Not a Queer Creek from my end. Interesting irregular surface wave pattern. Rounded corners as recently shown don't seem to be there in the first pix...
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What on Earth is this thing?
- Thread starter eKretz
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Recent change, lol. They aren't rounded as much as it looks though, must be a perspective thing.
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- #23
Looks like we've solved it, thanks to some further help from Sebastian. It would appear that kcb5150 nailed it. I think that it is a Levant. Or, as Sebastian put it:- pierre aiguiser naturelle de Saurat (genre/Type Levant)
Looking at the French tool shop site Sebastian sent me a link for that sells the stones it looks exactly like my stone. The manufacturer's website says that it's a schistose sandstone, so that would explain the stone seeming to have some characteristics from both slates and sandstone. On further digging through my old stone pile I also found another that looks to be the same stone type, but is much harder and finer.
Looking at the French tool shop site Sebastian sent me a link for that sells the stones it looks exactly like my stone. The manufacturer's website says that it's a schistose sandstone, so that would explain the stone seeming to have some characteristics from both slates and sandstone. On further digging through my old stone pile I also found another that looks to be the same stone type, but is much harder and finer.
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Mine maxed out was 10kish, extremely pressure sensitive and you could easily shave off of it. They are very good hones, but tricky to use and hell to lap.
mine, it was a pretty exceptional example:
mine, it was a pretty exceptional example:
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How high did you lap that face there, KCB?
I've got two of the Saurat stones (when you mentioned "Levant" before, I was thinking coticule-land and didn't make the connection). The "lisse" grade is the finest, and I believe it's normally considered a precursor to, say, a BBW. The owner of the mine at Saurat recommends a spine-leading pass, and that's how I've used them. Actually, quite easy to use that way. Also very cheap, around $15-$20 for the "lisse," the coarser grades being found in hardware stores throughout France. Ardennes sells the "lisse" as part of a combo, with a BBW as the finisher. I will polish a "lisse" further than I have and see how it goes, edge-leading.
Here are some shots of my recent production stone below Sebastian's period "monster," which may also be from the same region. Your end looks similar to my side shot, and these are "sparklie" enough, but the surface patterening seems slightly different to me. And given that the production in the Pyrenees was started by an Italian from Lombardy, who noted the similarities between the stones from the two regions, perhaps it could be a "Lombard stone" as well?:
I've got two of the Saurat stones (when you mentioned "Levant" before, I was thinking coticule-land and didn't make the connection). The "lisse" grade is the finest, and I believe it's normally considered a precursor to, say, a BBW. The owner of the mine at Saurat recommends a spine-leading pass, and that's how I've used them. Actually, quite easy to use that way. Also very cheap, around $15-$20 for the "lisse," the coarser grades being found in hardware stores throughout France. Ardennes sells the "lisse" as part of a combo, with a BBW as the finisher. I will polish a "lisse" further than I have and see how it goes, edge-leading.
Here are some shots of my recent production stone below Sebastian's period "monster," which may also be from the same region. Your end looks similar to my side shot, and these are "sparklie" enough, but the surface patterening seems slightly different to me. And given that the production in the Pyrenees was started by an Italian from Lombardy, who noted the similarities between the stones from the two regions, perhaps it could be a "Lombard stone" as well?:
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A deadened piece of 3k that was caked in dust from a Pierre la lune.
Well, I won't be able to duplicate those results, I'll have to come up with something else. Thanks.
Lap it to 1k and slurry a bbw on it.
I definitely saw the potential in it when I had it. Keeping one side maxed and the other in a more cutting setup would give you a very flexible hone.
I'll give it a shot, ending with the BBW, like you say. If I need more, I have a small hard Arkansas that's sometimes used as a rubbing stone.
This is exciting news to me. For the coarser stones, the folks at Saurat also sell what they call "[FONT=&]l’Idéale 2 grains" whereby one side is essentially polished like you have done with the finer stone, and the other side left more rough. Unfortunately, they only sell it in narrow formats, whereas I prefer the short and squat pieces. [/FONT]
This is exciting news to me. For the coarser stones, the folks at Saurat also sell what they call "[FONT=&]l’Idéale 2 grains" whereby one side is essentially polished like you have done with the finer stone, and the other side left more rough. Unfortunately, they only sell it in narrow formats, whereas I prefer the short and squat pieces. [/FONT]
I actually sent that one to bayamontate to test awhile back. The top end it was achieving surprised me and I wanted another opinion.
