Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1883-12-27
The GrindStOne.
One of the necessities of the farm is

The GrindstOne.
One of the necessities of the farm is a
grindstone. and, of course, it should be
a good one, and like everything else
about the premises, well cared for.
There is as much a right way and a
wrong way of treating grindstone as
there is of treating a reaper or an ami
NAL 1t is not often that we see much
about the common devices of the farm
in the papers. They are so common, in
fact, as to pass almost unnoticed. But
n writer in the Cincinnati Gazette has
taken up the subject of the erindstone
and treated it in such common-sense
manner that we gladly reproduce it for
the consideration of our readers. He be-
gins by saying:
The farmers grindstone is a most
valuable piece of property. If You do
not believe it, try to get along without
one. 1t is my intention to relate little
experience, learned last summer by ac--
cidentally havingm grindstone broken.
Never until then did I have correct
estimate of its Importance in the opera
tions of farm work. First | wanted to
grind some corn-knives with which to
trim my hedge. Then 1 desired to
sharpen an ak to cut some poles much
needed; some of my carpentery tools
required edging. and last, but by no
means least, wanted to grind sickle
in order to NOW some weeds. The re-
suit in each case was | had to use dull
tools until l could go to the city and
oct new stone You can believe that
l went at the earliest, possible oppor-
tunlty. g
s OF course, this was an exceptionally
busy week, but it serves to show the
vast importance that such a thing as, =
common grindstone plays in rural
economy. Twas without q stone five
days, and, during that time, had occa-
sion to use one at least five times. On
the sixth purchased two stones, one
coarse grit, for grinding the duller
tools, such as hoes, spades, cOulters,
axes, ETC., and the other a finer grit for
grinding tools that require a keener
edge, such as knives of various kinds,
chisels, plane-bits, hatchets, etc. | be-
lieve every farmer should have two
good grindstones of different grits. One,
at least, should be found in good work
ing order upon every farm. The man
who has none certainly cares not either
for himself or his neighbor He is con-
tinually losing time-and time is money
and has the displeasure and dissatis-
faction of working with dull tools.
Do not get old, rude, unpublished
stones, but get a good, reliable one,
with the Improvements of the day upon
it. The time was when it required two
men and boy to grind an axe. Now
the bov alone can do it. A little self
adjusting, machinery with frict on
wheels and treadle, comprise his help.
When buying stone, get one with au-
tomato sickle grinder. Their cost is
but Slightly additional and their use
will save you many times their cost. A
dull sickle causes extra and needless
wear and tear of machinery, and use
less expenditure of animal strength. 1t
is dead letter, inducing stagnatfon and
ruin. 1t does not pay to work with any
kind of dull tools, notedly a sickle.
Better go two miles daily and hire it
sharpened, but before you will do this I
believe you will get one of those sharp
ening attachments and do it yourself.
DON let some silver-tongued peddler
palm off one of his inferior little emery
(so-called) wheels, made after the pat
tern of the common egg-beater, on you
and get your note for $500. 1 know
more than one man who was picked up
that way.
To keep my grindstone in repair and
good working order, j observe the fol-
lowing: l never grind a greasy tool
without first removing the grease. This
can be done in several ways. My way,
after removing most of it with a stick or
cob, is to use sandpaper or emery cloth.
l hold the tool that am grinding so
that it will wear both sides of the cir
81 La CT ,lx-
spoils a stone to wear it ''hollOw."
try to keep my stone as nearly
round as possible. If one side wears
down faster than the other / know it is
not tirst-class stone, and that it must
be raced. A grindstone should be
raced once per year. To do this take
1t out of the frame, but not off the shaft.
BY means of pair of compasses or a
scratchawl and string one end of which
is held upon the end of the shaft or
journal, and the other upon the stone
at its shortest radius, describe a circle.
Replace in tie frame, and with chisel
and gouge remove all the inscribed cir
Gle. Exercise care that you do not chip
off the corners. Unless stone becomes
very much one-sided, it is not necessary
to raZee it off.
remove all flinty places with hard,
sharp-pointed instrument. l never al
low my grindstones to stand in the rain
or sunshine, but at all times keep them
in the barn or other sheltered place.
Not only the frame, but the stone as
we'll is injured by not being protected.
+ never allow the lower edge of my
stones to stand in water, as a great
many do, by having troughs beneath
them. Being continually in water
causes the stone to become soft. If you
use trough. see that it is lowered be-
meath the edge of your stone each time
after being used.
Before grinding a rusty tool, l see
that most of the oxide is removed. Ii
allowed to remain it obstructs the grit
and cutting power of the stone.
In buying stone remember that the
larger it is the easier it will run and the
loprar u,;l1 lost Vo,, non