The Washita Thread
- Thread starter Desert Rat
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Wow. Super low. I have another one that might be similar, but it is glued to a base so I can’t measure.
Here are some pics of my Dan's soft Arkansas. I don't know if it's the same batch but looks very similar. I am a little ashamed to say I have I hardly used it. Got it for a song on eBay a few months ago but have been swamped with work.
The base on that is fairly identical to the one I was thinking of. I didn’t get mine from Dans though.
Desert Rat
Senior Member
A Dan's soft. I don't think I have checked the SPG but it for sure runs towards the fine and hard side. It is part of a set of replacement stones arks for the Norton tri hones, so 2 1/2" x 11 1/2" x 1/2". Probably why I haven't checked the SPG, I might not have a container big enough.
I was using it here on a garage sale special that looked like it hadn't ever been sharpened as the coarse stone because I do stupid stuff in the name of practice.
I was using it here on a garage sale special that looked like it hadn't ever been sharpened as the coarse stone because I do stupid stuff in the name of practice.
Someone should jump on this. The Soft Ark / India combo are pretty rare. This is a great price. I already have one or else I would have already pulled the trigger.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/4039561006...uid=VuwApSeIS82&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
https://www.ebay.com/itm/4039561006...uid=VuwApSeIS82&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
BillHanna
Gotta get ready for ARM
They owe you commission. Sold out.
KingShapton
Senior Member
A great price if you live in the right country! The shipping to Germany would have been a bit more expensive than the stone itself, plus customs and import duties.
Unfortunately, this makes many very interesting stones on ebay from the USA just too expensive for my taste!
I feel the same way about UK eBay from stateside.
Although the import duty on top of cross-ocean shipping seems like extra lemon in an already-salted-wound
Well depending on who you buy from, state-to-state can be insane. I recently saw MTC had the King NEO on clearance for $26 but they want $18 for shipping!
Sorry, I know that's not Washita related but I'm still not over it.
Sorry, I know that's not Washita related but I'm still not over it.
KingShapton
Senior Member
Oh man, please don't talk about MTC and the clearence offers, MTC isn't shipping internationally at the moment, there's talk of a pause....but I don't even want to know what shipping costs MTC charges for shipping to Germany ...for 1 stone....Well depending on who you buy from, state-to-state can be insane. I recently saw MTC had the King NEO on clearance for $26 but they want $18 for shipping!
Sorry, I know that's not Washita related but I'm still not over it.
I've never bought from them. Is that a common tactic for them?
KingShapton
Senior Member
Pausing international shipping?
I rather suspect a connection with the fact that the whole world is crazy right now - war is always ****!
And now back to washitas.....
Nice score B!
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I wonder if anyone knows whether these are still in production?
Some Norton price lists suggests they are, but no one seems to ever have them in stock. Perhaps a casualty of the gradually dwindling of their Ark range...
So then... Dan's Washita vs Old Washitas.
Note first that this is the Dan's Washita, not the Soft Arkansas. It's not part of their core range and is only offered occasionally. The SGs of the stones above is: Dan's - 2.02, Middle Washita - 2.12, bottom Washita - 2.38. I've intentionally selected Washitas with SGs at the low and high end of the range to compare.
Rather predictably the Dan's stone isn’t actually that bright white colour, though I wasn't expecting this tbh; the picture below shows it with a smear of oil, but before being used, there's no swarf here just that the stone is grey and mottled.
The OTB surface finish of the Dan's stone is incredibly rough, the stone is quick though it finishes very low indeed - 600 ish at a guess. Despite that it's still no faster than the two Washitas, perhaps even a little slower, though both of those stones are at the very quick end of the spectrum. They obviously finish much higher as well.
I then lapped the surface of the Dan's a bit with a 400 Atoma, which completely changed it. Now the stone is fairly slow, much finer finishing, and the surface burnishes quite easily. Because despite the low SG it's not as friable as some some of the colourful Calico type Arks.
The Dan's Washita is most certainly an interesting thing to have, and I'll definitely use it - indeed it set the bevel on a razor very well a couple of days ago. But I can see why it's perhaps not a stone that they stake their reputation on. The Soft Arkansas stone that @rocketman cut himself and sent me for instance is objectively quite a lot better material.
