Stone Glazing & ID stone

I have a combination stone given by a family member whom forgot where she got it from. It could be a Chinese stone from Chinatown. I have a few questions about it. Here are some pictures:

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ie59-Z3VpBs1RCZb1am4iOMLqLXv86NJIZ7Y5EefEJY?feat=directlink


https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/a5dLATtYXXel6h6tapA6POMLqLXv86NJIZ7Y5EefEJY?feat=directlink


Is this what glazing is?

Shows a lot more with the smoother side, but I can see it on the rough side in real life, as well, under certain lighting. I tried to flatten out a gouge on the stone with a concrete brick that I got from a coworker, seemed to take out a bit of the gouge but become a bit more glossy. Should I flatten it some more with drywall screen? I may plan on getting a stone fixer/flattener or a diamond plate in the future, but am currently unsure on which or what brand. I may just stick with drywall screen for now, until I can justify getting a quality diamond plate.

Also, can anyone identify the type of stone or possibly brand of the combination stone?
Comparing with a Bester 1k, the rough side may be 500#, and the smoother side may be #1000. Seems to form burr on Forschner alright, Artifex AEB-L feels very hard, almost like grinding on granite.


Happy 4th of July, everybody! Cheers!

Artifex AEB-L feels very hard, almost like grinding on granite

Click to expand...

that just means the stone can't cut the aeb-l. i think. the stone's probably only good for softer steels.

Do you think the stone is natural? I can't tell from the pics. It looks like it relies on the surface shape of the stone to cut, rather than being made of abrasive particles. This could mean lapping it will make it fairly nonabrasive/fine. IMO glazing is where steel deposits on the surface, coating it so the stone slows down. I can't see that here. Try using it with water and see what happens.

I don't know how to tell if the stone is natural or not. The original cost of the stone should be less than $30, for sure.

I always soak the stones in water for about 20 minutes before I sharpen, sometimes a lot longer, but not perma-soaked or overnight. It doesn't seem to bubble in water like one of my coworker's combination water stone. I haven't sharpened dry before, afraid of damaging the knives.

I'll try to make a trip to the hardware store tomorrow and get a pack of coarse drywall screen, flatten the stones a little, and report my findings.