Is this Washita

[Osvaldd]

I washed my washita with soapy water and steel scrubby. It came out nice and bright like in the first picture.

 

[Ttrees]

Looks like a soft Arkansas to me Trevanion.
I have one very similar that I've been using, and a washita (pretty sure) also to compare.
Not that I'm an expert at all.
I will take a picture later of them.
Tom

 

[D_W]

Didn't want to start another thread so I thought I'd Hi-jack Osvaldds , I know it's hard to identify from a photo but what do you guys think this is? Washita? I've never really seen a Washita in the flesh before so I wouldn't know what to look for except for the obvious. I took a punt on it on eBay because I could just about see some kind of brownish mottling underneath the crud, I've tried to clean the face a bit (What is the best way to do that I have no idea?) but it still seems to be a very dark brown colour, better than the near-black it was though . I've tried sharpening on it and whilst it's not a very fine scratch pattern, it produces a near shaving sharp edge without stropping, it also cuts pretty quick too. Seems a little better than the Llyn Idwal stone that I use.

The waxiness makes it look like a washita to me (i.e., lack of uniformity of particles). AS mentioned previously in this thread, sometimes I think the line between soft and washita is blurred a little bit if it originates from norton because I think they may have slipped pike mine stock out under the soft label. A soft arkansas was half the price of a washita in the old catalogs, but there isn't and wasn't any shortage of "ore" for washitas.

What you describe is washita in nature. The edge doesn't seem or look that fine, but feels sharper than it looks. A decent washita can set up a straight razor with some serious traffic on linen and leather, and soft or subpar arkansas stones generally will not ever get an edge to the point that it can shave comfortably.

Most soft ark stones will struggle to shave hair easily off of a tool - the edge is similar looking, but more coarse and blunt feeling.

I have been making some plane irons out of CTS-XHP, a powder stainless from carpenter steel that may show up elsewhere in commercially made irons, and the washita can barely cut it, but it does only just like a finisher and continues to cut it finely, needing no attention other than to keep contaminants off of the surface. The result is a supremely fine edge that makes me like washitas even more.

 

[Ttrees]

I forgot that I had taken off the oil patina on the washita.
Both can look similar, but the identity becomes apparent when used for a bit.
Only used it there for the first time in a while, it is certainly faster than the soft ark I have,
maybe twice as fast cutting.
These two pics was when the washita had the patina

This is the soft Arkansas with the oil patina

The washita becomes whiter and loses the mottled browns, while the soft ark loses the mottling also, and becomes more of an even lighter colour.

Just as a side note, I mentioned recently that I was finding getting a near unnoticeable camber was proving difficult... whilst trying to flatten the stone also makes some extra work.
I had this whiteboard/notice board over at the door for ages, which I thought would be a good idea
but never served any purpose....
Been looking at it ever since, and only the other day I decided to make use of it.
I've been using this soft ark for a few months now, squinting away whilst fumbling with the worklight trying to get the camber perfect.
The thing was just a few feet away from me, but it didn't click how useful it might be =D> :roll:
What a daft brush for not doing it sooner

Tom

 

[Trevanion]

You're quite right Tom, it does look very similar to that picture of a Soft Arkansas stone. With the stone out of the box there's a little chip off the corner of the stone on the inside side, which is a bit more bright and orange compared to the rest :-k. Still not 100% sure if it's a Soft Ark or a Washita somebody's left in a bucket of used motor oil. I do really like it though, It's a shame the box is a bit sub-par with someone not keeping an eye on where their auger point was coming through the lid several times :lol:. Maybe I'll make a new one Bill Carter Style, or I won't bother.

What are people's feelings on flattening these? It's got about a 1mm dip in the length and about a 0.5mm hollow side to side which isn't that bad considering what some of the stones look like on eBay :lol:. I know some die hard free-hand purists will tell you not to flatten the stone as it is a pointless exercise because yada-yada-yada... but a part of me it saying it should be kept fairly flat. Thoughts?

 

[Osvaldd]

I started using cheapie diamond plates and noticed I had unintentionally created cambers on all my plane irons due to my india and washita stones that I used having hollows along the width.

