Lily White Washita stones (sort of a gloat) *LINK*

Re: Lily White Washita stones (sort of a gloat)

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>That's really cool, Joel. Jack still uses a straight edge razor, so maybe I'll buy him one. He's had to make due with my first stone, a sort-of-black Arkansas.

Pam

Great news!

L. Hanson

>Gosh darn it - Now I have to start saving all over again...

Great news! Thanks, Joel!

Re: Great news!

Todd O. Cronkhite Maine Native in FL. Exile :~(

>WOW! This is great! Can't believe that they simply stopped marketing them simply because folks stopped using straight razors. I thought the supply had run dry. wouldn't it be something if due to a thread right here on woodCentral that this stone become more widely available again. Thanks Joel.

Todd O.

Re: Lily White Washita stones (sort of a gloat)

William Duffield, on the Cohansey

>Lily White is good, for the same reason that a translucent hard Arkansas is good: Iron filings in the swarf are dark, so the more contrast, at whatever stage in refining your bevel, the more feedback you get regarding whether you are holding the blade at the right angle. You push the cutting edge forward; you pull the cutting edge back; you look at the demarcation in the oil between dark swarf and light swarf. If it is sharply defined, the edge is in contact with the stone; if it is smeared, you aren't working the edge. Of course, the sound and the feel are also important, but a third sense sure helps a lot.

This is a subtlety that I conceptualized only very recently. If you want to sharpen steel by hand, without a jig, a light colored stone helps immensely. It can save you a lot of time, once you become skilled at reading and adjusting to all the sensory feedback.

Re: Great news!

Joel

>not "wouldn't it be something" it is something - the stones are now available! - because of WC.

Joel,...

Don Thompson - Cutler Ridge, Florida

>Where would this stone fit in an arsenal of oil stones?

Don - Oil-stone-knowledge-challenged.

lily white washita

Joel

>This is a tough question because I'm only getting familiar with the stone myself.

It behaves very much like a 6-8k water stone only - it cuts a lot lot faster. Like the finishing grit water stones it doesn't need to be soaked. It like a water stone it does wear.

I haven't tried flattening one yet - but I guess a diamond stone would do the trick.

If I only was able to use one stone for sharpening this would be it. But in reality I have sets of water stones and sets of oil stones and in a standing shop there is no need to use only one stone.

But for places where a standing sharpening kit are impractical this is a great stone. Carvers who sharpen between cuts will love this stone because it cuts so fast and knive people will like it because you get a great edge with great speed. I'm using one in the kitchen now for knives and I think it's going to replace my regular waterstone setup. it's just faster. I used to form the wire on the kitchen stuff with an 800 grit stone and then follow that with a 6k stone. Now I just use the Lilywhite. I still need more time before I really settle what I'm going to do long-term but I sharpen my kitchen knives on stones all the time and this looks like a less fussy faster way to do it.

You can use them with oil also but unlike an arkansas stone these stones wear so there is no danger of long-term clogging if you use water.

We also stock real BElgian waterstones - the Blue and the coticule. THe Lilywhite cut faster and finer than the blue and faster but not as fine as the coticule (which is about the finest razor hone there is so that is to be expected)

Re: Lily White Washita stones (sort of a gloat)

Curtis TX

>Very cool. What a businesman. Sees an opportunity and works hard to fill the need. Joel, I am glad you participate in this forum! Great service.

Just a happy customer.

Curtis