Hi Folks,
     I recently refurbished and flattened an old
oilstone I got as part of a "big box" purchase of old
tools.  It is an extremely fine-grained stone that
puts a finish on my tools about the same as a
2000-4000 grit waterstone.  It's 2x8" and sits in an
old home made pine box, the base of which is very
tightly fitted to the stone, and the top is a "just
barely loose" fit.  The great thing is, because the
bottom of the box is so tighly fitted, the "bottom" of
the stone hase never been touched, and the original
label is perfectly intact on the bottom of the stone. 
It says Deerlick Oil Stone Co., Chagrin Falls O.  The
box is clearly made entirely with hand tools, and you
can see the marks left by the auger bit used to hollow
out both the top and bottom.  The chiseling to level
the bottom is very rough but the fit of the edges of
the bottom half of the box is so tight the stone has
to be tapped out.  It was dished pretty badly but even
after getting it to perfect flatness it is still about
7/8" thick.
    The only reference I can find online to this
company is an old catalog, for sale for $40 and dated
1902.
     Does anyone know anything about this outfit?  It
seem to be a very high quality finishing stone and I
feel lucky to have it, but I'd love to learn a bit
more about its history.
 
Thanks,
Rex in Tucson 

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