 

[AndyT]

Re hollowing / flattening:

This is my most used oilstone, which I believe is a Washita. It's very slightly dished along the centre.

That makes it very convenient for maintaining the slight camber that most plane irons need.

When I want a straight edge, eg on a chisel, I take care to run the tool over the edges of the stone.

It works and is quick and simple. I've never felt the need to try and flatten the stone.

 

[Ttrees]

I think it's faster in the long run to have a flat stone, especially if you are honing a tiny camber
on a wide iron.
It seems to me, the wider the stone is the flatter it needs to be to get consistent results.
Yes I could just use the corner of the stone, but that doesn't make much sense in the long run.
So I choose to wear away the high area instead, in hope that things might get a bit more predictable concerning honing the slight camber.




I like the washita I have for its width also, but maybe getting a bit narrow for a no.8 iron.
I haven't found that out, as I don't use it.

I was at one stage thinking of making a Bill Carter style oil stone box for it too, but will at least wait until I have the stone dead flat and figure out a pattern that's the quickest.

Interested to see others opinions on the end blocks, especially those who use a camber this slight.
Thanks folks
Tom

 

[ED65]

What are people's feelings on flattening these?

I think you should always have at least one side flat so you have it as an option.

My feeling about dished stones in general is if the individual owner would be happy to wear the stone that shape themselves and then continue to use it (e.g. it produces the cambered edge and cambered bevel they want on their plane irons in one smooth operation) then leave it. But if you wouldn't then get at least one side flat or you'll always be fighting it, or it'll eventually sit unused in the cupboard like many a stone one is not really happy with.

Re. cleaning, how clean do you want to get it? You can do anything from just a light surface clean with a scrub in hot water and Fairy, to a deep, deep clean by repeatedly soaking in degreasers (up to and including hot solutions of caustic soda).

If you're lapping any of the stone flat those faces will be made pretty clean to like-new via the flattening process, depending on the absorbency of the stone and how deep you go.

I know some die hard free-hand purists will tell you not to flatten the stone as it is a pointless exercise because yada-yada-yada...

Plenty of die-hard freehand purists who will tell you it should be flat, and dead clean, like when it was new.

 

[Trevanion]

I'm still no clearer on what this stone actually is! :lol:. I've given it a flatten and a clean with a soak in some solvents but I can't really compare it to anything I've ever seen. Works wonderfully though, really nice stone.

I decided to go ahead and make a new box for it, do the thing some justice. I've had this piece of American Black Walnut that I got off a friend sitting around the workshop for the better part of 5 years waiting for "something worthy" and I've never had the guts to use it on anything up until now . Unfortunately, it was only a 1" thick piece so I couldn't have matching grain between the two pieces of the box, but it still looks good none the less despite the finishing not quite being finished. The end blocks are 1" purple heart, which I thought would be harder wearing than Walnut endgrain and adds a nice little contrast, should be proper purple in a couple of days. The whole thing has had a couple of coats of Shellac awaiting more, whether this is a good finish for an oilstone box I have no idea but I'll give it a go.

One of the nicer looking things that I've made for a while! Not bad for an afternoon with a power router (I'm not about to become some neanderthal with a bit and brace! :roll a block plane, a chisel sharpened with the stone and a curved spokeshave.

 

[Ttrees]

Sweet looking box Trevanion
Looks to be a washita by the white coming through.
Maybe I'm mistaken, but I don't believe there is another stone that has a white colour.
Not that I've seen many soft arks on google, (I spent a long time searching)
or have much experience with the one I have..
so for all I know, all I've seen could be soaked with oil,
but they all seem pretty consistently golden, if one was pushed to give it a colour, with no white spots anywhere.

Looks like it will serve you well,
Tell us how you get on with those purpleheart blocks.
Thanks for showing
Tom

 

[Jacob]

I started using cheapie diamond plates and noticed I had unintentionally created cambers on all my plane irons due to my india and washita stones that I used having hollows along the width.

My irons also have unintentional cambers but that's how they should be. If they came out straight I'd have to do intentional cambers!

 

[ED65]

Top job on that box Trevanion. Proper use for that lovely bit of American wood.

I too think your stone is a washita, it looks perfectly at home in its new case =D>