Natural Hones - Which Family Do You Have the Most Examples Of

[Legion]

Exactly. I don't score many hard arks these days... because they tend to be more fought over and hard to get a deal on the bigger examples. (I did score a couple recently, but I overpaid from my perspective). But I'll still snag Washita's. A clean 8x2x1" for under $50... or even under $25 sometimes is hard to pass up... and even things like boxed/labeled 8" stones under $100 still pop up now and then. Can't pass on that... especially since vintage washita stone:

1. is not mined anymore... modern washita is as I understand it closer to soft arkansas than vintage washita.
2. Actually do wear... so unlike hard arks which 99% will last until someone loses or breaks them... people use up washita's... so while they are still plentiful, they won't always be.

The local vintage Washita market seems pretty down where I live. A lot of the... too many I have bought, I have been the only bidder. And a couple of the ones I've tried to sell, even after identifying, cleaning and lapping them, have gone unsold. And I wasn't asking the Earth for them. Well under $100 US.

It's OK. When the zombies come they will be a commodity I can trade for tinned beans and whisky. Nobody is going to care about all my razor finishers then, but the knife and tool stones will be gold.

 

[duke762]

Someone said the market is soft right now. Time to buy and hang tight. Hang off on selling for a while. At least I'm pretty sure it will......

 

[Empire straights]

My feelings exactly Slice. Great minds think alike I tell ya'. Vintage Washita's are the bee's knees, there's something really special about them. I haven't been too impressed with Norton #1's or regular Norton Washitas, but 4 unidentified Washitas I have are to die for. Three are brown with stains that will never come out, possibly white at one time, and they work like a charm and never complain or let me down. I could do 95% of the sharpening most people would ever do, on them, and have fantastic results. over, and over again.

That's what makes those soft/fine washita so special. They've got bevel>pre finish under control.

 

[alx gilmore]

Japanese natural stones. They have drawn the most blood, and yet I still perfer and get along with them.

Alx