Thread: smith's hard arkansas

Hey guys, it's been a while since I visited this site because it just kept encouraging me to buy more stuff. Anyway, I was at an antique store and I found a Smith's Hard Arkansas bench hone marked HAB 6 and wondered if anyone knows anything about it like quality, grit, etc. It was only 10 bucks so I picked it up because if it's not razor-worthy I could still use it to sharpen my pocket knives. Hoping for a finishing stone as I have a norton 4/8k. Thanks,
p0rk

I had one back in the sixties and had good results following with it after honing on a Wash*ta to start with. I am under the impression that it would be too slow and maybe coarser than what would be ideal for a razor hone. Give it a try and see what you think. .

Hi p0rk,

I haven't used your exact bench stone model, but I do have a Smith's Hard Arkansas stone on a 6" tri-hone of theirs that also included a Soft Arkansas and a silicon carbide stone. The Hard Arkansas stone is a natural (not compressed from novaculite powder) and works very well as a razor hone. I'd expect the one you got to work just as well, as long as it isn't damaged, with a chip or crack or something similar.

Depending on your personal preferences, you might wish to follow the Arkansas stone with a finer finishing stone or pasted strop. FWIW I don't do that; I just use an Illinois canvas/leather strop, and a modicum of patience.

I haven't used the Norton waterstones, but if I understand correctly, they leave a finer edge than the Hard Arkansas. I believe in his video, member jockeys follows a Hard Arkansas with the Norton 4000/8000 stone.

Arkansas stones are indeed slow cutters, and seem to burnish as well as abrade the steel, leaving a finer edge than one would expect. You might just want to give yours a try and see if it improves the edge over the 8000 grit waterstone.


Hope this helps,
Jeff

thanks for the input, guys. i guess since i'm just learning this honing thing i'll try using the arkansas before the norton to see what happens, then after the norton to see what happens. then i'll pick the sharpest option and follow up with my .5 micron green paste.

I am glad that you posted about your Arkansas. I have a Black Ark that I have not used yet because I am having trouble lapping it. It's one hard stone and I would like to try it as a finisher. Can anyone tell me what would be the best method of lapping it. It's a full 3 inches wide and about 8 1/2 inches long.

I have the center lapped which amounts to about 50 % of the total surface. It seems like the other 50% is going to take forever.

Help~~~~~~~~~

The hard arkansas used to be my second last stone before the black hard arkansas but experimentation will tell you where it fits in your progression.

Lapping needs fast cutting media like Diamond plates or SiC powders on glass. I use automotive valve grinding pastes ~ WATER BASED ~ on glass. It's always the last half seems to take the longest to lap.

325 dmt works good with water i do mine in the sink with water running over the stone.

Originally Posted by p0rk

i guess since i'm just learning this honing thing....

One word of caution from I would give, since I am also in the early stages of razor honing, is that I would caution you to be careful about 'unusual' honing methods or equipment.

Not that you shouldn't give it a try, but just that when you combine a lack of experience with different techniques and tools, it can be more difficult to determine where the problems in honing are coming from. So, experiment away, but be mindful of the added difficulty you're creating for yourself.

Originally Posted by mrsell63

I have a Black Ark that I have not used yet because I am having trouble lapping it...
Can anyone tell me what would be the best method of lapping it?

Unless your stone is dished out more than about 3mm or so, I wouldn't bother lapping it.it work just fine. If you really want to lap it, then as onimaru55 said, using something like a diamond plate is the way to go.

Cheers,
Jeff

My had white Arkansas does give a finer edge than a 400 grit but I just isn't up to shaving quality for me. It takes forever to get a razor as sharp as this stone can get it too. There are far easier stones to use to sharpen a razor. On the other hand it works really well on my soft steel kitchen knives.