Boxed Norton Black Translucent Ark
This is a smaller stone in its original oak box. The stone and wood seem to have never been touched by oil; there are no stains and the stone does not have the typical oil/petroleum odor that most vintage Arkansas stones have. I do think this stone is NOS and never used, even though the box shows considerable wear.
The stone was, originally, glued into the bottom of the box. Over time, the glue dried out – allowing the stone to be removed easily. I cleared most of the remaining glue from the bottom of the stone and inside the wood box; both are very clean but some glue remnants remain.
The stone’s bottom is uneven, and it will rock a bit if used in the box. Because it’s a smaller piece, it can be used hand-held fairly easily. The top has been lapped and polished & the edges have been chamfered
This stone was cut, packaged and sold sometime between 1931 and the mid 1950s, the label shows both the Pike and Behr Manning logos so it’s possible that this stone dates to the 1940s or possibly earlier.
The box reads ‘Hard Arkansas’; back when this stone was sold, there was no ‘translucent’ grade, only hard and soft grades existed. You can tell this is a translucent because it transmits light toward the center of the stone when a flashlight is placed on the edge. Another indicator - the very edges of the stone show the glow from ambient light. The true test though, it to hone on the stone and this gem proved itself beyond question. The feedback is super smooth and ultra fine and the razor edges from it were uber-keen and extremely silky.
Approx. Dimensions: 4.9 x 1.8 x 1.0” / 125 x 46 x 25 mm
Weight: 13.3 oz / 378 g