[Regia-NA] Testing a Theory about whetstones!

[TGS]

Hey,
No one mentioned that apparently most (if not nearly all) bits of silver 
found (particularly hack silver in hoards) contain nicks and such marks 
from testing.

Very interesting.

Do you have a digital camera?  Maybe you could take some pictures?  If you 
have a scanner, I bet you could scan the stone directly.  Although I'd 
suggest putting a sheet of clear acetate or something on the glass of the 
scanner first.

If you don't have a DC or scanner, if you want to loan me your stone, I'll 
take some pictures and then send it back to you.

Thanks!
Tom

At 09:24 PM 7/10/2002 -0400, you wrote:
>Hej!
>     Well I have to eat my words.  The whetstone test for impure silver
>worked far better than I expected it to.  I first took a piece of fine
>silver (.9999) & made an initial rub test spot it looked kind of dark, not
>shinny at all.  Next to the fine silver I rubbed a piece of Sterling (.925)
>& the mark was noticeably a little darker.  I then debased a small piece of
>fine silver with about an equal weight of brass wire (I don't know the exact
>composition of the wire I used) by melting them together, I pickled &
>polished the resulting silver compound (.5~).  It was about the same color
>as the Sterling when viewed as a piece of silver, but notably less malleable
>than the fine silver.  When I rubbed it on the other side of my test mark it
>came out much darker than either the fine silver or the Sterling.  While I
>am not ready to concede that this was the only purpose of the whetstones, I
>will believe it is one possible use for a commonly carried item.  Ain't
>experimental archaeology great!
>Pax,
>Olaf
>
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