Oli and the Nats...

[HumbleHomeCook]

So @cotedupy's stone sale thread got me to thinking... Serious question (pondering), how many other people on the planet have his level of knowledge of and experience with such a breadth of natural sharpening stones?

Probably some really well versed razor guys out there and for sure there are those who can tell you the most minute details of JNats, but across the entire spectrum, Oli has to be in a really small crowd.

And great resource for us.

 

[M1k3]

The Tomonagura.com guy?

 

[Legion74]

The Tomonagura.com guy?

Keith has had a good lot of stones pass over his bench, but I think Oli might have him beat when it comes to obscure UK/European stones.

 

[M1k3]

Keith has had a good lot of stones pass over his bench, but I think Oli might have him beat when it comes to obscure UK/European stones.

Yeah, I don't think Keith has tried going through thick brush to find an old quarry in the outskirts of.... England? Wales? Wherever he was...

 

[deltaplex]

t'was a Cwtch

 

[Pie]

Some old crusty dude in the hills might know more about a narrow range of stones, but in terms of knowledge spanning continents and generations, I don’t think anyone beats oli.

 

[mockit]

Agreed. Oli is a gem. Not only is he incredibly knowledgeable but he is also willing to share that knowledge. Doesn't hurt that he is the cheekiest bloke on the forum either. Now that Boris Johnson is on his way out maybe he can run for parliament .

 

[BillHanna]

We love you, @cotedupy

 

[Skylar303]

NGL at first glance thought this said "OIL" and the Nats. If only he wasn't so popular so he could reply to messages quicker!

 

[kayman67]

Reading this made me regret that I never wrote and documented all the stones and hones I got over the years. Eventually all is forgotten, life happens and without some sort of info written at the time, all is lost.

 

[Skylar303]

Yeah I don't use social media, but I was thinking of making a private IG or something for my reference. Instead of just using a spreadsheet.

 

[cotedupy]

Haha! Oh dear... umm... thanks all! Certainly lovely to hear when people enjoy some of my random thoughts / ventures / research. . Though let’s point out some things, a couple of which were noted already:

- Check out some of the razor forums, there are people who know staggering amounts about all this. Including some who are occasional contributors here - @Rideon66 springs immediately to mind for instance.

- I can probably give you a better idea than razor folk about how most of those stones work for knives. Unfortunately more often that not, that idea is: ‘Not very well.’ So perhaps isn't the most useful skill in the world.

- I know sod all about Japanese stones. Anyone who owns a jnat likely knows at least as much about them as I do.

- I'm not trying to be overly modest by saying those things. I do obviously know and have done an awful lot research about some types of things; Washitas, Turkish/Cretan, and UK stones in particular. I've certainly been lucky to live in a couple of places where they're reasonably common to find.


Anyhow, thank you HHC and everyone else for the kind words. I shall keep up the good work!

 

[mengwong]

Also, he writes gud. You have to hand it to the Brits … they took the English language and really made it their own!

 

[captaincaed]

"England and America are two counties divided by a common language."

 

[Legion74]

Also, he writes gud. You have to hand it to the Brits … they took the English language and really made it their own!

"If nothing else, a good public school education prepares you for rubbing steel on things, and hanging around junk stores looking for bits of rock."

-Winston Churchill, probably.

 

[cotedupy]

"If nothing else, a good public school education prepares you for rubbing steel on things, and hanging around junk stores looking for bits of rock."

-Winston Churchill, probably.

Ha, excellent!

Also, he writes gud. You have to hand it to the Brits … they took the English language and really made it their own!

Ah cheers. I used to work in journalism and various other bits of writing, so that's nice to hear. And might I say... back at you! Your posts are always very well and entertainingly written too.