Thread: What's one type of stone you have no interest in?

Originally Posted by Steel

Ok. That was a lot that I didn't say. From lapping it every 10 minutes to using 36 grit sandpaper. I would disagree about lapping a stone on a DMT or sandpaper before use is not common. A lot of people will lap their stones to keep them flat, clean, and cutting well. A lot also use a rubber stone to raise a slurry. Hmm. Sounds familiar. Does that mean they are using them wrong? A "sleeping" stone is another way to say it is glazed over. This is not how a stone is supposed to be. Arkies tend to glaze quickly and some prefer them that way. I don't. What is nice is they are versatile also with pressure. There is a lot of misinformation from people who don't know how to use them properly. I have been using them exclusively now with no issue. Setting bevels right on up to finish with absolutely no issue. I guess that's the bottom line. There is no right or wrong way to use a stone. If you can take a blade from start to finish in under 30 minutes with an edge that gives you a BBS in 2 passes with no irritation then hone on honer.

The reason we lap the stones is to keep them flat, not de-glaze them. And the use of slurry is an 100% legitimate method on honing, on the stones that can create slurry. Slurry from an Arkansas stone should be very fast, only, the stone wasn't meant or "made" to be used this way. Arkansas stones are getting glazed by their nature, because of their hardness and since you dislike that feature, you can try a softer stone that does not get glazed. When I'm thinking about Arkansas stones, some types of man made, coarse and hard stones that initially are super fast until they lose their speed come to mind. I agree that there is no "right" or "proper" way to use this or any stone. Place the blade on it, water or oil depending on the type of stone and hone until the edge has the finish of that stone, if it gets hollowed lap it, and clean it after use, like all stones. Their performance changes depending on pressure as you said, but the effect is far more noticeable the softer the metal it is. If I were to use the stone on bronze, copper or gold, I would be delighted by its speed and wouldn't care about the glazing effect it has, but on hard steel, it's a slow stone, and on any other natural stone of similar grit, if you give it a coarse surface, I don't think Arkansas would be faster than that stone as long as it's a good natural stone. Apples to oranges, you can't say a polished surface of a Dalmore yellow or Wastilla is slower than an Arkansas stone with a coarsely lapped surface, these too have this characteristic. Every stone has its tricks including the Arkansas stones, but I'm starting to wonder if your opinion is a bit biased about Arkansas stones, since you've been using them more than other naturals of similar grit.

Originally Posted by Vasilis

The reason we lap the stones is to keep them flat, not de-glaze them. And the use of slurry is an 100% legitimate method on honing, on the stones that can create slurry. Slurry from an Arkansas stone should be very fast, only, the stone wasn't meant or "made" to be used this way. Arkansas stones are getting glazed by their nature, because of their hardness and since you dislike that feature, you can try a softer stone that does not get glazed. When I'm thinking about Arkansas stones, some types of man made, coarse and hard stones that initially are super fast until they lose their speed come to mind. I agree that there is no "right" or "proper" way to use this or any stone. Place the blade on it, water or oil depending on the type of stone and hone until the edge has the finish of that stone, if it gets hollowed lap it, and clean it after use, like all stones. Their performance changes depending on pressure as you said, but the effect is far more noticeable the softer the metal it is. If I were to use the stone on bronze, copper or gold, I would be delighted by its speed and wouldn't care about the glazing effect it has, but on hard steel, it's a slow stone, and on any other natural stone of similar grit, if you give it a coarse surface, I don't think Arkansas would be faster than that stone as long as it's a good natural stone. Apples to oranges, you can't say a polished surface of a Dalmore yellow or Wastilla is slower than an Arkansas stone with a coarsely lapped surface, these too have this characteristic. Every stone has its tricks including the Arkansas stones, but I'm starting to wonder if your opinion is a bit biased about Arkansas stones, since you've been using them more than other naturals of similar grit.

Biased? Me? Hahaha. Wonder no more. I am most definately biased. I have other natural stones - coticule, Guangxi, French hone, slate, ect. But I enjoy the edge off an Arkansas so much that I have committed to learning it through and through before going back to other stones. I was biased toward a Guangxi before experiencing an Arkansas edge so I am sure I will at some point fall in love with another stone natural or synthetic in the future. For now, I am learning that many people use an oil stone the way they would any other stone and I have found through talking with others that Arkansas stones are a different animal all together from burnishing before use to varying pressure to maintaining them.

If you have the luxury of two clean working surfaces on any given ark, best thing to do is to set each surface up differently so you get the most range out of each.

Kidney? or slow and soft or rife with inclusions.