How did earlier Americans sharpen and rust-proof their carbon steel knives?

[maximus83]

Does anyone know what techniques that earlier Americans ranging from 1600-1900 (the colonials, the pioneers, the native Americans, etc) used to field sharpen and rust-proof their carbon steel knives?

It's just a historical question, for myself I will keep using modern corrosion inhibitors and sharpening gear. But it is kind of interesting when you consider native Americans living in super wet/humid or even saltwater environments like the Pacific NW, or areas in the deep South, or the Lewis & Clark expedition once they hit the NW and were deluged with rain for months on end.

It must have been super challenging to keep those blades in good working order when operating mobile in an extremely 'wet' and/or salty environment. I assume for sharpening that white settlers and folks like Lewis & Clark had small portable sharpening stones, no idea what materials they made them out of. Using simple carbon steels, this was probably not a big deal, all you needed was probably a relatively flat/hard stone of some type, plus I have to assume they knew about stropping on leather. For rust prevention, I assume it must have been a combination of forming a patina, regular wipe-downs, and perhaps some type of grease or animal fat to inhibit corrosion. But interested to hear what others know about this.

ETA: I should add that I realize native Americans pre-colonial were using only stone implements, but they too began using steel blades acquired from traders and settlers following the colonial period. So my question here focuses on steel blades, not stone.

 

[not2sharp]

The knives got used. Rust only becomes a serious problem when the knife is left to sit on a shelf.

n2s

 

[maximus83]

The knives got used. Rust only becomes a serious problem when the knife is left to sit on a shelf.

n2s

Agree with that. "Usage is the best protectant." But also know from operating say near the Washington coastline (where Lewis & Clark were stuck for months, and where many native American tribes lived), in extremely humid conditions and especially exposure to humidity with high salinity, you can get flash rust almost from merely looking at your blade. You could be hiking in a steady rain with your Becker knife in a kydex sheath and have rust on the edge before the hike is over. I've experienced that firsthand with a 154cm Benchmade folding knife, and also a fixed carbon steel blade. So I have to think they took additional measures. Bear grease, animal tallow, something like that.

 

[Gunthusiast]

Animal fat.

 

[115Italian]

Im guessing some kind of hard stone was used for sharpening. My guess is something smooth. I saw someone once use a stick with river mud on it to make a hone.

 

[ecallahan]

I’ll bet all they had was iron and not steel in the US until the later 1800’s. Animal tallow and use for rustproof? Smooth stone for sharpening. Just guessing.

 

[maximus83]

Well here's a partial answer to one question. Lewis & Clark's packing list (here's one online version) lists "whetstones". No idea what it was made of, but they took some along.

 

[maximus83]

I’ll bet all they had was iron and not steel in the US until the later 1800’s. Animal tallow and use for rustproof? Smooth stone for sharpening. Just guessing.

Agree steel knives were probably not widespread until later 19th century. But there were some around. Here's a pic of Sam Houston's steel knife from the mid 1800's.

http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_1064449

 

[Danketch]

Not an expert, but I like American history during the "mountain man" period 1800-1840. They used to use files during this period because that was all that was available (and filemaker was a valued and skilled profession!). As beaver fur hats became more of a fashion in London and Paris, and the fur trappers grew, their buyers/trade partners brought more than just "Dupont and Galena" (gunpowder and lead) from back east . Whetstones from Europe were brought over, and traded during various rendezvous, and the use of sharpening stones increased.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Oil or grease were commonly used as a rust preventative, and maritime articles were often painted for lasting protection. For sharpening, you may find this handy reference. There were many different natural stones traded and used back in the day, each prized for possessing different qualities than others.

 

[Minnesota Man]

I believe that they used animal fat.

 

[BITEME]

About 1000 bc king Solomon states that iron sharpens iron . Prov.27:17

 

[Higgs Particle steel]

Well here's a partial answer to one question. Lewis & Clark's packing list (here's one online version) lists "whetstones". No idea what it was made of, but they took some along.

- Painted chest for carrying instruments from William Broome, 40 North Fourth Street - painted for rust prevention? Visibility?

- Wire, needles, awls, thimbles, scissors, drawing knives, vises, pliers, chisels, adzes, handsaws, augers, whetstone, brads, steel tapes, from Harvey & Worth, 62 North Front Street - proper tools for specific jobs *makes joke about Youtube bushcrafters* (sorry thats inappropriate)

- Thirty gallons strong wine, in 6 iron-bound kegs from David Jackson, 38 South Third Street - seems legit, I like it

 

[David Martin]

Arkansas stones were named, used and traded by Native Americans before 1800. The area around Hot Springs, Ark. was know as a place to find them. DM

 

[maximus83]

Oil or grease were commonly used as a rust preventative, and maritime articles were often painted for lasting protection. For sharpening, you may find this handy reference. There were many different natural stones traded and used back in the day, each prized for possessing different qualities than others.

