Sharpening Stone Identification

[Lee Schierer]

I inherited this sharpening stone from my Dad. I know he used it for sharpening, but I don't recall ever seeing it actually being used.
447889447890
The label on the box is nearly gone. The label is dark green in color. The box is made of red oak with locking rabbet joints on the ends.

The only words I can make out are:

Original PPke Quality

BEHR - M ______________ OF NORTON COMPANY

The I in Pike looks like a Large Capital P. The stone is just under 1 inch thick, 1-7/8 inches wide and 7-7/8 inches long. Both faces seem to the the same grit and very flat. The surface is quite smooth, almost like glass. The material is translucent.

I would like to know how to use this stone.

[Rafael Herrera]

Hi there, that's a Norton Pike hard Arkansas oilstone. It's also described as a translucent Arkansas.

[Rafael Herrera]

It's a very hard stone meant to give the final polish to an edge tool. It's used with thin oil, like mineral oil or WD40.

[Jim Koepke]

The surface is quite smooth, almost like glass. The material is translucent.

I would like to know how to use this stone.

The description is what gives Rafael and me the feeling this is what is known as a translucent Arkansas stone. Pike was a company bought by Norton in 1932. An interesting read on this can be found here > http://www.nhnorth.us/pikeindustries.html

Mineral oil is usually available in the pharmacy section of major grocery stores. It is often labeled Laxitive/Lubricant. A few drops of this are applied to the stone and spread around. Then set the blade in the oil, hold the bevel flat against the stone and rub it back and forth or side to side. This is a simple explanation. Gouges and curved blades have different movements & motions involved.

The oil will prevent the metal being removed from settling in the stone. Some like a thiner solution and may mix kerosine or another thinning oil in the mix. There are also lighter versions of mineral oil available. Farm animal feed stores often carry gallon jugs of mineral oil. It may not be a 'food grade' oil such as found in pharmacies. My preference for 'food grade' oil is for use on cutting boards and other wooden kitchen utensils.

This looks to be a very nice stone. Take care with it. One of my favorite stones was accidentally dropped and is now in two pieces.

jtk

[Lee Schierer]

Well after checking the Norton site, I ran the light test again and it confirms that my stone is a hard Arkansas translucent stone. I guess the next step is to break out my mineral oil and touch up some of my small plane irons.447902

[Jim Koepke]

Just take into account this stone will not cut very fast. It will smooth over scratches from a softer oilstone like an India stone or a Crystolon.

jtk

[Mel Fulks]

That is a great early stone. I would use WD 40 .... It's D. Weaver approved.