Sharpening Stones?

[Primvs Pavlvs]

Was sharpening my pocketknife this morning, and started thinking what the Romans used. There are 100s of knives published, but I have never seen a Roman sharpening stone. Anyone have a pic? I would like to make one to add to my "small kit"

Thanks

[Peroni]

You can sharpen a blade on the base of any un-glazed ceramic item :wink:

[Matt Lukes]

Or a rounded pebble from a stream. I'd think that the only formal sharpening stones- recognizable as such- would be more associated with those doing a lot of sharpening such as swordsmiths. But then even they could use whatever was to hand...

[Primvs Pavlvs]

Or a rounded pebble from a stream. I'd think that the only formal sharpening stones- recognizable as such- would be more associated with those doing a lot of sharpening such as swordsmiths. But then even they could use whatever was to hand...

Matt why would you think that Romans would not have have stones specifically for this?

There are always more applications for sharpening than weapons. Kitchen knives, utility knives, and specifically tools. I doubt that your average rounded pebble would provide all these needs.

[Magnus]

Hell, how did they sharpen their swords?

Can you also not use a piece of leather, for the final stages of the sharpening?

[Primvs Pavlvs]

Hell, how did they sharpen their swords?

Can you also not use a piece of leather, for the final stages of the sharpening?

Leather is used to remove the "wire edge" that remains after sharpening. I wouldn't really call it sharpening, its more like polishing.

[Matt Lukes]

Hell, how did they sharpen their swords?

Can you also not use a piece of leather, for the final stages of the sharpening?

Leather is used to remove the "wire edge" that remains after sharpening. I wouldn't really call it sharpening, its more like polishing.

Actually it's not just leather in a strop guys- the leather's just the holder for polishing compounds like jeweler's rouge.

And my reason for thinking it not necessarily likely soliders would have had formal sharpening stones is exactly what I said- because just a round pebble from a stream would do. Why would you think there should be formal soldiers' sharpening stones?

[Primvs Pavlvs]

And my reason for thinking it not necessarily likely soliders would have had formal sharpening stones is exactly what I said- because just a round pebble from a stream would do. Why would you think there should be formal soldiers' sharpening stones?

:wink: Did I say soldiers?

But since you brought it up I would think since every soldier carried a tool for various chores there had to be sharpening empliments. Then theres always the possiblity your not near a stream that would produce a stone sufficent for sharpening.

[Peroni]

My wife sharpens all her Roman iron kitchen knives on the bottom of a mortarium, seems to work fine!

[Primvs Pavlvs]

Adrian while this may work for a kitchen situation, your certainly not going to sharpen a dolabra on a ceramic piece. :wink:

[Peroni]

Very true.

A dolabra can be effectively 'sharpened' with a hammer blow or two!

Axes would need to be kept quite sharp, but a pickaxe/dolabra?

[Matt Lukes]

Very true.

A dolabra can be effectively 'sharpened' with a hammer blow or two!

Axes would need to be kept quite sharp, but a pickaxe/dolabra?

I would think that since there was a specific metal 'guard' for the axe end of a dolabra, it was considered important to protect the edge (or protect one from the edge)...

[Matt Lukes]

:wink: Did I say soldiers?

But since you brought it up I would think since every soldier carried a tool for various chores there had to be sharpening empliments. Then theres always the possiblity your not near a stream that would produce a stone sufficent for sharpening.

Fair enough- when you said you wanted one for your small kit, I did presume that you were referring to your soldier's kit- were you not? :wink:

And whether or not a soldier carried something to sharpen isn't quite the issue I was getting at- it was that there was no need for a FORMAL sharpening stone, i.e, one you could necessarily recognize as that used by legionaries. That's why I suggested it made more sense to expect such a formal and identifiable piece for someone who sharpened things as part of his profession, such as a swordsmith. Since a soldier or really anyone could use pretty much anything, it seems unlikely and unnecessary to expect a 'Roman' sharpening stone. Just take a pebble, rub a sort of flat face on it and voila- you probably have a common one that any soldier over the entire history of the Roman Empire had :wink:

[Magnus]

Do some stones work better than others? I'm going to assume so, since so much care is taken in certain cultures and their use of stones to sharpen and polish blades.

If so, what kind? What kind of stone native to europe would be ok?

Would they use the same type on their gladii and pugionnes as well?

[Robert]

Yes, some stones do work better then others. Your average pebble is more often then not quartzite. It's pretty hard rock and takes a lot of wear. It has hardly any grain. This also makes that it doesn't "cut" iron very well. It's fine for removing burrs and picking up an already existing edge. A sandstone is just that, a stone made of bonded sand. This has a lot of grain and can/will scratch and score your iron, crumbling somewhat as it does. There are a lot of grades in texture in sandstone (just like in sandpaper), so it can be selected to find a fine grained piece. The chances of finding sandstone as a pebble is not very high, as it will not survive fluvial transport. It can make an excellent sharping stone. A granite or basalt on the other hand has a very hard, more crystalline rock, with more "cut" then a pebble. The Romans were also very into tuffstone, a volcanic material. This has great sharpening characteristics, fine grained, not to hard, nice cutting action.
Then there is the mudstone, this has a really fine grain, and is great for getting a razor's edge (wet the stone!), but isn't very strong, so be gently on the pressure.
For best results, best to combine different types of grain/hardness, working from coarse/softer to really fine/hard.