Another boot sale oil stone for identification

[carpenteire2009]

Hi all
The pickings were very, very slim at my local bootsale yesterday, a lightly used 8" Bahco rasp with Ergo plastic handle (handle is removeable and can be re-used) for €1 and an interesting oilstone/ waterstone for 50 cent. It appears to be a natural quarried stone, measures approx 210mm x 44mm x 20mm. There are three distinct layers or strata, from buff coloured to toffee to dark slate or anthracite in colour. It's had each corner knocked off but a quick clean allowed me to try it out. It cuts very well, it restored a fine edge to a good stainless kitchen knife I had to hand. I would describe the buff side as fast cutting, friable. Can the other side be used also? Any ideas what type of stone this is, if nothing else I think it's quite an attractive piece of rock, whatchya think?

 

[bugbear]

Hi all
The pickings were very, very slim at my local bootsale yesterday, a lightly used 8" Bahco rasp with Ergo plastic handle (handle is removeable and can be re-used) for €1 and an interesting oilstone/ waterstone for 50 cent. It appears to be a natural quarried stone, measures approx 210mm x 44mm x 20mm. There are three distinct layers or strata, from buff coloured to toffee to dark slate or anthracite in colour. It's had each corner knocked off but a quick clean allowed me to try it out. It cuts very well, it restored a fine edge to a good stainless kitchen knife I had to hand. I would describe the buff side as fast cutting, friable. Can the other side be used also? Any ideas what type of stone this is, if nothing else I think it's quite an attractive piece of rock, whatchya think?

I've not seen a 3 layer one before, but the top layer looks very much like a coticule, an EXCELLENT stone.

Normally found in 2 layer form, with yellow upper, and blue/purplish lower layer. The lower layer is just a slate, but the upper layer
is much esteemed.

Try searching for "coticule" (possibly in conjunction with "natural" and/or "belgian"), either on the general internet, eBay, or straight razor forums to see what you've lucked into.

BugBear

 

[carpenteire2009]

Thank you Bugbear, intuition told me I had got something pretty good this time! It's a great buzz to stumble across a little bit of "gold" every now and then!

 

[AndyT]

Carpenteire, you have just won the boot sale bargain of the year award!

Nice one!

 

[carpenteire2009]

Thank you Andy, although I most admit a little white lie- when I asked the vendor how much he wanted he wasn't sure so I said to him "will you take what's in my hand?". "Yes" says he, takes the 50 cent and gives it to my daughter who was with me, so technically I got it for nothing I suppose, what a gent! Does that disqualify me from the award?

 

[rafezetter]

Thank you Andy, although I most admit a little white lie- when I asked the vendor how much he wanted he wasn't sure so I said to him "will you take what's in my hand?". "Yes" says he, takes the 50 cent and gives it to my daughter who was with me, so technically I got it for nothing I suppose, what a gent! Does that disqualify me from the award?

Award?!?? A 5 stretch more likely - robbed blind in broad daylight - although him giving your daughter the 50 cent is a noble gesture.

 

[AndyT]

Hi Carpenteire

You may have been watching this Belgian coticule stone on eBay

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NATURAL-S...K9kBiUEFq47cygNDEH1YE%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

which went for £138.30 - but you've already got one!!

Just further evidence of what a good deal you got, for -50 cents!

 

[jimi43]

Indeed...the Belgian Coticule with it's embedded garnet crystals is one of the most beautiful honing stones there is (IMHO)!

I agree with BB...I have never seen a three layer one but in the Ardennes region of Belgium where the stones come from (and are increasingly rare)...the sandstone layers vary immensely from blue to red to burgundy and layered with cream.

Use a small slip stone to create a slurry first and it will cut smoothly and fast too!

I have a number of these gems and I cherish all of them! To the last drop!

Our cousins across the Pond would bite you hand off for yours! Very very unusual!

Jim

 

[Tony Spear]

he, takes the 50 cent and gives it to my daughter who was with me, so technically I got it for nothing I suppose, what a gent! Does that disqualify me from the award?

Just wait until you want to use it - it's amazing how quickly how prices can rise in just a few days! :mrgreen:

 

[jimi43]

Indeed Tony...there is something about this particular type of stone which sets it apart from all other forms of fine edge finishing.

Carpentiere2009....the more I look at yours, the more I wanted to investigate it. I found THIS INFORMATION ON THE COTICULE FORUM (YES! REALLY...they even have a forum!)

This gives some interesting links to the various layers and their contents.

Your one has not been abused...all too often you find these have been sadly contaminated with oil which you can remove but it always seems to seep back out again for a long time and that horrible smell of oil never really goes away.

Ironically...that's how you "discover" these stones...hidden under a layer of black gunk and the treasure is only revealed by scraping the edge with a coin. I have to admit that I do this to most gunky stones I find at bootfairs. I'd say that was pretty sad myself!

For those of you yearning to find similar gems...you may be heartened to know that all of my coticules were either found at bootfairs for pennies or picked up on FleaBay at cheap prices where the stone was not auctioned as anything special but was perhaps "showing her skirts" to give a clue as to her Belgian origins....

Although after the revelation of recent values by our esteemed Prof....I have made one more addition to my "collection"!!

As you can see...most have slurry on them because I use them all and ALFIE has not been licking them! :mrgreen:

Jim

 

[Trafalgar]

Or, just pony up the bucks and buy a new one:

http://www.fendrihan.com/strops-hones-b ... 76_77.html

These 'new' ones have been in the ground for millenia, no?

 

[MIGNAL]

OK. In terms of pure function how do these differ from . . . Slate, Arkansas or waterstones.
Of those that I've listed the fine waterstone cuts the fastest, followed by Slate. The Arkansas being the slowest cutting but the hardest material. Probably no coincidence that the waterstone is the one that wears the fastest too. Slate is the cheapest to buy (by a significant margin) and gives very good results, they all do.

 

[jimi43]

OK. In terms of pure function how do these differ from . . . Slate, Arkansas or waterstones.
Of those that I've listed the fine waterstone cuts the fastest, followed by Slate. The Arkansas being the slowest cutting but the hardest material. Probably no coincidence that the waterstone is the one that wears the fastest too. Slate is the cheapest to buy (by a significant margin) and gives very good results, they all do.

There are quality stones from all over the globe where the conditions are right and the sediment is mined.

Turkey, Charnley Warner (grin!), Arkansas, Welsh slates of all varieties, Tam-O-Shanters....the list goes on.

I have quite a variety of these...all of the above and none have the same charm as the Belgians.

I think it's all down to personal experience and purpose. I don't hone razors...I know that if I did...the Belgian coticule would be the one I would choose as it is very delicate and fine.

Jim

 

[bugbear]

Or, just pony up the bucks and buy a new one:

http://www.fendrihan.com/strops-hones-b ... 76_77.html

These 'new' ones have been in the ground for millenia, no?

Yeah, but the guys who dug them in the old days dug what they knew to be the best areas of the quarry.

What's they're digging today is what the old guys left behind.

Anyway, "some people" take a dim view of amateurs buying
expensive toys, but surely no-one can object
to buying cheap stones at car boot sales!

BugBear