Whetstone holder

The scythe, which was used to cut grass during the hay-making season and grain during the harvest, often became blunt during use. In order to get it working efficiently again, it had to be sharpened. This required whetstones, pieces of sandstone with an elongated oval shape to match the curve of the scythe blade. In order to serve their purpose, they had to be kept damp at all times, as this gave them the properties of a file that sharpened the edge of the knife well. Every reaper, therefore, had a container with water attached to his belt, in which he kept a whetstone. In Polish dialect, the whetstone holder had many names depending on the region, the more popular ones being kuska and bańka. It was often made from buffalo horn, in which only two holes had to be drilled for the thong to be threaded through. It was also made from wood, usually in the household, in an uncomplicated manner, with simple woodworking tools such as a drawknife, planer, or knife. The presented kuska, held in the National Museum in Szczecin, is an interesting object on account of the careful manner in which it was made. Although its surface, particularly on the elongated conical part, is marked with simple indentations made with a drawknife at the initial stage of woodworking, the elaborate decoration in the form of fine serrations makes the holder an object of some aesthetic value, rarely found on implements associated with field work. The unknown maker, who may have been the owner of the holder himself, put in a relatively large amount of effort to make an object used for hard work, usually involving a couple of days, from dawn to dusk, appear pretty. Iwona Karwowska