"lillywhite" sharpening stone - rating?

[rafezetter]

I was in Bristol Design yesterday and got chatting as you do, and picked up a fine sharping stone he had in there, but then he picked up one behind the counter he called a "lillywhite", not sure of the spelling and showed it to me - it was like a piece of green onyx - he didn't know the rating of it, so I'm curious if anyone here does.

It was priced at £80 in a nice fitting box in case anyone is interested.

 

[bugbear]

I was in Bristol Design yesterday and got chatting as you do, and picked up a fine sharping stone he had in there, but then he picked up one behind the counter he called a "lillywhite", not sure of the spelling and showed it to me - it was like a piece of green onyx - he didn't know the rating of it, so I'm curious if anyone here does.

It was priced at £80 in a nice fitting box in case anyone is interested.

Lilywhite (as you might expect) is normally white - it's a Washita stone.

https://www.google.com/search?num=20&q= ... 66&bih=595

A green sharpening stone offered for sale in the UK is most likely to be a Charnley forest.

What surprises/worries me is that Bristol design are experienced UK tool dealers and I would expect them to know this.

BugBear

 

[AndyT]

Although the owner (Charles Stirling) is definitely experienced and knowledgeable, the shop is often minded by staff who don't quite have the same level of expertise!

 

[bugbear]

Although the owner (Charles Stirling) is definitely experienced and knowledgeable, the shop is often minded by staff who don't quite have the same level of expertise!

In any case, neither a lily white washita nor a charnley forest is worth anything like 80 quid, unless the box/case is a collectible.

BugBear

 

[arnoldmason8]

Hi All ---- I have a lillywhite oilstone which I brought many years ago unboxed ( I have made a box since ) . It looks like a piece of slightly trsnslucent white marble with a greyish tinge. It cuts very very slowly ( several minutes of rubbing will produce a slight discolouratrion of the oil ) but it does produce a lovely polish to an edge. I understand that years ago these stones were used for sharpening surgical instruments .

Cheers----- Arnold

 

[bugbear]

Hi All ---- I have a lillywhite oilstone which I brought many years ago unboxed ( I have made a box since ) . It looks like a piece of slightly trsnslucent white marble with a greyish tinge. It cuts very very slowly ( several minutes of rubbing will produce a slight discolouratrion of the oil ) but it does produce a lovely polish to an edge. I understand that years ago these stones were used for sharpening surgical instruments .

Cheers----- Arnold

Hmm. That sounds much more like one of the "true" Arkansas stones.

Edit; here's an OLDTOOLS thread with me attempting to ID a stone in the Washita-Arkansas spectrum

http://swingleydev.com/archive/get.php? ... t_thread=1

BugBear