Life before Arkansas Stones...

[bmiller3230]

So, back in the day--and I mean WAAAY back in the day, when the first person wondering around the Ouachita Mountains in what is now Arkansas, who had a sharp piece of steel on his belt looked at one of the rocks up in those mountains and said to himself: "Damn, that would be a fine rock to sharpen my knife on!", what were people using in it's place?

I know nothing about European stones except for coticules. Is there a European equivalent to novaculite? Something used as a pure finisher that is as good as an Ark?

 

[silverlifter]

Is there a European equivalent to novaculite? Something used as a pure finisher that is as good as an Ark?

I can't really tell the difference between a Trans Ark and Charnley Forest edge.

 

[duke762]

Charmley's are Novaculite, correct? Hope to try one someday.

 

[hatzicho]

Yes there exist a nearly perfect brother to the american Arkansas stones in Germany - in the thuringian mountains. And I am not talking about the well known Escher thuringian water slate-hones, but stones that are absolutely comparabel in hardness and sharpening capabities to stones mined in the Quachita mountains.
These stones were used as razor hones and stones to sharpen very fine instruments, before the softer thuringian waterhones have been discovered, which was first in 1807.
Here is a picture what we are talking about:

A little bit of history:
The stones were called saxoinian oilstones. Because of their red spots that according to the literature, only the best stones had, they were called "Troutstones" by the miners. There are also white, gray, yellow and green stones without spots that are quite of good quality, but softer and coarser. Also this is comparable to the different Arkansas types of hones.

The importances of the stones in the early times can also be seen in the fact, that the only quarry was rented by the famous Escher family for more than 150 years. Johan Gottfried Escher himself said that this quarry has been in the hands of his family for more than 300 years - but that’s not proven.
The documented history of the quarry began somehow in the 17th century. In the archives you can found that members of the Escher family rented the quarry from 1764 on, Johann Gottfried Escher personally signed a contract for rental in 1804. From that time on the quarry was always in (rented) property of members of the Escher company – with some small interruptions until 1939.
The stones from this quarry where noted as the best stones for jewellers, goldsmith, barbers and engravers in the 19th century. “…..the stone is of the finest grain and is able to attack even the hardest engraving needles… ” .
It is also reported that Caspar Escher, the son of J. G. Escher, personally mined the stones in the quarry in the 19th century.
Here are a few Escher labels:

Like Arkansas the stones were also used as form stones.

Troutstones on the left, Arkansas on the right side.

Also the troutstones are a bit translucent too.

The stones are quite hard to find as vintage examples right now. The quarry is not large though. Here is a picture I took inside the quarry in 2012.

Stay sharp! hatzicho

 

[bmiller3230]

I can't really tell the difference between a Trans Ark and Charnley Forest edge.

Yes there exist a nearly perfect brother to the american Arkansas stones in Germany - in the thuringian mountains. And I am not talking about the well known Escher thuringian water slate-hones, but stones that are absolutely comparabel in hardness and sharpening capabities to stones mined in the Quachita mountains.
These stones were used as razor hones and stones to sharpen very fine instruments, before the softer thuringian waterhones have been discovered, which was first in 1807.
Here is a picture what we are talking about:

View attachment 1917082

A little bit of history:
The stones were called saxoinian oilstones. Because of their red spots that according to the literature, only the best stones had, they were called "Troutstones" by the miners. There are also white, gray, yellow and green stones without spots that are quite of good quality, but softer and coarser. Also this is comparable to the different Arkansas types of hones.

The importances of the stones in the early times can also be seen in the fact, that the only quarry was rented by the famous Escher family for more than 150 years. Johan Gottfried Escher himself said that this quarry has been in the hands of his family for more than 300 years - but that’s not proven.
The documented history of the quarry began somehow in the 17th century. In the archives you can found that members of the Escher family rented the quarry from 1764 on, Johann Gottfried Escher personally signed a contract for rental in 1804. From that time on the quarry was always in (rented) property of members of the Escher company – with some small interruptions until 1939.
The stones from this quarry where noted as the best stones for jewellers, goldsmith, barbers and engravers in the 19th century. “…..the stone is of the finest grain and is able to attack even the hardest engraving needles… ” .
It is also reported that Caspar Escher, the son of J. G. Escher, personally mined the stones in the quarry in the 19th century.
Here are a few Escher labels:

View attachment 1917089

Like Arkansas the stones were also used as form stones.

View attachment 1917083
Troutstones on the left, Arkansas on the right side.

Also the troutstones are a bit translucent too.

View attachment 1917085

The stones are quite hard to find as vintage examples right now. The quarry is not large though. Here is a picture I took inside the quarry in 2012.

View attachment 1917088

Stay sharp! hatzicho

Constantly learning. That's why I love to start these conversations...

 

[Legion]

Coticules have been used since at least Roman times. Turkey stones from Crete have probably been used by the Greeks and Persians for longer than that.

You have your rag stones that were shipped around Europe by the vikings. Charnleys, Idwals, and slates from the UK, I bet the Scotts knew about their stones long before they were commercially sold in boxes.

