vintage ''Carborundum'' brand whetstone find.

thrillbilly

thrillbilly

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Saw this today at a antique shoppe. 3$ and it came home with me.

Seems pretty much unused, stone is in excellent condition although box is wore. Neat as a display if nothing else.

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Never heard of this type/brand 'stone...anyone know anything about it? Collectible? Would it be a decent user 'stone?
 
That's a pretty cool find. :thumbup:

'Carborundum' is the original trademarked name for what we know most often as silicon carbide, as named by the inventor of it. Here's a description of the history of the product & name:

(from site: http://www.carborundumabrasives.com/aboutCarborundum.aspx )
"It all began with a failed experiment.

It was in 1890. In a small Pennsylvania town, the inventor Edward Goodrich Acheson carried out a series of experiments. He tried to heat carbon so intensely that it would result in diamond.

It didn't work.

So Acheson began mixing clay with carbon and electrically fusing it. The result was a product with shiny specks that were hard enough to scratch glass.

This was silicon carbide. Also known as carborundum.

The next year Acheson formed his company in Monongehela, PA and named it Carborundum, and moved the organization to Niagara Falls, NY in 1895.
Click to expand...

Being silicon carbide, I'd think it should be an excellent user. I've no idea how 'collectible' or rare it is, but pretty cool nevertheless.
 
thanks


interesting enough...when Googling ''Carborundum'', in the top few hits, on Everything and Images is links back to my own thread. LOL gotta love the intergooglywebz!
 
The instructions on the box, for soaking in 'hot Vaseline', are pretty darn unique. Having said that, you might give some thought to avoiding soaking it in any oils or greases (assuming it's not already oiled/greased). Many here have found it somewhat challenging to remove oils from stones, once it's in there. The stone would likely be as effective using water, or dish soap & water, as the suspension medium. Much easier to clean up. I don't have a firm opinion one way or the other (oiled or otherwise), but some have found stones get clogged easier if oiled. If you're planning to use the stone, try it dry or with water and/or dish soap first. If you like how it works, no need to oil it.

And post results here too! ;) I'd love to hear how this one works.

Edited on 8/16/2020, to add:
How times have changed, as well as my perceptions. I've since found that oiling these stones keeps them working more reliably without clogging. Tried water, water & dish soap, etc, and found anything based in water won't suspend the swarf as well, nor will it do a very good job of keeping the stone from clogging. It's not that the stone can't work that way at all; but it'll need a lot more cleaning, scrubbing & upkeep attention along the way. If used with some good mineral oil, just rub some clean oil on the stone to 'float' the swarf and then wipe it off with a microfiber towel, after using the stone. No further cleaning necessary.
 
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I usually use water only. Although I just bought a new Norton's fine/coarse that I'm gonna try the Norton's Oil with, see how it works.

Just used the Carbo on my Case, jeebus! It works! Soaked it in water for about 10 minutes then dipped/rinsed it every few passes. I'm not the best sharpener (maybe closer to worst) and I still managed to get a wicked edge on the ol' Soddie. I'm quite pleased, awesome graphics on the box, and great user stone, all for 3$!

Worked on my BK9 tonight as well, Used the Norton coarse, then fine....was sharp, but after I used it on the Carbo it was really sharp. I think I'm gonna consider the Norton ''fine'' as a medium and the Carbo as the true Fine
 
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Lol!! I found this old thread while looking up the meaning of "Illegitimis non carborundum". Don't let the bastards get you down.
Then I realized I have a carborundum stone. I picked it up at an estate sale about a year ago and it works better than most of my other sharpening gear. Mine is a combination stone - medium on one side, fine on the other. Everybody should try it if you can find 'em.
 
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Nice stones! I missed this thread the first time around. I have a Carborundum slip stone I picked up a few years ago.

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I haven't had an occasion to use it yet. I'm still working on my freehand "technique :)" with a couple larger benchstones.

The small stone in the sleeve is in pretty rough shape.

A few more oldies:

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The big Norton is in about six pieces, but I like the box. :D
 
Carborundum used to have a facility in Akron NY as well. I believe they closed the facility down in the late 60's or early 70's. The site is currently occupied by Niagara Specialty Metals and I Squared R.
 
I have a couple of those stones. They are a bitch to flatten. They laughed at my DMT before transferring all the gunky oil that was left in them. They're fun to play around with and I like them as a finisher for knives.

Jordan
 
My grandfather and his deceased blacksmith father swore by carborundum stones. Don't quote me on this, but I heard that Norton bought out carborundum, I wish I could remember where I heard that. I have a few different whet stones and I like my carborundum the best.
 
Wow. I remember using my dad's carborundum stone from when he was a boy scout. LOTS of built up oil- I never had to oil it. Worked great on axes and other farm blades.
 
Great stuff! There was a carberundum plant near me in New Jersey that closed down in I believe the 70s.
I have used it to put a "Safe Edge" on files I use doing fret work on guitars, and Martin Guitar used them to level frets for years. My family had a tombstone biz for many years in NJ, and carborundum is used to sand blast the lettering on stones. Cuts right through the granite and gets used several times. Before discarding for new sharp grains. We used "steel shot" to put a nice white area on the stone, and remove the polish, then the carborundum for letters, stenciled images etc. (steel shot is why you will often find rust on a granite stone. It has to be very thoroughly scrubbed with a stiff brush and mineral spirits to remove all traces, and some skimp on that step because it can be a knuckle buster)
Of course, GREAT for sharpening knives!!
 
I use mineral oil on my Norton coarse and medium Carborundum "stones". They call their SiC "stones" Crystolon.
 
I just found one like that At an antique shop, never used still in the box. It’s an 8”x2” course/fine combo. I lapped it and used it yesterday on my kitchen knives. I was very impressed.
 
Most of the hot surface igniters on newer furnaces are made of carborundum. They heat to 1500-1800 degrees! When the current draw gets to 2.5 to 2.8 amps the gas valve opens and the gas ignites when it flows by the igniter. The module then cycles off the igniter.
 
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