Can You Solve This Old-Timey Riddle? #10

The Greek philosopher Heraclitus was well known for his love of riddling wordplay, and used the varying interpretations of ambiguous words in his writing and thinking. That said, an anthology of puzzles called The Riddles of Heraclitus and Democritus was not actually his work (nor was it Democritus’s). Instead, this anonymous collection of riddles and verse puzzles was first published in England in 1598 and was likely only attributed to the two Greek thinkers in its title to give its puzzles some historical cachet.

The riddle below (updated into modern English) is taken from this anthology. This is a tricky one, though, and solving it will require a little background knowledge in the precise processes involved in making the object that is its solution. Heraclitus would have no doubt approved.

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