quite possibly the stupidest question ever asked, but how long does

[Bill1170]

It's a white one, and it's still flat, just sorta glazed - even after i wash it. It's going in the "Return Bin" and i'll need to source a temporary replacement.

You can deglaze an Arkansas stone with either aluminum oxide or silicon carbide sandpaper on a flat surface like a piece of plate glass, or an iron machine table. This is a lot less work than flattening a dished stone, since not a lot of material has to be removed to deglaze the surface. The silicon carbide is faster cutting. Novaculite is the name for that mineral, and it is mostly quartz, silicon dioxide, which is softer than both sandpapers I mentioned and harder than simple steels. It will not work well or at all on the carbide-infested super steels like S90V because the carbides in the steel are harder than the novaculite.

Silicon carbide "carborundum" stones are inexpensive and very effective on all steels used for cutlery today. One of those will take care of your basic sharpening, and can also be used to deglaze the stone you now have.

 

[David Martin]

Hummm. A thread can be found here that several guys used their black and translucent Arkansas stones with good success on S30V steel. DM

 

[tleav61]

a genuine Smith's Arkansas sharpening stone last (depending on use, etc)?

Or can a stone become worn out?

Or possibly, how do you *know* if a stone is worn out?

Enjoy the laughs - they're on me!

Not a stupid question at all. I just learned something today too

 

[thatotherguy]

I keep my Smith's arkansas stone working by lubing it with water and when it does get clogged soaking it in water for a day and then scrubbing it with a stiff brass brush.
How do you know when you have worn out a stone? When it's in 2 pieces and you never dropped it