All About Pocket Knives

This sharpening stone has been in my possession since at least 1968, and in my family for many years before that. It has a very fine surface almost smooth. It is branded "Red Devil S&H CO N.Y. U.S.A". I have seen Red Devil knives (Electrician), but am not very familiar with the brand. The stone is 5 inches long, 2 inches wide, and 7/16" thick.

I would be grateful for any insight / education that could be provided on what this is, who made it, etc.

Thanks for looking.

It's a razor hone. There was a line of straight razors by the same name. Some were made by Case.

I also remember Red Devil paint scrapers. Possibly was meant to be used sharpening them???

Picked this hefty beast up yesterday. The stone is Aloxite by Carborundum and the box is made of one piece of wood.
Top notch work.

TripleF wrote:Picked this hefty beast up yesterday. The stone is Aloxite by Carborundum and the box is made of one piece of wood.
Top notch work.

Another great find Scott.
A lot of work and detail went into that wood block.
They don"t make em like that any more.

TripleF wrote:Just stumbled on this tidbit of info:

http://www.sharpeningsupplies.com/Diffe ... 1C117.aspx

One of your great past posts Scott.
It explains many questions I had concerning different sharpening stones and their proper uses.
(I printed it out.)
Thanks,

Posted in Remington knives forum:
5-1/2lbs

Schmoozer - that Remington stone holder is no lightweight! Very cool piece. I am assuming that the stone not the original? The stone looks a lot more pristine than the holder.

Here is a Brookstone soft Arkansas stone I recently bought. I use it for my kitchen knifes. It replaces a combination stone that I got a Lowe's (I think) a decade or so ago. The Brookstone is a very nice oil stone in my opinion, though I will admit that I just started using oilstones a couple of years ago, so I am no Old Timer when it comes to oil stones.

Nice old Cattaraugus stone and box

I like that Cattaraugus stone and box. Very nice label. I find it a bit strange that the labeling on new sharpening stones is just plain boring compared to some of the older stones. I recently got a nice new soft Arkansas, but I think the folks who sell them could raise the price a bit if they had some labels reminiscent of the old time boxes.

My son gave me this for Christmas. So far in my research I have not come across one just like it, there are some similar with a 4 sided taper but this one is square, 6" X 11/16". It is made by Carborundm and what is left of the decal on the handle says: No. 3(?)0, CLOTH CUTTERS KNIFE STONE and of course, Carborundum Niagara Falls surrounding the Indian head. The metal ring between the wood handle and carborundum is stamped CARBORUNDUM. It has to be a specialty item, what do cloth cutters work with that needs sharpening? Scissors or maybe a stationary blade in a sewing factory, tarp manufacturer. Anyhow it's different.
Treefarmer

Thanks for the input, Chris.
Treefarmer

royal0014 wrote:Back in my days working in the weave shed (loom weaving)
the 'cloth doffers' used knives like these to cut the rolls of cloth from the loom.
They had to be sharpened from time to time, though ours had a medium-sized
flat stone for the task.
These are also called 'shoe knives' which is the term I had to use to find a picture ....

Can't get the picture to load so here's the link ...
https://www.katom.com/135-75330.html?gc ... gLW5_D_BwE

I was able to download the pictures so here are a couple of them, along with the description.

Square Point Shoe Knife, 3-5/8" for cutting, trimming, layering, and splicing such materials as leather, rubber, and plastic. Durable hardwood handles are rounded for comfortable fit. Proudly made in the USA.

Ken

A friend that also likes knives and that I sharpen for gave me this stone last year. It's a fine/coarse. Almost new.
A norton pocket stone I like to use. It's some kind of a medium grit, so it can be used for shaping and for sharpening the apex. The other side has norton stamped into it but I don't use that side

Just found this stone at a flea market. Approx. 2 inch wide. 5 inch long. And inch and quarter thick. Very hard. Very smooth. Looks natural not man made. Needs a cleaning. Thinking it’s a hard Arkansas stone. Any other ideas? Thanks. Tups.

Tups wrote:C2D65535-82C8-4F3C-95C5-40E4BC7E0D73.jpegEA4423CC-E13B-468F-8399-A3FA95D03004.jpeg6820790F-8E4B-4A94-917B-26F1FA7A2A4A.jpeg

Just found this stone at a flea market. Approx. 2 inch wide. 5 inch long. And inch and quarter thick. Very hard. Very smooth. Looks natural not man made. Needs a cleaning. Thinking it’s a hard Arkansas stone. Any other ideas? Thanks. Tups.

Knice stone.

I don't know much, but I guage how smooth it is by how porous it is....don't know if that's correct.

Someone here shared how to clean them and I still do it to this day. In a ziplock bag with EASY OFF oven cleaner. Soak for 30 minutes with stone inside.
Works awesome!

KnifeSlinger#81 I believe that Bear brand company stone sells automotive products like front end alignment and head light aiming machines. May have been a gift item?

TripleF. Thanks much for that cleaning tip. After it has soaked in EZ OFF, do you then just rinse it off or is there a lot of scrubbing involved?

Seems to reason that a harder stone would be less porous but like you I am just ruminating. I know just enough to know I don’t know nearly enough. Anyway, I’m hoping this thing is a hard Arkansas so I can find out how that will affect my sharpening.

Tups wrote: Anyway, I’m hoping this thing is a hard Arkansas so I can find out how that will affect my sharpening.

Welcome here, Tups.
The stone appears to be a White Hard Arkansas, but no matter what it is try using it. I suggest using water instead of oil.
If it's a White Hard Arkansas it wont affect your sharpening much unless you have a pretty decent edge on your blade.
That is a hard stone.
A softer stone like a Oushita or Waushita (SP) Arkansas or the coarser carborundum stones (still using water) will give you quicker results because they remove metal faster.
Or even better, use a 500 or 800 grit water stone to create an edge and work on up to your liking.
Buy big stones. The country is awash with large and small stones for cheap. Buy all of them.
It's great to see that you went in the direction of an old timey sharpening stone.

FRJ. Thank you for your reply. I found it helpful. I had not thought of using water on a natural stone but see no reason not to do so. I have been using diamond stones and carborundum for a number of years with good results. I agree they are very efficient. I always finish with a ceramic rod to get my edges nice and sharp. I have never had the opportunity to use a hard Arkansas stone until now. I see lots of carborundum at flea markets and garage sales but this is the first natural I’ve seen. I guess I see the hard Arkansas as a traditional alternative to the ceramic rod.

I have several natural stones and I like them a lot. I hope you enjoy yours.

Tups wrote:TripleF. Thanks much for that cleaning tip. After it has soaked in EZ OFF, do you then just rinse it off or is there a lot of scrubbing involved?

Seems to reason that a harder stone would be less porous but like you I am just ruminating. I know just enough to know I don’t know nearly enough. Anyway, I’m hoping this thing is a hard Arkansas so I can find out how that will affect my sharpening.

No scrubbing, the EZ OFF does that, just rinse with warm/hot water!

[image][/image] I cleaned up my stone using the EZ Off method and it worked very well. I am certain it is a hard white Arkansas stone. Thanks for your help and suggestions.