Thread: suggestions and ideas on researching local whetstones

I feel confident that back in the day no matter where "home" was people where able to sharpen implements on stone sourced locally. Granted some are better suited than others. Back then, your life very well may have depended upon your having a sharp, knife ,axe or hatchet.
(I've never before, wished I were a geologist with a minor in mechanical engineering lol.)
Occasionally I suffer hone envy when I see $1000,00+ Japanese stones. I'd be shocked if there weren't some very fine stones lying about this very moment at mLong story short I grabbed a piece of rock I saw edging a garden in an abandoned home nearby, one side a perfectly flat, There is an active limestone quarry very close by and I think it's chock full of quartz. So nothing ventured nothing gained, imagine my surprise when I worked up a little bit of slurry, which had a habit if turning gray and black. It's no holy grail but...

Perhaps someone can steer me towards a primer of some sort so I can develop a local stone theory. It seems as if once the U.S. began it's love affair with Arkansas novoculite, and the various and sundry bonded concoctions that any local tradition/ lore was forgotton or lost.
Thanks, Mike

There are some members who share your interest. One of the most knowledgeable on the topic is the OP in this interesting thread here . Do a search for other posts by A_S and you'll find a wealth of info.

Thanks Jimmy, me knowledgeable? It brings a tear to the eye.

*Mike, a fantastic source of information can be found here A work from the 1890's may seem old, but remember less than a century later synthetic stones were the dominant market force, and the vast majority of natural hones had long been forgotten. The dawning of the age of Carborundum dealt the final blow to those few areas that were holding out, Carborundum being the major factor in Grindstone City, formerly the source of the "best hones and grindstones in the world"(although there are numerous other areas who make this claim about their hones), becoming a ghost town. One hone producing area that did survive the onslaught of Carborundum was the Blackdown Hills in Devon, England, home of the famous Devonshire Batts, the industry here finishing following the retirement of the last miner in the early 1900's. This was another major factor in the decline of many hone producing areas, the loss of a knowledgeable workforce. The hone industry is very difficult, even before synthetic stones, many seemingly profitable ventures failed due to a lack of knowledge, at, for example Carp River in Michigan and Monday Creek Quarry in Ohio.

*Anyway, back to the link I provided, Griswold gives a great deal of information on the economic and practical considerations of manufacturing and marketing hones. He also provides comparative analysis of areas producing similar types of hones and gives a good account of how the varying factors effect each one.

*As you mention yourself, the success of the Arkansas hones was another factor that had tremendous impact on other hone producing areas, both in the U.S. and abroad. Those retailing Arkansas hones were able to take a significant market share very early on and consequently were able to provide commercial amounts of hones with a longstanding reputation at competitive prices. The impact of the Arkansas hones was even felt in England, as these hones replaced Charnley Forest hones in the British market.

*If you want more information on hones from your area, a good place to start would be in the Government Geological Survey of your particular state, as these normally treat upon the various economic products of each states mineral resources. You could also try looking into various text books on the subject of economic geology, although these are unlikely to go into great detail, they will examine those types which had a significant market share. Arkansas hones had the major market share, but other areas produced hones which furnished a national trade such as the Virginia Oilstone, Monday Creek Hones (for a short time), and the various types of Hindostan Whetstone. The Mines Branch also produce a yearly report, so you could try looking at those reports from the 1800's. Another member, I think it was thebigspendur, suggested overlaying on Ordinance Survey Map with a Geological Survey map, which would help you pinpoint suitable stones in your area.

The most important thing to remember, and a point which I've raised countless times, is that the majority of hones were produced to serve a very localized market, and consequently, knowledge of the stones is very much a local thing. This makes the job of researching them that much more difficult, and where the information has not been recorded, that knowledge is lost altogether. A good example of this is the state of New York. Local craftsmen preferred imported hones, most likely Arkansas and Turkey hones , and as a result of this local quarries were never opened up and were of little significance. Contemporary reports however, claim that stones of the finest quality abounded in the area, but because the quarries were not economically significant the exact locations are never given, and these hones have been lost to the ages.

Whereabouts in the U.S. are you? Chances are I may know about some hones / Whetstone from your area.

Kindest regards,
Alex

It may sound crazy, but one of my goals in life is to obtain some samples of the mica schist from the Carp River in Upper Michigan. I've traveled to within 15 miles of that area some years ago (before I was into razors and hones). It's about 8-9 hours from where I live.

An intriguing stone not only for its purported excellence as a razor whetstone, but also because that stone is among the oldest rock on the planet. Who wouldn't want a whetstone that has such a pedigree?

There is a museum right around that Carp River area for the old Jackson iron mine. They have no information regarding the mica schist.

The Carp River banks are what I would consider to be if not hostile, challenging to traverse since the brush, trees, etc go right up to the river's edge from the pictures I've seen. Think very heavy brush. Also, as in most places in the Northern U.S., it would be intense mosquito, gnat and biting fly country. It has potential for being something akin to a jungle excursion. Also, a person would be required to contact land owners prior to waltzing on any land.

Chris L

Going off topic for a second, I noticed that my previous post has been somewhat jumbled up, I've rectified the problem now, but a lot of the words were out of order. I've noticed this with a couple of my other posts recently as well. Is anyone else experiencing a similar problem?

Kindest regards,
Alex

I've not noticed that yet Alex. OTOH, I normally preview my posts and proof read because my spelling is so atrocious.

Are there any good sites in SoCal? I've seen some semimentary stones near my home that look like my Japanese Ohira stones, but they are too big to test out.