Thread: VG10 & the Arkansas

My kitchen knives are VG10 - you think a soft and black Arkansas will do the job?

I have used Arkansas stones my whole life. Sure they are a little slow but i Love em. Sharpen and polish all in one. They take very little metal. And the edges seem to last. Was thinking of getting a Soft and a Black for the kitchen knives only.

But now I am reading that the "super steels" don't do well on Arks. Is that true?? Anyone have any experience before I drop my money's on em? Moreover, if you do use them, do you do anything post Ark? Strop? Paste?

Thanks in advance!

Wow with all the hone crazy dudes here, I thought I would come home to find massive dissension on the topic lol!!

Nothing lol... crickets... maybe this post/bump will help .

I do some of my knives with the Edge Pro Apex, but still do most of my work freehanding with the Soft, Hard and Black Arkansas stones and find that they work fine on any steel. I have a selection of bench strops with diamond spray and green compound that I finish them off with. I never use any compounds with my razors, but I find that they do a fine job to finish off knives. With most kitchen knives, I stop at the hard Arkansas and don't use the Black Arkansas. In the kitchen, a slightly toothy edge is more functional. Unless I want a really "showy" edge on a pocket knife, I usually stop with the Edge Pro Apex at 500 grit. I have grits up to 8K but only use them on edges that are more for show than go.

Thanks for your input Ace.

I have brought some/many of my kitchen knives up to 8k. It would seem that I don't need that "tooth" when they are that pollished lol . But it is excessive I guess.

That said, I am finding my VG10 blades are dulling quickly. More so than my other steel kitchen knives. They have a steeper angle, so I can only imagine that that's what's doing it... that and the fact that my wife can't use a steel lol.

I don't know why I am hoping the Arks will do a better job of it - maybe I am just looking for an excuse to pick one up lol - I always wanted to get a Black and run a straight over it. Some claim they shave off them with pleasing results.

Anyway - thanks.

I tend to use more obtuse angles than most guys do, mainly because I don't want to change the blade profiles of my new knives just for the sake of sharpness. The fact is that most of my EDC knives are not going to see any duty heavier than opening an envelope. I've found that angles as obtuse as 30 degrees per side, if stropped on a strop block with green compound, can get "hair whittling" sharp and still be sturdy. Most guys take them down to 20 degrees per side and even more narrow with kitchen knives. I like sharp edges, but I haven't found the need to re-profile my EDCs to achieve the sharpness I need.

I've worked with the Black Arkansas for decades. It wouldn't surprise me if it would do well with SRs. It's just that I have all the stones I need for those already.

You'd think some of the knife nuts would chime in David but the knife forums could be worth a shot too. Quick search found this:
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