John Aniano in Central NJ
Hello All,

Went to a local flea market on Sunday morning and found this little mahogany box containing a nice Washita stone for under $20. The large label was facing down in the box interior. The person who spent the time to make such a nice box probably really liked the stone it protected.

This now makes 3 Washita stones that I've found this year, and I've pictured them here showing the label sides and the used surface views. The Pike stone is approximately 1-1/8" x 2" x 8-1/2". I've done no cleaning or flattening yet on these stones.

I measured the approximate density of each and found 2.13 g/cm^3 for the mahogany boxed Pike stone, 2.38g/cm^3 for the "WB-7" and 2.15 g/cm^3 for the smaller Norton stone. The WB-7 has been barely used.

My questions, can anyone (David W...) suggest approximate dates of manufacture for these stones? I'm guessing the Pike is the oldest - it has no mention of "Norton" on the labels. Can anyone comment on the relative differences between each stone? Also, when I flatten these, what final grit should I end with? Does it matter?

Now I just have to try them out!

John