Interesting that your PDF posted book on the history of sharpening stones mentioned "Turkey stones." That was mentioned somewhere in one of the Lewis & Clark packing lists i ran across today (the list item said something like "Turkey stone or oil stone"). Here's the reference from Jefferson's Monticello historical site that mentioned it.

According to your book, p. 5:

At the beginning of the 19th century, the Turkey oil stone quarried in Asia Minor had come into general use. [...omit]. The Turkey stone was the one by which the quality of all others was judged and thus it became the standard sharpening stone of the period.

That is an interesting quote in light of Lewis requesting one in his packing list at the BEGINNING of the 19th century. Reportedly, he was a hella smart guy and well abreast of the tech of his day, so it's kinda' cool to think that Lewis & Clark were well informed knife users and sharpeners in their time.

 

[Wowbagger]

Does anyone know what techniques that earlier Americans ranging from 1600-1900 (the colonials, the pioneers, the native Americans, etc) used to field sharpen and rust-proof their carbon steel knives?

It's just a historical question, for myself I will keep using modern corrosion inhibitors and sharpening gear. But it is kind of interesting when you consider native Americans living in super wet/humid or even saltwater environments like the Pacific NW, or areas in the deep South, or the Lewis & Clark expedition once they hit the NW and were deluged with rain for months on end.

It must have been super challenging to keep those blades in good working order when operating mobile in an extremely 'wet' and/or salty environment. I assume for sharpening that white settlers and folks like Lewis & Clark had small portable sharpening stones, no idea what materials they made them out of. Using simple carbon steels, this was probably not a big deal, all you needed was probably a relatively flat/hard stone of some type, plus I have to assume they knew about stropping on leather. For rust prevention, I assume it must have been a combination of forming a patina, regular wipe-downs, and perhaps some type of grease or animal fat to inhibit corrosion. But interested to hear what others know about this.

ETA: I should add that I realize native Americans pre-colonial were using only stone implements, but they too began using steel blades acquired from traders and settlers following the colonial period. So my question here focuses on steel blades, not stone.

As far as rust proof they skinned ALOT of grizz; the bear grease kept the knives nicely protected and the grease acted as lubricant for batonning. As far as sharpening all the cool guys knew where the time machines and portals to the future were located and so just popped to the future and picked up some nice engineered synthetic Japanese water stones to bring back with them.


That's right isn't it guys ? Yes I think I am correct in that.

 

[wade7575]

A scientist friend of mine told me that some people used and company's put the barrel's of their guns in boiling vinegar to cause a patina effect witch in turn caused the metal to turn brown the way tools tend to turn brown.

I'm not sure how long they were left in boiling and if that sat for very long in the vinegar I was just told they did some way with vinegar and it's supposed to work really well.

 

[gunfixrjoe]

I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that Lewis, but not Clark, absolutely loved his Amazon Prime membership and simply ordered DMT pocket stones from his Sat Phone. Clark despised the tech and only used smoke signals for long range comms.. His last one only stating, "Send more woo......"

 

[maximus83]

You should read more. The Lewis and Clark Journal, online Univ of Nebr edition, from the introduction:

In any case, it was Lewis that Jefferson now selected to lead the enterprise on which he had definitely determined by the end of 1802. Born in Virginia in 1774, Lewis had served as an army officer in the Northwest Territory for several years and had some experience with wilderness travel. His formal education was slight by present standards, but he was well read and had the scientific interests that characterized so many of Jefferson's friends. What Jefferson really wanted was "a person who to courage, prudence, habits & health adapted to the woods, & some familiarity with the Indian character, joins a perfect knowledge of botany, natural history, mineralogy & astronomy." His knowledge of Lewis and his acquaintance with the American scientific community told him that Lewis was as close to such a paragon as he could realistically hope to find. [8]

Lewis, a student of plants and animals since boyhood, made significant additions to zoological and botanical knowledge, providing the first scientific descriptions of many new species. Only in recent decades have his contributions been fully appreciated. The captains also made the first attempt at a systematic record of the meteorology of the West and less successfully attempted to determine the latitude and longitude of significant geographical points. [15]

From the journal, April 22nd, 1805:

the broken hills of the Missouri about this place exhibit large irregular and broken masses of rocks and stones; some of which tho' 200 feet above the level of the water seem at some former period to have felt it's influence, for they appear smoth as if woarn by the agetation of the water. this collection consists of white & grey gannite, a brittle black rock, flint, limestone, freestone, some small specimens of an excellent pebble and occasionally broken stratas of a stone which appears to be petrefyed wood, it is of a black colour, and makes excellent whetstones

I'll assume Lewis was smart enough to root out any woo from his packing list and order quality sharpening stones of his day.

 

[Bill DeShivs]

I find it humorous that young people of today assume that people of 100-200 years ago were primitive, stupid people.
Societies have been well-organized for thousands of years. People couldn't survive if they were stupid.
Knives are man's oldest tool, and he knew how to sharpen them WITHOUT a Worksharp, Spyderco, waterstones, diamond stones.
The ability to sharpen knives by hand seems to have been lost in the last 40 years or so. I think people are becoming primitive and ignorant.