[Regia-NA] Testing a Theory about whetstones!

[J. K. Siddorn]

Erm, no. Wrong number Sandy!

Regards,


Kim Siddorn.

The early bird may get the worm -
but the second mouse gets the cheese!


----- Original Message -----
From: "Frojel Gotlandica" <frojel@dcsi.net.au>
To: <list-regia-na@lig.net>
Sent: Thursday, July 11, 2002 10:26 AM
Subject: Re: [Regia-NA] Testing a Theory about whetstones!


If you look at the Frojel page, gallery 25   find No 82, 83, 84, 85 you will
see a pin from a large cloak
brooch which has been used as Hack Silver. note the large number of cuts in
the metal. An excellent
example.
 http://www.frojel.com/_index.html
Cheers
Sandy


>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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>
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Fr"jel Gotlandica Viking Re-enactment Society.
http://www.frojel.com/
frojel@frojel.com



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