Here's a bunch of questions mainly aimed at Mr Weaver, but any comments are equally welcome.
I have been reorganizing my workshop a bit and in that process I have tried to make an inventory, getting rid of some stuff and try ing to put some other stuff into use.
I have several hone stones which see almost no use. Some of them are badly worn, scratched and uneven, but some are good enough to be used. And remembering David's points about certain stones for certain uses and steel, I now wonder how I could put these stone to use.
Before asking my questions I should add that I am a mixed user. I don't swear to any specific method, material or grit. I use diamond plates, sandpaper on glass, natural stones and a fine/ultra fine Japanese water stone.
So here goes:
Norton Pike oilstone (6 inch) with a coarse and medium surface. I prefer to do my sharpening with water, but if there are areas where this oilstone serves better, Id be happy to try it out. If not, it will have to find a better home.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/finnberg68/sets/72157642218701585/
Carborundum no 115. I have tried this stone several times. It cuts, but theres something I don't like about this one. It's a noisy stone, it seems to smear a lot and I can't say I think the cutting is exceedingly good. But maybe I'm using it for the wrong purpose.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/finnberg68/sets/72157642244274204/
Dalmore Blue Hone. This Scottish stone seems to cut rather quickly, creates a very rich slurry and I have used it with good results on some tools, but it is rather soft and seems to wear quickly. Does it excel in any specific fields or with specific metal?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/finnberg68/sets/72157642218701745/
Unidentified green natural stone I. Not sure if this was made as a razor's hone or something else, but this one inch wide and maybe 6 inch long piece of stone is uneven on all four sides. It is an efficient cutter, but in it's current condition it seldom sees any use. I wonder if this one was deliberately made hollow for sharpening curved edges? It looks rather dull when dry but will display beautiful shades of light and dark green blended with streaks of black.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/finnberg68/sets/72157642218701555/
Unidentified greenish natural stone II. My pictures will probably struggle to properly display this stone, but it is a large piece, being approximately 10 X 2 X 2 inches. This one is very ugly on the surface, but I would consider this a honing stone. It will create a mirror image, if you can find a flat and unscratched area on the surface.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/finnber...7642218701645/
Unidentified grey natural stone no III
Measuring 2 by 5 inches, this is probably the most used stone in my workshop. It is a lovely, very fine stone and despite having used this one for honing on a almost daily basis, this stone is still dead flat. It's very hard, it can be used with very light or really hard pressure. This one is a sure keeper, but out of curiosity I'd like to know what it is.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/finnberg68/sets/72157642218701465/
Unidentified natural stone IV. This one is rather thin, measuring 2 3/8 x 8 inches. It is very hard, the colour being a dull graphite when dry and almost black when wet.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/finnberg68/sets/72157642218701535/
Unidentified natural stone V: I don't like this stone. It seems rather coarse, it is loud and when tested haven't produced any significant results as a cutter. Again a very hard stone, but with a very bleak undefined dark hue when dry and day petroleum when wet.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/finnberg68/sets/72157642218701685/