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Stone type?

B

Buck268

Joined
Nov 5, 2006
Messages
1,864
I've had this little pocket stone for some years now, and always thought it was an arkansas, but I'm starting to think I was wrong as I just cleaned it up on my carborundum and it seems to have a rougher finish now. If anybody can help that would be great!

stone1.jpg

stone2.jpg
 
You'll probably get more answers in the sharpening forum.

It kind of looks like the Washita stone I had as a kid. Too many years ago to remember accurately.
 
Buck268,
It looks like a washita to me.
But then I don't know all the correct jargon for arkansas stones...washita, hard arkansas, black arkasas, translucent hard, etc.

What's the story on this one, and why do you think it's not an arkansas?
 
If you use a rougher stone to clean a fine stone, the fine takes on the surface texture of the coarse stone.
If you sand polished steel with 100 grit sandpaper, the steel finish becomes 100 grit.
The stone is novaculite (Arkansas.)
Bill
 
I don't know much about stones in-and-of themselves. Novaculite, where would that stand in the sharpening spectrum?
 
novaculite is an arkansas stone. THat's definitely what that is. Most likely it's a soft arkansas - Washita is a soft arkansas stone.
 
Novaculite is the generic mineral term for the sedimentary formations in Arkansas from which whetstones are cut. So Arkansas stones are Novaculite. It can vary from hard and fine grained to soft and coarse grained. The hardest tend to be black or translucent grey. I've seen other colors like white, tan, brown, wine colored, etc that varied in hardness. I think Washata refers to a coarse grained arkansas stone with a brownish tint.
Some folks like Arkansas stones and some folks prefer synthetics.
How does the one in the photo cut? What did it look like before you cleaned it?
 
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