Thread: Mutiple use hone?

Hello guys,

I got an Arkansas stone and am very satisfied with it. Gives a good sharp bevel on my Dovo Forestal.

My question here is: Can I use it to sharp other things such as knives, chisels or gouges? (I also work with wood)

I am afraid to uneven the stone by sharpening a small bevel area.
I don't know if my Arkansas is soft or hard, in case this change the situation (Regarding shaving equipments Brazil is a horrible supplier and I like to go to shops and see the product with my own eyes. All I had there was this stone with no further information).

Thanks and Merry Christmas everyone!
Henrique

Henrique,

the most Arkansas stones are used for sharpening knifes and tools in the past and also at present. Usage for straight razors has been applied mainly in the last couple of years.
Since there are a lot of arkansas stones with different hardness and different "grades" it is useful to know which stone you have. You say you get a good sharp bevel with your stone but I don't think you use the Arkansas as bevel setter but more as a finisher?
In case you got a translucent or surgical black Arkansas - these stones are very hard finishing stones for straights and can also be used for finishing knifes in a sharpening process. But the material exposure is very small, so if you want to sharpen a knife from beginning to the end it will take a very very long time and thats not useful. If you have a softer Ark, it will take more material and work faster.

Of course softer stones are worn out more easily. Especially sharpening chisels with a small edge takes a lot of material from a soft stone if the working pressure is strong. On a translucent ark you may not even see scratches.

Maybe you can post pictures of the stone you use.

Can you use one side for razors and the other for knives and tools? Or get a lapping stone such as the DMT8C. I use my Shaptons, Jnat, Roszutec, Cnat and BBW for razors and knives alike, keeping them flat with the DMT8C.

Fine arks can produce a nice edge, but I too would not use the same face used to hone a razor to hone a knife.

Honing knives is different than honing a razor. For a razor the face must be as flat and smooth as possible. When honing knives or tools you are dragging the tip or edge across the stone face and it is easy to scratch the face. That scratch can damage a razor edge.

Use one side of the stone for razors the other side for knives or tools. Mark the edge of the stone with a sharpie marker.

Be careful with diamond plates, an Ark will eat a diamond plate. Wet and dry paper, loose silicone carbide, a silicone carbide stone or another Ark stone are good for finishing an Ark face. Final prep for razors is to run a large carbon steel kitchen knife on the stone face with pressure to smooth the face, 200-300 laps the smoother the face better for razor finishing.

Thanks for all the answer. There are some nice infos I can use here.

I'm posting the pic of my little Ark. I guess it's a hard stone. What you guys think?

What sucks about it is that it's glued at the wooden base. I'll may remove it and see if I can use the other side, it's a waste of stone, hehe. The lapping stone is also a nice idea.

Looks like a translucent. If you remove it and illuminate the back with a lamp you see if the light shines through, when its translucent.

Removing hones from boxes has been covered in a couple of threads. I don't remember the details, but I believe people have had success by putting the box upside down in the oven at 50 degrees Celsius until the stone falls out (on something soft to prevent it from breaking!).

Yes it looks like a translucent and should be good for razor finishing. Not all are glued to the box. On many the box is fitted to the stone and after a while the wood shrinks and holds the stone tightly.

Take a small hammer and hold the stone and box in your hand. Lightly tap one end of the box, down away from the stone. Be careful not to hit the stone. Light taps will break it loose, do the same on the other end.

Prep the stone with hard steel as described and try it. I would not lap it if it is smooth. Many old stones have had years of steel put to them and that makes the stone smooth for razor finishing. As long as it is smooth you can use it, if you lap it you will have to re- smooth it and that may be a lot of work.

Try it first.

If you get it out of the box, you may have to lap the bottom side. If smooth, prep it or use that side for knives, a rougher finish is better for knives any way.

Nice stone and a decent size for a razor I have some 2x4 Arks stones that work well for finishing.

From pics it looks like there are gaps arround the stone therefore my guess is that it is glued. My weapon of choice would be the oven. Kepp checking it that there is smaller chance that you forget it there for too long and the box gets warped.