Whetstone

hwet'ston, a stone used for sharpening edged tools. The distinction between a whetstone, a hone, an oilstone, and a scythe-stone is not clear. Since 1823 our scythe-stones have been made chiefly in Grafton County, New Hampshire. Our fine-grained oilstones are quarried near the Hot Springs of Arkansas. They are considered a deposited sediment of fine-grained quartz. The Arkansas oilstone is in demand in Europe. Mechanics consider it unsurpassed. Indiana produces a coarser oilstone of good quality. The American production of these stones amounts to about $200,000 a year. A high grade stone is obtained in Turkey. See Grindstone; Sandstone