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Old american made water stone

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Old american made water stone

#1

Jack Guzman from Maine

Old american made water stone

Jack Guzman from Maine

>I was under the impression that water stones were a new item in this country. Maybe they've been around in a limited form for a little longer than I thought. I found this stone in a box at a flea market along with a few funky looking oilstones.The guy told me to pick any stone for $1.In case you can't read it,it's called a water hone.The label says to keep it free from grease or oil.

The stone is gray and smooth.There is wear on the other side but the stone isn't dished,it's pretty flat and very smooth.It feels similar to my 4000 grit king stone in texture. Anyone ever seen this label before? Any ideas who made it,what it's made of?---Jack


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Re: Old american made water stone

#2

Re: Old american made water stone

Paul in NJ

>Hi Jack,

I come across a lot of this type waterstones at the flea-markets. I believe they were quite common before the advent of safety type razors and were made to maintain straight razors. I don't usually pay too much attention to them so I'm not sure if I have seen that particular label. Besides grey, I have seen them in tan and dark maroon. Not sure what they are made from but if I had to guess I would say they are man-made. They seem too uniform to be natural stones, they seem just like my King 5000 grit stone.

Paul Dzioba

Re: Old american made water stone

#3

Re: Old american made water stone

Matt Prusik

>Hi Paul!

I have one of those old stones in the original box.

FWIW, they were called CARBORUNDUM stones. And I think at the time they were made by The Carborundum Corporation. Since then, Carborundum has been made a part of Norton Abrasives which is owned today by the Canadian company St. Gobain.

One side of this stone was coarse and the other side was fine. Probably some sort of bonded aluminum oxide grit.

I remember my Pop sharpening all of the kitchen knives, shop and yard tools with that thing. In fact, I remember it quite well (as I look at a childhood scar)!

Matt Prusik

Re: Old american made water stone

#4

Re: Old american made water stone

Robin Corell in Atascadero Ca

>Carborundum is silicon carbide, the same stuff used for wet-dry sand paper.

Robin Corell

Re: Old american made water stone

#5

St. Roy prefers these for his honing stones

Patrick Gibbons, Houston, TX

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