jimi43
Established Member
DTR":3jxcy63e said:
It's probably a finishing hone of some sort...very very fine and hard. You will find that it does actually work...but you have to hone the edge to very near completion. This will just polish the edge. Are you using it with water or oil?
If it's one of the hones which is traditionally best with water you will have great difficulty removing oil from it after it is applied. There is plenty of information on the subject on the Net which will steer you in the right direction and some excellent books.
There is much fun to be had researching this intriguing subject...including the history and origin of some of the best stones....like the Turkey stones, Belgian coticules....Thuringians and Eshers.
Indeed, Britain has produced many fine local stones in most areas and some are highly collectible. The unpredictable nature of natural stones is part of their fascination....even stones from the same quarry vary considerably but you will know when you get a good one!
Bootfairs are excellent sources of fine stones....most of mine came to me that way for little money. Most people don't know the difference between a bog standard man-made stone and fine natural stones and so you can get some really great bargains. FleaBay used to be that way but people are getting wise to the difference and now, fine vintage stones command near market prices.
Thanks for sharing your example...I love learning about these natural treasures.
Jim
