Thread: Llyn Melynllyn Welsh Stone

I decided to try a vintage Llyn Melynllyn Welsh Stone; the highly respected seller feels that this stone is a 4k with heavy slurry, 8k with light slurry or clear water and even finer with oil. I got the impression that after a bevel set with the 1k, I might be able to go from the 4k all the way to the finished product with this one stone.

It came with a nice mahogany box. I ran a hone over it just to check out the feel. Very nice to the touch. To look at this stone and its slurry most would think it is a BBW but I have been assured that it is not.


If anyone has any useful tips on how best to use this Llyn Melynllyn, (aka Yellow Lake ), I would appreciate it since this is my first time with this stone. Thanks.....

Jerry

EDIT: Hang loose while Mr. Dummy puts up a photo .....
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Why don't you ask Neil himself. He is member on this forum. Information from him is reliable and more importantly can be speciffic to your hone as naturals can vary piece from piece.

I would be interested to hear what he has to say about it. Interesting stone.

Cool! I'm glad somebody else bought one, because I've been staring at them for quite a while. I don't need it of course. But curiousity is an insatiable beast. Please keep us updated.

A very good stone. With slurry it looks and cuts as BBW, but much faster, maybe 5x faster. With plain water it gives a mirror like finish, you can shave quite comfortably, and with oil it gets even finer. Using it with this progression, you will not need stones with grits from 3k to 12k. It works like any slate-shale stone, there are no special tricks about it. It will not wear easily, so, hone with it until you can say you know this stone. And the best thing is, the quarry of this stone has been abandoned, so there are plenty of stones if someone starts to dig. The next years I'm waiting for someone to start selling fresh stones again.

QUOTE=Vasilis;899770]A very good stone. With slurry it looks and cuts as BBW, but much faster, maybe 5x faster. With plain water it gives a mirror like finish, you can shave quite comfortably, and with oil it gets even finer. Using it with this progression, you will not need stones with grits from 3k to 12k. It works like any slate-shale stone, there are no special tricks about it. It will not wear easily, so, hone with it until you can say you know this stone. And the best thing is, the quarry of this stone has been abandoned, so there are plenty of stones if someone starts to dig. The next years I'm waiting for someone to start selling fresh stones again.[/QUOTE]
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Thank you Vasilis. I had a Geneva Special A with a chip near the point so I went to the Chosera 1k, set a new bevel and then started on the Yellow Lake with heavy slurry. Diluted down to clear and polished with glycerin.
Then shaved the right side of my ugly mug. Good shave. I think it needs more time on clear water and then polish again.

You described this stone just like Neil Miller described it. I'm glad you posted your thoughts.

Jerry______________

Originally Posted by Vasilis

A very good stone. With slurry it looks and cuts as BBW, but much faster, maybe 5x faster. With plain water it gives a mirror like finish, you can shave quite comfortably, and with oil it gets even finer. Using it with this progression, you will not need stones with grits from 3k to 12k. It works like any slate-shale stone, there are no special tricks about it. It will not wear easily, so, hone with it until you can say you know this stone. And the best thing is, the quarry of this stone has been abandoned, so there are plenty of stones if someone starts to dig. The next years I'm waiting for someone to start selling fresh stones again.

Not likely to get new ones as it requires elbow grease, a good pair of legs and more importantly permission ( about that you can dream on) as it is in the middle of National Park. Also They are not uncommon to find for those who know what they looking for therefore dream prices hardly to happen to be worthwhile. What makes their price is more about their original packaging than the stones themselves.

That's unfortunate... (Not that I would like to see a National park destroyed for this reason). Regarding their price, for many many good stones, on antique stores and eBay, the sellers just sell "beautifully crafted" wooden boxes, that smells awfully, and you can't really store anything there, accept, there is also a stone in there that may worth a small fortune. all the antique yellow lake stones, including the salmens ones are sold for 20-30$ or so without shipping. I think those hones are very useful, very fine, and faster than most of the natural hones with similar grit that are sold for much higher prices.

There's a guy in the UK selling new stones listed as these. He's cut and lapped them himself and they have a purple slurry. If the originals came from a National Park surely the ones this guy are selling aren't the same as a Llyn Melynllyn Welsh Stone? At the price he sells them at I'm tempted to try one anyway, has anyone bought a new one yet?

So far i am still waiting to at least see one labeled or boxed purple coloured YL. But it does not mean that those hones are not good. Let us know how it will perform.