The Holy Grail of Stones

[ccicora]

From the way this is bidding out and the way the pics look this is THE STONE TO HAVE! for stoning your chains by hand or finnishing the edge on your racing axe, saw blades and other sharp objects you play with.

I barrowed one from a buddy for Boonville last year. Dale Ryan offered me $300 on the spot for the stone. Told him I'll start thinking when he hits $8,000+! So I could cover my doctor bills after my buddy found out I sold it. These are very nice and hard to find Nortons....

If you happen to have one collecting dust, Contact me and tell no one, I'd like to try and aquire it if possible.

Oh yea, the link:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=2261364074&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT


Later,
Chris

 

[husky394]

Hey Chris,

It's only up to $162.50, why not buy it and sell it to Ryan for $300.00?

I've heard lots about Nortons, but I've never had one in my hand. Are they that much better that other stones on racing axes or chains?

 

[Crofter]

Chris; get back on your medication!

Frank

 

[ccicora]

Frank, I've been off the good stuff for just over a year now. Last year at this time I was still doped up on pain killers for my foot.

As for the stone, there is sharp and there is norton sharp. The axe I put through my foot I had about 3-5 swipes on it with a norton like the one forsale. For the guys who like to take their thumbs and slide them down the edge of the axe.... Don't do it. the axe will actualy suck itself into your thumb. With a nice clean cut of course. To me a razor os still dull. If you look at my cutting edge with a 10x-30x hand lense the edge looks smooth and clean. Thats the difference this stone makes.

Later,
Chris

 

[Crofter]

Chris what is so special (technically) about Norton abrasives. Seems that the subjective, (or is that objective) experience of chopping your foot, isn't very scientific.
Five inches long is rather a short stone to be very practical unless you really like the short strokes! Lol!

Frank

 

[Stumper]

Good grief! It is just an abrasive stone!. Yes it IS a good quality one but getting stuff sharp is a function of angles and grit size. Amazing how sharp I get stuff with a $1 aluminium oxide stone. If we want to get technical and make a fine edge We can whip out the Novaculite Oilstones- Or glue a piece of emery cloth to a smooth board -And still have enough money left to buy a good chainsaw!.

 

[glens]

Or sandpaper on sheetglass backing...

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Looking at the one bidders past wins, he seems to really like to collect stones, razors and axes. Intresting.

 

[eyolf]

I used to have one that looked suspiciously like that one in my toolbox at work, until I sold it... Got it from an old mom-and-pop hardware that was closing, gosh, 20 years ago...

Actually, that short stone wasn't ever really a favorite of mine. I also have an 8" version with the crystolon (synthetic ruby) material on one side that I like much better. Can't have that one!

I've also got natural stones, including a very old razor stone that my grandpa owned. I'll stack that old black Arkansas against the Crystolon for a fine edge any time, but will grant cutting speed to the modern one. the absolute best edge on a razor or light knife must be stropped to straighten the edge anyway. An axe or even butcher knife uses a blunter angle which will hold better in most steels.

 

[husky394]

I don't see anybody getting a racing axe sharp enough to shave without a good stone. The steel on them is different than that in a regular axe. A very fine stone is required, at least by me. I use a hard Arkansas with oil for final honing. I also have a Swaty razor hone, but I can't get it to work as well as the Arkansas yet.

There is some sentiment in the lumberjack sports community that this model of Norton stone is superior to others. I've never used one, so I can't say for sure. I can get my axes to shave the hair off of the back of my hand, but one of the top competators was kind enough to fix an axe of mine a few years back, and he was able to put a better edge on it in a few minutes than I could in have in a couple of hours. He only uesd a file and one stone, without any lubricant, but I don't know what kind of stone it was.

If Art Martian reads this, maybe he will be kind enough to enlighten us.

 

[ccicora]

A couple of years ago Stihl did a bit on the norton stone that I mentioned. If you look at the edge that has been done right it will be completly smooth with no ridges or nicks anywhere.
The reason alot of people don't like this stone is because you can work for hours it seem and have little results. This is because you skipped a stone step before you used the norton.
One of the first axes I did with the norton on the final sets I was polishing up the edge and I saw blood all over the axe and my leg. I had cut my pinkey at the second joint. I never felt the cut. There was no drag from the axe edge. You can feel a razor go through your skin, these axes there is no feeling the edge when it cuts.

Later,
Chris

 

[mitchshrader]

ooooohKAY.. i joined to toss in 2c worth.. aight, norton sells rocks. before them was pike. pike had nice fresh rocks, called 'Lily White' (sometimes) which are just delicious to work with.

I have some. I have also a NIB vintage 8x2x1 norton ''white'' that is the same general thing as the Lily White, but.. of course, deeper dug, half century later.

Now as for sharpenin an axe. There is probably somebody alive someplace that's better'n me, (and it might be you, so no offense intended) but the only two i KNOW were better are dead.

What I use is a cheap china tacklebox quality 8 inch combo rock for dressing old rusty abused/neglected (or poorly finished new) .. rough grinding that some might use power equipment to do.

then a fine diamond hone (dmt) to tweak the corners, put a working edge on,

and then a soft white arkansas (norton ain't required, it's the rock not the label, and you Could use a belgian waterstone if you wanted, they're great)

and that arkansas stone will do everything but the mirror polish, it's a hair too agressive for that.

For that i have a thin, black (mostly) natural slick old arkansas rock, more 'clayey' and easier worked than the new black 'hard' arkansas. A gem.

Now, I won't put oil on stones to sharpen with. Hand work doesn't require it. Dry stoning and waterstoning are sufficient, with much care in dressing the stones, and keeping them clean and free of metal grit. Ditto the work, as you change stones. Start a new finer stone AFTER a complete wipe-down to remove all grit/residue.

Ya'll mostly know all this stuff, I don't mean to sound important.
if ya gotta do it with one good rock n a file, trade the file for a cheap combo stone & make sure the rock is soft white arkansas with no harder spots (flecks) in it. Likely that means a vintage stone. The only alternative is a belgian waterstone. Good one runs about like top grade arkansas, 50-200$ for big clean stones, depending how big & who you pay..

[email protected]
if you want to discuss good rocks. or swap me one, or outa one.