. I usually have to use coticules because they cut everything.

Do you know what they normally sell for?

 

[Empire straights]

Do you know what they normally sell for?

Not a clue, I've never even seen one. I have a hard time spending $80 on a synth stone because I use almost only natural stone save an india a SiC stone here and there, but I hate SiC stones. The shape on barber hones looks like it'd be good to use as a file. I don't chop wood in a professional capacity but I have a very small farm that's heavily wooded so I cut lots of wood and want to save my shoulder. Hard, fast coticules have been my go to once the filing is done(sometime on my concrete slab at the door step), I usually only use coticules. I get scratches sometimes and I don't want to use up my good coticules on my hatchet. I don't care about fineness but I'd like a barbers hone that's not crazy priced and will eat steel like it's got a check coming.

 

[Stockman1107]

A recent find of the Bay in Aus, paid AUD$20 for this and was 90% expecting this to be a Norton India stone, 10% sure it was a Norton of something? Below is the sellers pic, not much to go by.

This is what she looked like in real life on arrival.

And this is what she was.

Its labeled on the edge - " Fine - Hard" and its the finest Washita that is now in my stable. Excellent finishing stone for a Kitchen knife and probably will make a good bevel setter for my SR's that I am still trying to master.

 

[Empire straights]

A recent find of the Bay in Aus, paid AUD$20 for this and was 90% expecting this to be a Norton India stone, 10% sure it was a Norton of something? Below is the sellers pic, not much to go by.
View attachment 1631601
This is what she looked like in real life on arrival.
View attachment 1631603
And this is what she was.
View attachment 1631604
Its labeled on the edge - " Fine - Hard" and its the finest Washita that is now in my stable. Excellent finishing stone for a Kitchen knife and probably will make a good bevel setter for my SR's that I am still trying to master.

View attachment 1631605

That'll be a great stone for sure. You can shave off them with the right stone finish/ touch/ stropping. It will not be you favorite, or even runner up, but you can do it easily without any pain if you do it right. *stone stropping* is your friend in this situation.

 

[Tomo]

A recent find of the Bay in Aus, paid AUD$20 for this and was 90% expecting this to be a Norton India stone, 10% sure it was a Norton of something? Below is the sellers pic, not much to go by.
View attachment 1631601
This is what she looked like in real life on arrival.
View attachment 1631603
And this is what she was.
View attachment 1631604
Its labeled on the edge - " Fine - Hard" and its the finest Washita that is now in my stable. Excellent finishing stone for a Kitchen knife and probably will make a good bevel setter for my SR's that I am still trying to master.

View attachment 1631605

How did I miss that one?

 

[Legion]

How did I miss that one?

I was just thinking the same thing.

 

[Legion]

Not a clue, I've never even seen one. I have a hard time spending $80 on a synth stone because I use almost only natural stone save an india a SiC stone here and there, but I hate SiC stones. The shape on barber hones looks like it'd be good to use as a file. I don't chop wood in a professional capacity but I have a very small farm that's heavily wooded so I cut lots of wood and want to save my shoulder. Hard, fast coticules have been my go to once the filing is done(sometime on my concrete slab at the door step), I usually only use coticules. I get scratches sometimes and I don't want to use up my good coticules on my hatchet. I don't care about fineness but I'd like a barbers hone that's not crazy priced and will eat steel like it's got a check coming.

When those red and black Nortons that the racing axe guys love turn up they can go for over a thousand dollars here, more often than not, if you have a couple of peanuts bidding against each other.

 

[SliceOfLife]

Snagged a 10x2" YG for around $50 because noone else ID'ed it on eBay (actually ran to conclusion of listing, not a BIN), and I've had a few similar deals on 6" and 7" Thuris... all several years ago when less guys knew what to look for to ID Thuris. These days, Thuri scores pretty much have to be BIN's that you find first.

But best score is probably that crazy looking Manganese packed 7x1.5" PDSO that David sent me the link to as a probable Thuri that cleaned up real pretty... Think it was $15 plus shipping.


That LWW I saw and knew it was a Washita but didn't look long enough to notice it had a label.... saw it, shipping cost to US made it not worth considering as just a "Nice 8" Washita" and I didn't even expand the thumbnails to see the labels. Nice score.

 

[kcb5150]

Several unlabeled thuringians