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Arkansas Novaculite 99.89% Silica RARE GRAY Sharpening Stone 4X1X1/2 Lot of 2These near vintage whetstones, also known as oilstones have never been used and were acquired from a woodworking shop whose owner is retiring after 40 years of serving customers in downtown Waco Texas.
The whetstones are made from Natural Arkansas Novaculite which is 99.89 percent silicone. Only found in the world in the Quachita Mountains near Hot Springs Arkansas. Made in America by Americans.
This listing is for the much rarer dark Gray stones.
Please see the original advertising sign for the stones in the pictures.
You get 2 unused 4 inch by 1 inch by 1/2 inch whetstones that may have very slight normal stone imperfections or slight dings from years of storage at the facility.
Thank you for considering!
Arkansas novaculite is recognized worldwide for its use as whetstones and oilstones, which are used for sharpening knives, surgical instruments, and wood-carving tools. In the early 1800\'s, a quarry of honestone near Magnet Cove in Hot Spring County was mined by early settlers. Records show that novaculite mining in Arkansas was intermittent from 1885 to 1905, but continuous ever since.
Novaculite for abrasives is mined mostly in Garland and Hot Spring Counties. It is classified by the abrasives industry into two general categories: \"Arkansas\" stone and \"Washita\" stone. \"Arkansas\" stone is extremely fine-grained, uniform, has a waxy luster, and is typically white or light gray. \"Washita\" stone is less dense, more porous, and has the dull luster of unglazed porcelain. When quarrying novaculite for whetstones, little or no explosives (and then only black powder) are used because blasting, combined with the brittle nature of the stone, tends to cause excessive fracturing, reducing the amount of useful stone. Rough novaculite blocks are cut by circular diamond saws, using large amounts of degradable lubricant or water as a coolant. The preformed stones are lapped (smoothed) on horizontal rotating grinding machines, using industrial abrasive grits, such as silicon caroffere.