That would explain why Saurat also sells it backed with a piece of leather for stropping. I've never understood this since the folks at Ardennes are selling the same stone as a combo with the BBW as a finisher.
The stone coming out of the La Pyrennese mine is definitely 'graded' in some way - coarser and finer seem to be the call out; and then how you lap it allows a bit more wiggle room to determine what you wind up with. I'm guessing that within either 'grade' there is a range of 'grit' also.
My new La P is 'supposed' to be 'finest' and it does seem finer than the smaller piece I had previously, which came from Ardennes. I lapped it with a ridiculously worn 325x DMT and I'm gettting very close to 1-2k-ish (synth) cutting action and refinement. I also seem to be picking up the possibility of microchipping but that could very well be rotten steel not liking the aggressive cutting action all that much.
The stone has more to say though; before I have a complete read on it, I have to put a lot of time in on this one. It seems to have a rather diverse personality.
My new La P is 'supposed' to be 'finest' and it does seem finer than the smaller piece I had previously, which came from Ardennes. I lapped it with a ridiculously worn 325x DMT and I'm gettting very close to 1-2k-ish (synth) cutting action and refinement. I also seem to be picking up the possibility of microchipping but that could very well be rotten steel not liking the aggressive cutting action all that much.
The stone has more to say though; before I have a complete read on it, I have to put a lot of time in on this one. It seems to have a rather diverse personality.
It leaves a very keen edge with what I perceive as a hint of tooth
I actually really liked mine, but it had nowhere to fit in any progressions so I moved it to someone who specifically wanted one that fine.
This was what my hht was like off the stone with mine. It doesn't mean much, but it was kind of amazing for a hone that looks like it would be ragged:
This was what my hht was like off the stone with mine. It doesn't mean much, but it was kind of amazing for a hone that looks like it would be ragged:
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- #36
Here'sHere's another funny thing. I earlier pulled a 2nd one of these out of my rainy day "mystery" pile and found it to be much finer than the first. Out of curiosity I grabbed another that I had thought was a SiC stone and gave it the tap test - expecting to hear a fairly high pitched "ting" and instead heard more of the JNat sound again. Just finished a full SiC loose grit lapping regimen and son-of-a-gun if I don't have a 3rd one. This time 8" x 2" x 7/8" after lapping far enough to remove the dish on both sides. Probably was ~1" originally.
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Pretty cool. You don't see many of the really fine ones here in the USA. I don't even think most ppl know they exist here.
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- #38
Yeah I'm very happy to have somehow gotten both types. Looks like I have one of each in the smaller size and the big one is a fine one too. I just stuck the big guy into the heated U/S SG bath to finish cleaning out the oil - you can see in the photo there that it's not lightening up like the others when dry - still got oil soaked into it.
As far as grit level, by my testing so far, the finer one when lapped to a very smooth surface and used with oil is quite a lot finer than a BBW. I'd put it nearer Black/translucent Ark I think. Will let you know for sure once I've gotten around to a shave from it. The coarser version is maybe 5k - 6kish under the same conditions.
As far as grit level, by my testing so far, the finer one when lapped to a very smooth surface and used with oil is quite a lot finer than a BBW. I'd put it nearer Black/translucent Ark I think. Will let you know for sure once I've gotten around to a shave from it. The coarser version is maybe 5k - 6kish under the same conditions.
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I actually still have the edge from that on one of my go to solingen tester razors. Give it a few extra passes on leather if you shave off the fine one.
I'm unclear as to how the "fine" stone to which you are referring differs from the "genre Levant" or "lisse" stone. Is there an even finer stone than this? I've been using the "genre Levant" or "lisse" as a spine-leading bevel setter, prior to a BBW and a coticule, where it's worked quite well, although I haven't polished the surface apart from the blades running across (where it seems to take a polish easily enough there).
Fwiw, here is a shot of a broken "[FONT=&]Idéale 2 grains," which is the coarser stone of current Saurat manufacture. Smooth side as received on the left and rough as received on the right[/FONT].
Fwiw, here is a shot of a broken "[FONT=&]Idéale 2 grains," which is the coarser stone of current Saurat manufacture. Smooth side as received on the left and rough as received on the right[/FONT].
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