Jnats have been used since the Japanese had steel (and on bronze before that)


Basically everywhere that had metal realised that rubbing it on local rock made it sharper.

 

[SliceOfLife]

Yes Most of the old Docs (which are typically British), talk of the Turkey hone being the go to for woodworkers with the Charnley supplanting it in some areas...

They all generally agree that Washita/Ark made the others basically trash in comparison... and the mines could hardly give them away once Arks hit their market.


Troutstone is very interesting, I'm sure I'll get one some day... but I don't think it really saw much distribution outside of Germany (never seen one sold out of anywhere else that I can think of).

 

[LJS]

For sharpening knives, any stone was used and often the stones of window sills, doorways, etc. Sand stone was mined near me just for sharpening. Now, quality fine edges were different than an edge able to cut or hack through stuff.

Go and google Henk Bos grinding and honing PDFs. You will enjoy I bet.

But the way, they used Arkansas novaculite long before steel was in the Americas. They are good for stone tools and knapping as well. It was discovered and used by man long before it was a hone.

 

[marv]

I live in Turkiye. Almost every region here has its own sharpening stones. They just don't have specific names. Shepherds, villagers, almost everyone knew the stones of their local area. There are many unmentioned and forgotten beauties in nature. We just don't realize it.

By the way, I never believed the story that the Belgian coticule was used during the Roman Empire. Is there any evidence for this historical finding? They may have used it, but it seems like they are trying to make up a history that attributes it to the entire Roman Empire. I'm not very convinced about this. I have read articles in the past like "They conquered Belgium to have the coticule"

 

[Frank Shaves]

Thanks for sharing, @hatzicho - and great photo of the quarry!

 

[hatzicho]

By the way, I never believed the story that the Belgian coticule was used during the Roman Empire. Is there any evidence for this historical finding? They may have used it, but it seems like they are trying to make up a history that attributes it to the entire Roman Empire. I'm not very convinced about this. I have read articles in the past like "They conquered Belgium to have the coticule"

An intersting point. Indeed the roman author Gaius Plinius Secundus mentioned a stone also called „Coticula“ in his monumental work Naturalis Historia (an encyclopedia of geology, botany, etc, consisting of in total 37 books, written approx. 50-77 AD).

I think most of the talknig about roman coticules referred to this citation.
But the stone mentioned there is not what we understand from a coticule stone to sharpen knifes and does not come from the Ardennes in Belgium. The descriebed stone is a hard marble like stone for testing gold and silver and is also called Lydian stone. It was found in the river and on the mountain Tmolus in Turkey. It is still in use for the same purpose today, gold testing, and you can still buy it.

But of coarse honing stones have been used in older times too. My old grinding master always said to me: If a knife was the first tool that mankind used, a sharpening device to keep it sharp must have been the second tool.

In the thuringian area there are also stone quarries, that can be dated back to the period of celtic settlement. Stones from one quarry, provenly used for sharpening issues, have been found in a celtic oppidum nearby, which existed 500-100 BC.

 

[hatzicho]

For those who are interested. In the following a copy of the original literature in latin (not the original handwriting by Secundus, but a write down published in 1469):

And a short translation of the relevant passage:
The mention of gold and silver is accompanied by a stone which they call coticula, which was once not usually found except in the river Tmolo, as Theophrastus writes, but now is scattered here and there. It is called by some Heraclius, by others the Lydian stone. They are small, not exceeding four inches in length and two in width. The side that was exposed to the sun was better the side next to the ground. In testing, workers skilled in the use of the coticulis take with it scrapping from an ore as one might with a file, they immediately can say, how much gold is in it, how much silver or copper, the scribbled difference, in a wonderful and unmistakable way.

The latin term Coticula is translated as touchstone, later renamed to whetstone....

Stay sharp! hatzicho

 

[duke762]

Yes there exist a nearly perfect brother to the american Arkansas stones in Germany - in the thuringian mountains.

And that in a nutshell is why I contribute and love this forum. I learn something every doggone day..... Thank you hatzicho!

 

[natto]

Here is a picture I took inside the quarry in 2012.

I like your backpack. Is it allowed to pick up leftovers?

 

[Bowmaker]

Yes there exist a nearly perfect brother to the american Arkansas stones in Germany - in the thuringian mountains. And I am not talking about the well known Escher thuringian water slate-hones, but stones that are absolutely comparabel in hardness and sharpening capabities to stones mined in the Quachita mountains.
These stones were used as razor hones and stones to sharpen very fine instruments, before the softer thuringian waterhones have been discovered, which was first in 1807.
Here is a picture what we are talking about:

View attachment 1917082

A little bit of history:
The stones were called saxoinian oilstones. Because of their red spots that according to the literature, only the best stones had, they were called "Troutstones" by the miners. There are also white, gray, yellow and green stones without spots that are quite of good quality, but softer and coarser. Also this is comparable to the different Arkansas types of hones.

