Replies

1. 
   Marsupial | Nov 03, 2009 01:18am | #1

   If water beads up on them they're oilstones.

1. 
   9619 | Nov 03, 2009 06:12pm | #4

   Marsup,YOu said that if water beads up on them then they are oilstones. That is true much of the time. However it is not true in the same sense that "2 + 2 = 4". If you pour water on a diamondstone or a ceramic stone, it will bead up. Crystolon and India stones are usually fairly easy to tell apart from water stones by their texture, but an old reddish one that has become glazed might appear to be finer than it really is. This is really an interesting issue. How does one tell one type of stone from another? If a person has a hard time telling a waterstone from an oilstone, it might be good to ask a woodworking friend. You could put some sandpaper on glass, and rub the stone on it. If a lot of stone dust appears, it is most likely a water stone. It takes a while to rub material off of an Arkansas stone, a diamond stone or a ceramic stone. There are a lot of surprising questions in woodwork. Last night, I was perusing an old issue of FWW, and a reader wrote and asked if crude oil is a good finish for fine furniture. MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot. 

1. 
   Marsupial | Nov 04, 2009 01:28am | #5

   I'm sure you're right.

2. 
   Eef | Nov 03, 2009 01:56am | #2

   rock,

   without a doubt, it would be much easier to sort through your situation if you cleaned the stones with mineral spirits, the oilstones, that is. afterwhich, you might want to post some photos. i'll wager that many here could help identify what all you have.
   eef

3. 
   JeffHeath | Nov 03, 2009 02:12am | #3

   Bring em' over to my shop. I'll have you straightened out in 5 minutes.

   Jeff

1. 
   user-219305 | Feb 10, 2010 06:37am | #6

   As to the question of determining the grit of the stones, I would look at the size of the scratch pattern each makes on steel. I would take several dull chisels and work the bevel of each chisel on a different stone and look at the scratch pattern under a bright light. The finer the scratches, the finer the grit. If necessary, use a magnifying glass or a jeweler's loupe. I keep a loupe in my shop. It occasionally comes in handy for checking an edge when I sharpen.