Thread: Need some help with wetstone selection

You need to post pictures of your Arkansas stone.

We need to see how it's finished.

Arkansas hones are very interesting. At the softer end of the spectrum they work by shedding grit and have a low grit rating.

At the hard end of the spectrum they work by physically grinding the grit into a smooth surface. This is why a Hard/Black/Translucent stone may have a grit rating of 1000-1500, but the effect on the blade is closer to 15,000. In order to get the stone into that high finish range you have to burnish it. And this involves a lot of time and effort with some hard steel scrubbing the surface.

Until we see your stone, and we can appraise the quality of the finish it's impossible to give you a stones to buy list. You may well have a badly finished finishing stone, and actually need a lower grit stone in the long run. Or you may have a middle grit stone and need to fill out the bottom and top end a little.

A good test till you get some pictures up is to take your hone and a chisel. Put your water on and go to town with the chisel. If the stone sheds grit it's a soft type. If it starts to polish then you have a lot of work. A finished Arkie can be a near mirror finish.