Whetstone and Chalk

I just found out today that whetstones and chalk were removed in 5.5 rules.  Can anyone explain?

Likely because neither had game-specific rules and therefore don't need to be listed in the rules. That doesn't mean they don't exist, just they're not something that requires detailing in a mechanical, rules sense

A whetstone was pretty much completely pointless in 5e, given that even the optional rules didn't include anything for weapon maintenance. Chalk I could take or leave as adventuring gear, although pinning down the life of the basic listed piece would probably be a nuisance. Maybe express it in square footage? I dunno; if they made it work with ink I think they could have with chalk, but it's not a glaring omission either.

Chalk (used for things such as marking passages in dungeons) is commonly enough used in games that it seems worth an entry, though probably not much of one.

If it isn't in the 5.5 books, it doesn't have a 5.5 version.

It'd be an impractical move to either remove the Legacy tag or make a duplicate entry.

There's more, albeit still minimal, value in putting back the 2014 Lance.

Quote from Pantagruel666 >>

Chalk (used for things such as marking passages in dungeons) is commonly enough used in games that it seems worth an entry, though probably not much of one.

But do the game rules need to explain what chalk is and how it works? 

Does you dm require a certain amount of time per day to be spent sharpening your blades? If so, perhaps consider finding a new dm?

The dms that ive had that required us to account for every arrow (or in your case, weapon blade maintenance), always turned out to NOT be good dms. DnD is telling the story of heroes and adventure, neither of which has anything to do with counting ammunition or sharpening your blades.

As for chalk, the entire white cliffs of dover is chalk. Chalk should be easy to find and readily available. And it should be cheap enough (a copper?) That your dm should worry about tracking its cost.

Quote from Davyd >>

But do the game rules need to explain what chalk is and how it works? 

 Do the game rules need to explain what ink is and how it works? Just say something like

Chalk comes in 1-ounce sticks, enough for 200' of lines.

That's fairly realistic, and the fact it's sufficient for 200' of lines is probably more likely to ever be game relevant than the number of pages you can write with ink.