The importances of the stones in the early times can also be seen in the fact, that the only quarry was rented by the famous Escher family for more than 150 years. Johan Gottfried Escher himself said that this quarry has been in the hands of his family for more than 300 years - but that’s not proven.
The documented history of the quarry began somehow in the 17th century. In the archives you can found that members of the Escher family rented the quarry from 1764 on, Johann Gottfried Escher personally signed a contract for rental in 1804. From that time on the quarry was always in (rented) property of members of the Escher company – with some small interruptions until 1939.
The stones from this quarry where noted as the best stones for jewellers, goldsmith, barbers and engravers in the 19th century. “…..the stone is of the finest grain and is able to attack even the hardest engraving needles… ” .
It is also reported that Caspar Escher, the son of J. G. Escher, personally mined the stones in the quarry in the 19th century.
Here are a few Escher labels:

View attachment 1917089

Like Arkansas the stones were also used as form stones.

View attachment 1917083
Troutstones on the left, Arkansas on the right side.

Also the troutstones are a bit translucent too.

View attachment 1917085

The stones are quite hard to find as vintage examples right now. The quarry is not large though. Here is a picture I took inside the quarry in 2012.

View attachment 1917088

Stay sharp! hatzicho

The orange label mentions "Arkansas" can anyone translate what it says?

 

[LJS]

The orange label mentions "Arkansas" can anyone translate what it says?

It just says that it is a substitute for Arkansas, it is not saying that it is an Arkansas stone. Bitte sehr!

 

[hatzicho]

I like your backpack. Is it allowed to pick up leftovers?

Well most of thuringian quarries are private property. The Wurzelberg quarry where the troutstones have been mined is stated-owned. Also there, normally you are not allowed to pick up leftovers. But one or two pieces maybe they won't say anything if you meet a ranger who is well-disposed to you.

 

[natto]

Also there, normally you are not allowed to pick up leftovers. But one or two pieces maybe they won't say anything if you meet a ranger who is well-disposed to you.

Thank you @hatzicho That region is worth a trip.

 

[Bowmaker]

So, back in the day--and I mean WAAAY back in the day, when the first person wondering around the Ouachita Mountains in what is now Arkansas, who had a sharp piece of steel on his belt looked at one of the rocks up in those mountains and said to himself: "Damn, that would be a fine rock to sharpen my knife on!", what were people using in it's place?

I know nothing about European stones except for coticules. Is there a European equivalent to novaculite? Something used as a pure finisher that is as good as an Ark?

I have done some research into early Arkansas as my family were some of the early settlers into the region.

One account I came across was from a circuit rider or horse preacher, a traveling preacher that local communities would put up as he traveled. The poverty that he described is hard to fathom today. These folks had nothing they were literally dirt poor, dishes, furniture, everything was crafted by hand and not store bought.

I think it's safe to say most folks wouldn't have a hone imported from Europe.

You're premise that "Damn, that would be a fine rock to sharpen my knife on" is the correct one.

"The first European inhabitants in Arkansas, French trappers, used novaculite for a whetstone to sharpen knives needed for preparing animal hides for trading."

Novaculite - Encyclopedia of Arkansas

Novaculite is a hard, dense, white-to-grayish-black sedimentary rock, composed of microcrystalline quartz. It is translucent on its thin, sharp edges and ...

encyclopediaofarkansas.net

 

[Gamma]

I don't believe there is an equivalent to Novaculite from Arkansas - Arkansas stones.
99%+ pure silica, grain structure, consistency, etc - that and more put those stones on top of the pile.

Kirwan referred to Novaculite, meaning Turkey stone, late 1700s. Was mostly referring to stones for honing razors. The term was a morphed from latin - Novacula - for razor. He added 'lite. His predecessor referred to the stones as Novacula.

Arkansas stone quarrying began early 1800s. I'd guess people were using the stones as sharpening stones long before that though. The area had been visited by many tribes going way back, I'd imagine that the sharpening aspects of the stones was well known long before official production started.

Novaculite is found in many place, including Japan. But it's not the same rock everywhere its found.

The term novaculite is somewhat conceptual, not all of it in the USA is whetstone quality.
Mineralogists and geologists don't always see eye to eye on the subject, the disparity in concept goes back to Griswold's days. It's sorta like Shale becoming Slate - there is no light switch turning it from one thing to another. Every different deposit of any type of mineral can be wildly different. Mother Nature does not follow any one single ingredient list or recipe.

Charnleys are referred to as Novaculite, sometimes I wonder about that. I have not found a geological study of that region mentioning novaculite. So maybe it is, maybe not. Might just be a loose interpretation of the material, which is fine by me. If Charns are technically Novaculite it's not exactly the same as an Ark. One does not equal the other. I've had many Charnwoods and many Arks. I still have Arks and had no need to keep any Charnleys.

Romans did have whetstone factories in Belgium. Coticules were quarried and stones were produced. I don't know if the Romans took the land for that reason, or just because they were out conquering everything. I'd guess the latter but if they knew of the stones prior then I'd guess that might motivate them. I think 3-4 factories were 'found'.

Nakayama Mountain/quarry became a 'thing' around 1150 AD.

I don't know if any records exist, but I'd think that a lot of sharpening stones from Europe were brought over as soon as people started settling here. I have seen invoices from the 1800s that listed the importation of sharpening stones from Belgium and Germany, other places too.

Remember - there were sharpening stones for sharpening stone tools back in the Neolithic period.