My father also had such a stone on which he sharpened everything. It too
got thin in the middle. He brought it with him when we emigrated from
the Netherlands in 1951. When I was young sometime in the 60s I found
such a stone somewhere for myself about 2" x 8" and have used it most of
my life. I dropped it once and about a 2" pointed piece broke off which
lives in my mechanic tool box the other part in my wood shop. I did
dress it a few times to keep it flat and still works great. From the
time I was a child (1940s) I watched my dad use his. Usually water was
not readily available so saliva was always used which habit I also
picked up. Works great. The stone is almost like slate.
Nick
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