Thread: A Miracle that didn't happen

Gentlemen; I'm sure many of you are familiar with the letter
by Richard Knight of Foster Lane, describing
29 sharpening stones, including the oft-sought after
"13. Devonshire oil-stone" and "14. Cutler’s green hone".

Here's one of many copies on the web;

The Principal Stones Used in the Mechanical Arts | Lost Art Press

Reading the heading once again, I noticed
that the helpful descriptive letter was actually
a catalogue of a physical set of stones, presented to the society.

"The Society Instituted at London for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce"

This is now called the RSA, and is still going.

https://www.thersa.org/

So I emailed them, asking if the 29 stones could still be found in their archives. This
(of course) would be stunning - actual examples of Devonshire oil stone and Cutlers green,
that could be examined by geologists.

I received a surprisingly quick reply from their archivist (2 days turnround).

"Thank you for your interest in information from the RSA archive. Sadly we do not have any of the stones listed in the article and no original letters etc. from Richard Knight to the Society."

It was worth a try.

BugBear

BB, Thank You. Though I have no experience or even interest in these particular stones - it this kind of follow-up that has repeatedly unearthed some great stuff. I know the honorable Randydance will agree. He & Utopian have done likewise, and come across some real treasure. Its just alot of work in between treasure finds. Keep it up!

German-Hone: Actually sounds like he's describing a coticule.

Originally Posted by scag315

German-Hone: Actually sounds like he's describing a coticule.

Yep, I'm sure that's what he was describing. It's interesting that he says that the yellow stone can sometimes be available 'in natural contact with the slate' (#16). I'm not aware of any coticule/slate interfaces. He must have been talking about BBW here. The slate-backed coticules are always glued.

Yes - as far as I'm aware all the stones other than the two I mention are well known.

BugBear

Originally Posted by bugbear

Yes - as far as I'm aware all the stones other than the two I mention are well known.

BugBear

Yes, since nobody know what he's referring to, people may even have come across these hones without getting a positive ID.

For instance, I have a small green stone that I've always considered to be a Charnley Forest hone, but it doesn't match any of my other Charnleys in look or feel, and it does put an absolutely killer edge on my blades. Maybe it's not actually a Charnley, but who could tell?