Thread: Ebay hones

Purchased some hones from Ebay as I'm looking for a finisher better/different from my Chosera 10k.
Not an easy task.



These are a Chanley Forest (I think), a Turkish Oilstone and a Tam O Shanter.

Of the three, the most interesting was the CF. I bought it on the strength of the Ebay image which was less than promising.



I just thought the dimensions of the stone of 6.75" x 2.25" were promising. I could be getting anything from a manmade hone to a Escher I thought.

When I received it, I was reassured by how smooth the surface was.

Lapping it produced a milky beige slurry.

Getting the stone wet allowed some red spots to show through. Charnley Forest! I thought - nice!

This is closeup of the surface of the stone dry:



And this is the surface when wet:



The streaks at the top are water caused by my finger wiping water across the stone.

Close up when wet:



As you can see, there are interesting white particles in the stone. Are these the abrasive particles in the stone?

I tested all three stones.

The Tam O Shanter and CF produced a rather scratchy and rough edge.

I then read in the wiki that a lot of laps are needed on the CF in order to produce a polished edge. Polishing the stone either with high grit sandpaper or laps with a blade allows it in effect to polish the blade.

A hundred of so laps later and yes, I was getting a polished edge. Still quite a few scratches but it looked and felt quite good.

I've yet to subject the Tam O Shanter to a similar process. Hopefully it will behave similarly.


I tried the Turkish Oilstone with water and it was a rather unrewarding experience. It just felt like rubbing the blade across a block of polished stone and nothing discernable seemed to be happening.



Wetting it with WD40 was much more productive - some black metal swarf appeared quite quickly.



No hint of any polishing going on though, just very fine even scratches on the blade after 50 or so laps, using a fair amount of pressure.

Again it's possible that I need to vary stroke pressure and laps in order to achieve a more polished edge.

I look through the ebay hones from time to time as well. However, I'm reluctant to buy anything because I'm never quite sure what's being sold. What's the best way to determine the approximate grit level or if the hones are any good in the first place or accurately described?

I don't think I've seen a CF with a similar texture. It does appear to be novaculite so it could also be a Llyn Idwal.

Originally Posted by diyguy

I look through the ebay hones from time to time as well. However, I'm reluctant to buy anything because I'm never quite sure what's being sold. What's the best way to determine the approximate grit level or if the hones are any good in the first place or accurately described?

You can't.

My grey hone that I think is a Charnley Forest could well be something else. I've never seen a Charnley Forest in the flesh so I have an idea what the stone is supposed to feel and hone like (very hard, very slow cutter, good finisher). It's just a guess on my part due to some characteristics it has that match that.

I spent a long time doing searches in this forum and on the web about these stones because I find it fascinating and I enjoy the chase (and the gamble).

Originally Posted by Piet

I don't think I've seen a CF with a similar texture. It does appear to be novaculite so it could also be a Llyn Idwal.

Yes - it could well be. I just thought the reddish spots were indicative of a CF. It's smooth and slate-ish to the touch, similar to the Tam O Shanter, rather than hard rock like the Turkish oilstone.