Help identifying a natural stone.

[Rafael Herrera]

Hello,

I purchased this stone on ebay on a whim. I've become interested in natural stones
and would like to start using them.

When this stone showed up I got excited as it turned out to be a 7" x 1.5" x 1.5" stone.

I would like to identify the kind of stone it is. The first picture shows the bottom
of the stone. The second picture shows the top of the stone after I lapped it
with sandpaper.

I tried it on a chisel and it appears to cut fast. It can create a burr very fast.

Do you guys have any idea of what it could be?

Thank you,

Rafael

418988
Bottom.

418989
Top.

[Jim Koepke]

Howdy Rafael and welcome to the Creek.

Is this a natural Japanese stone, American or other origin?

Some soft Arkansas or Washita stones have a similar appearance.

jtk

[Jim Matthews]

It looks a great deal like my Arkansas "Lily white".
Medium fast cutting (neither coarse nor fine) and sufficient with only stropping to follow for basic tasks.

Mine rarely needs flattening.

[Rafael Herrera]

Hi Jim,

It's an American natural stone. It came in a mahogany box, someone crudely
carved "1865" inside the lid.

It has a strop glued on the lid. It had a lot of grime stuck to it so I cleaned
some of it with a wire brush. Any ideas on how to clean the strop properly?

It was slightly dished, so it didn't take long to flatten.

Rafael

[Edward Dyas]

I couldn't tell you what species of stone it is. It's the type of stone they made wheels out of a person would sit and pedal the wheel when sharpening their tools.

[Jim Koepke]

Any ideas on how to clean the strop properly?

My attempts would likely start with an evaluation of the grime coating the strop. Maybe some mineral oil?

At some sporting goods stores they sell an oil product aimed at conditioning leather.

Some auto supply stores may have leather cleaners.

If there are such retailers in your area it might be worth giving them a visit.

jtk

[Mel Fulks]

I think there is online stuff about early quarrying of Washita stones saying they were available in square shape.
Havent seen anything about mining them as early as 1865, but I guess they could have been used by locals long before
commercial mining. Definately a nice find !

[Stew Denton]

One more for thinking it may be a Washita stone. The stone appearance looks like the appearance of a Washita stone that I bought over 50 years ago.

The crud on the strop it likely a combination of oil and/or wax and/or grease that has been worked into the strop with possibly some dirt and maybe abrasive like green compound or something similar from years ago. Things like paint thinner or mineral spirits can cut the oil/grease, etc., but if there is wax in the mix, those solvents are not nearly as effective as toluene. Toluene has better solvency properties than the paint thinners, etc.

To clean the strop, I would try a wet cloth, wetted with toluene. Toluene is nasty stuff, however, so you should wear solvent resistant gloves, and work outside where you don't breath the vapors. I would attempt to get the toluene to soak into the leather and then after a while scrub on it lightly with a natural bristle brush wetted with toluene. After while the toluene should solvate the oils, etc., so they can rinse out and come off. Once clean you may have to let it dry for a few day. You may also have to then work some neatsfoot oil, or something like that, into the leather to condition it after pulling all of the oils and natural leather oils out of it with the toluene.

Stew

[Jim Matthews]

Unless you're deeply concerned about preservation, replace the leather.

A shoe or handbag repair shop will have scraps.
I use "contact cement" to affix mine.

[ken hatch]

I agree with others, the stone looks very much like my "Lilly White" Washita stones. The best test while not definitive is to put steel to stone and see how it cuts. If it cuts reasonably quickly and has a scratch pattern that is easily cleaned up with a polishing stone or strop it could be a Washita. If not is is likely not a Washita. If it passes the first test who cares if it is a Washita you have a good set up stone.

BTW, one of my Lilly White stones is my first stone off the Norton India. When the cutter comes off the Washita it is just a few strokes chasing the burr on a polishing stone and then to a strop. It is very quick with minimum fuss and mess.

ken

[steven c newman]

Maybe scrub the strop with Murphy's Oil Soap.....

[Andrew Pitonyak]

It has a strop glued on the lid. It had a lot of grime stuck to it so I cleaned
some of it with a wire brush. Any ideas on how to clean the strop properly?


https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?140268-How-do-you-clean-a-strop

I have seen lots of advice, consider the following depending on how dirty it really is:

Scrape it off to start if it is really bad

Just sand it down using 320 to 220 grit sand paper

Use a waterless hand cleaner and a soft bristle brush (tooth brush??). Personally, I would get some leather cleaning soap.

Some people like to use mineral oil, but I would probably only do this if I was using compound and I would look into it more before I did it.

One person said that if it is really bad shape, just hit it with WD40, which will leave the machine oil behind which you then clean-up using waterless hand cleaner. I am a bit skeptical.


At the end of the day, you may want to simply replace the leather if it will not clean up well.

[Edward Dyas]

The strop, you don't know what might be embedded in it. I would be inclined to replace it. All it is is a strip of real leather.

[Robert Hazelwood]

Not sure if the stone is a washita or some kind of sandstone. If the carved date is accurate, seems a bit before the time of Arkansas/washita stones, but I'm far from certain. A sandstone would always be pretty coarse, a washita can get fairly fine.

For the strip, try a sharp card scraper to clean off the surface grime, then strip a sharp edge on it and see how it does, if it leaves any dings in the edge. You may well have to replace it, but it would be pretty cool to have a strip and stone dating back to the Civil War.

[Rafael Herrera]

I sharpened a few chisels and plane irons with it. Takes a little more work on the plane irons since the stone is narrow. I get a burr pretty quickly and after stropping them, they are pretty sharp. So it seems more likely than not to be a Washita stone or a soft Arkansas stone.

I've a few strops, so I don't really need the one that came with the box. It's pretty thick and some scraping and conditioning should make it presentable. I think it's interesting that if the date is real, I found a 154 year old tool.

[Tony Zaffuto]

Looks to me like a Washita (I have quite a few natural stones, including some with original boxes and labels). I've had excellent luck cleaning stones with an "oven cleaner" spray soak and then very hot water rinse. If you want to live dangerously, put the stone in the dishwasher-works great, but you better be quick on your feet if SWMBO unloads the appliance!

[Rafael Herrera]

The stone is clean. My wife would freak out if I used the dishwasher to clean tools, she'd make me buy a new one. I rather buy more tools ;-).

[Jim Matthews]

Your instinct for self-preservation is strong.

The first things sold in divorce are a Man's tools.
Before long, it's his Pride wearing a price tag.