Are these stones a slate or more like novaculite? Because my mystery green stone has lines on it like @timwic original picture but as I lapped it they disappeared and turned into a single dot. Initially I thought it was a Charnley but no red, and it's very different from my llyn idwal hones. It seems to be Flakey like turkey stones are but I haven't had any obvious ones flake off yet. I just want to know what it is so I can invite it's extended family into my home like the nurturing person I am. As far as I can tell though these are very slate like similar to a thuri.Wife's out this evening... I sense a deep-dive into the bathroom cabinet coming on.
Glanrafon Welsh Hone
- Thread starter timwcic
- Start date
Glanrafons are like a very hard and compact slate, harder than Thuris (at least mine is, and apparently most other people's). They actually have less slate like cleavage / flakiness than many Idwals do.
I think your stone is an interesting an unusual Idwal. Tim's one in the first post I've never thought looked 100% like a Glanrafon either, though obviously things are always difficult to say just from pics. But to my eye the way the patterns on his are make it look possibly more like the 'Cambrian Green' stone I was talking about in the other thread:
Nice!
I would call them hard for a slate, but no - not as hard as novaculites, and quite different feeling. My GR would be harder than any Thuri I've had I think.
Got this one today, a beautiful stone.
Thanks Tom
Thanks Tom
A very pleasant surprise a couple of days ago when I unwrapped this mystery 'looks-like-an-Idwal-but-probably-not' stone.
This is only the second I've ever come across, and both were lucky finds, without having to pay normal Glanrafon-type prices.
I must confess I've never 100% got to grips with them for razors, the Nantlle Valley Stone tends to be a little finer grit, and I think a bit more user friendly as a finisher. Though I'm looking forward to playing around with this one over the coming days. Sounds like I should be giving it a whirl with oil also, which I'm not certain I've ever tried with the other GRs I've used.
This is only the second I've ever come across, and both were lucky finds, without having to pay normal Glanrafon-type prices.
I must confess I've never 100% got to grips with them for razors, the Nantlle Valley Stone tends to be a little finer grit, and I think a bit more user friendly as a finisher. Though I'm looking forward to playing around with this one over the coming days. Sounds like I should be giving it a whirl with oil also, which I'm not certain I've ever tried with the other GRs I've used.
Yes oil or water/glycerin to simulate the viscosity of oil. How were you breaking the tension before? I sometimes use light slurry from the slurry stone at the start, but it takes some time as they are so hard. Also did you burnish it at all? the slurry stone kind of does that too. It is much like a CF even though it is a very different stone.
I haven't found great edges with mine yet either, I need to listen in.
Mine at least doesn't seem to have that really dense, novaculite feel. Seems a bit grainier, more on the llyn idwal side of the spectrum.
The overall tight structure of the stone and the display on the side seems to show layers I associate with upper mid range naturals. The draw I feel with a fingertip supports that. It just doesn't feel like a fine finisher, but I hadn't thought to burnish it. I happen to have a little Charnley nagura I could try.
The overall tight structure of the stone and the display on the side seems to show layers I associate with upper mid range naturals. The draw I feel with a fingertip supports that. It just doesn't feel like a fine finisher, but I hadn't thought to burnish it. I happen to have a little Charnley nagura I could try.
So I tried the new one out properly last night. The razor was in a pretty decent state already, just needed a bit of a touch up.
Following Tom's and others' advice; I burnished the surface with a Moughton, used with oil, pretty much zero pressure, and did exactly one bajillion squillion (yes it’s a real number, I just counted to it) laps.
And... I can confirm that even a fool like me can get rather a good silent HHT, and a surprisingly close and comfortable shave from a Glanrafon.
They're not desperately user-friendly stones I don't think, and they have a very shallow range. But getting to know these kinds of weird old stones is a large part of the fun of SRs for me, so I rather like it.
I'll probably rough one side and keep the other burnished.
Following Tom's and others' advice; I burnished the surface with a Moughton, used with oil, pretty much zero pressure, and did exactly one bajillion squillion (yes it’s a real number, I just counted to it) laps.
And... I can confirm that even a fool like me can get rather a good silent HHT, and a surprisingly close and comfortable shave from a Glanrafon.
They're not desperately user-friendly stones I don't think, and they have a very shallow range. But getting to know these kinds of weird old stones is a large part of the fun of SRs for me, so I rather like it.
I'll probably rough one side and keep the other burnished.
So I tried the new one out properly last night. The razor was in a pretty decent state already, just needed a bit of a touch up.
Following Tom's and others' advice; I burnished the surface with a Moughton, used with oil, pretty much zero pressure, and did exactly one bajillion squillion (yes it’s a real number, I just counted to it) laps.
And... I can confirm that even a fule like me can get rather a good silent HHT, and a surprisingly close and comfortable shave from a Glanrafon.
They're not desperately user-friendly I don't think, and they have a very shallow range. But getting to know these kinds of weird old stones is a large part of the fun of SRs for me, so I rather like it.
I'll probably rough one side and keep the other burnished.
Following Tom's and others' advice; I burnished the surface with a Moughton, used with oil, pretty much zero pressure, and did exactly one bajillion squillion (yes it’s a real number, I just counted to it) laps.
And... I can confirm that even a fule like me can get rather a good silent HHT, and a surprisingly close and comfortable shave from a Glanrafon.
They're not desperately user-friendly I don't think, and they have a very shallow range. But getting to know these kinds of weird old stones is a large part of the fun of SRs for me, so I rather like it.
I'll probably rough one side and keep the other burnished.
I found this one a while back.
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Kewl! Did you find that in Aus?
@Legion stumbled across his at a random junk shop in rural VIC I seem to recall...
This one was an import from the UK. Very cool looking stones.
I did, though I did not know what I was buying at the time, it was so covered in grime. I could see some green under the gunk and thought it might be an Idwal.
