Arkansas natural stones

[Arkansawyer]

Has anyone used any of Dan’s Whetstones or Jonathan Coe’s Whetstones in their sharpening process? Being from AR, I was wondering about them as each one comes from a different area of the state and are different types of stones. Each one can be purchased for either hand or guided systems. I have a Hapstone R2 and thought about getting them to try eventually but thought I would see what feedback was on them. Thanks

 

[Ourorboros]

Yes, Dan's Whetstones. If you are buying new, they are the best Arkansas stones you'll find. If you are sharpening simple steels, they leave a fine edge. Carbides will give it trouble.
My complaint is that he finishes the soft stones with too fine a saw.
The black is finer than the translucent, but not by a lot.

If you don't know, novaculite is a stone that gets finer as you use it, so if you like a fine edge there is value in wearing them in. You can rough them up with silicone carbide grit.

 

[garry3]

Has anyone used any of Dan’s Whetstones or Jonathan Coe’s Whetstones in their sharpening process? Being from AR, I was wondering about them as each one comes from a different area of the state and are different types of stones. Each one can be purchased for either hand or guided systems. I have a Hapstone R2 and thought about getting them to try eventually but thought I would see what feedback was on them. Thanks

Dan's come pretty flat and free from defects. Their blacks are the real deal where as there are some on the market that aren't. That being said there isn't much practical use for a hard ark with knifes unless you just want to split hairs, then they are the right choice, black or translent. I like the translucent stones a little more in that they are usually faster than the blacks.

No need for a soft with so many vintage Washita's on the market, but the softs are cheap and plentiful and can be decent enough but nowhere near what a vintage Washita is (not talking about the modern colored ones).

I suspect it would be pretty tough to get all that Arkansas novaculite has to offer paired with a guided system as you will lose feedback and feel on stones that are pressure sensitive.

 

[UncleBoots]

Dan's come pretty flat and free from defects. Their blacks are the real deal where as there are some on the market that aren't. That being said there isn't much practical use for a hard ark with knifes unless you just want to split hairs, then they are the right choice, black or translent.

Hard arks make wonderful deburring stones for knives.

Finished roughly with 80 grit sandpaper, they also work well as the fine element in a coarse/fine two stone sharpening system.

 

[Spats McGee]

Welcome from another native Arkansan! I've also got an R2 and various bench stones, including some from Dan's. I don't know enough to give you a real comparison between Dan's and others, but I do enjoy using the bench stones on my milder-steel knives.