sharpening stones

[Redback]

I have inherited 3 stones from my late fathers workshop and I have no idea of what use they would be.

Inscribed on the cover for 2 of the stones are
Washita
India

I presume these are 2 different types of stone.

Could anyone enlighten me on the use of these stones? Are they good for using to sharpen chisels etc?

thanks

RB

[beejay1]

I think the India stone will be a combination oil stone usually medium on one side and fine on the other. It's a man made stone and used with a light oil shoud produce a good bevel on your chisels using the medium side and a decent final finish using the fine. Best to keep it in a box and check that the stone is flat.

Dont know about the other one although it sounds like a brand rather than a type. I suspect it could also be man made, is it formed to a perfect shape?, and most likely to be a water stone. Depending on how smoooth it feels it could be anything from 1000 up to 8000 grit all of which are really for fine finishing.
Hope this helps.
beejay1

[scooter]

Redback, India stone is usually a fine, brown coloured stone that is used for final honing of blades. Gives an excellent finish in my experience.

Washita is a natural stone that is usually of medium grit.


Cheers...........Sean