Note first that this is the Dan's Washita, not the Soft Arkansas. It's not part of their core range and is only offered occasionally. The SGs of the stones above is: Dan's - 2.02, Middle Washita - 2.12, bottom Washita - 2.38. I've intentionally selected Washitas with SGs at the low and high end of the range to compare.
Rather predictably the Dan's stone isn’t actually that bright white colour, though I wasn't expecting this tbh; the picture below shows it with a smear of oil, but before being used, there's no swarf here just that the stone is grey and mottled.
The OTB surface finish of the Dan's stone is incredibly rough, the stone is quick though it finishes very low indeed - 600 ish at a guess. Despite that it's still no faster than the two Washitas, perhaps even a little slower, though both of those stones are at the very quick end of the spectrum. They obviously finish much higher as well.
I then lapped the surface of the Dan's a bit with a 400 Atoma, which completely changed it. Now the stone is fairly slow, much finer finishing, and the surface burnishes quite easily. Because despite the low SG it's not as friable as some some of the colourful Calico type Arks.
The Dan's Washita is most certainly an interesting thing to have, and I'll definitely use it - indeed it set the bevel on a razor very well a couple of days ago. But I can see why it's perhaps not a stone that they stake their reputation on. The Soft Arkansas stone that @rocketman cut himself and sent me for instance is objectively quite a lot better material.
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Man I’m envious of you guys finding the soft washitas. I picked these two up for pretty cheap hoping at least one would be the soft type. I still need to finish lapping but I’d say the are more in the middle range. The lighter one has some noticeable orange streaks which I thought was characteristic of the soft stones
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So my take is this...
Washitas (the old P-N type, which both of yours are by the look of it) aren't ever particularly soft, and that's precisely what gives them the big range. Washitas cut quickly not because of how soft or friable they are, but because of the surface 'pore' structure which makes them very aggressive when used with pressure. But because they're also quite hard - when used with very light pressure they can act much more like a hard Ark.
A soft Washita is basically like a soft 'Soft Arkansas' stone. A hard but highly porous Washita is something very special.
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Thanks for sharing this info. I guess because I have never had a labeled soft stone I just didn’t understand. Here’s one I picked up that is hard but still cuts. I’ve been using it at my bench for the last few weeks and I’m liking it the more I use it. It was glazed when I got it but after a quick refresh seems to cut somewhat nicely. It has some translucency yet shows pores.
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Yeah it can be a little confusing when people talk about softer and harder Washitas, and there is certainly some variation but it's quite small. In the grand scheme of things compared to a lot of other natural stones - they're all quite hard. In general the lighter / less dense stones will be faster cutting, though there are exceptions, and also tbh: all old Washitas are pretty good. I've maybe had nearing 50 now, and they only vary between very good to excellent.
Your one in the wood box there looks toward the finer end of the spectrum, is it...? (Nice collection!)
Thanks! It’s interesting trying to figure out these stones.
The boxed stone is on the finer end it seems. Although It will produce a burr on a plane iron or chisel pretty quickly. This maybe be due to the recent coarse lap or maybe it just has some range. I guess I’ll find out more when it settles into in a bit. I measured the SG at 2.37.
The one with the orange streaks is 2.23. Maybe this one will turn out faster than I initially thought.
The older looking sandy mottled stone was 2.37. Even though the SG matches with the boxed stone, it’s been quite a bit harder to lap flat. There’s also a bit of variation between the large faces of this one.
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New eBay find. Broken one that I am going to try and mend.
Desert Rat
Senior Member
Wow! Thats my holy grail stone. I wonder how much of that color is old oil, are you going to clean it?
I'm guessing like the Lilly White the Rosy Red was perfect on both sides and those with slight flaws got downgraded with the number ones or twos?
I have been going to flea markets and antique shows for years and have found one badly worn washita and a broken half in the wild.
I'm guessing like the Lilly White the Rosy Red was perfect on both sides and those with slight flaws got downgraded with the number ones or twos?
I have been going to flea markets and antique shows for years and have found one badly worn washita and a broken half in the wild.
I have only found one washita in the wild. At a flea market in Las Vegas of all places several years ago before I knew what a washita was. That's the one I have kept too actually. I have gifted, sold, or traded most of the others I have come across.
Now you’re just gloating.
You finally found one. In the wild or online?
