Unorthodox use of an Arkansas Stone

[Don C Peterson]

Hey,

About 6 months ago, I acquired a nice Hard Black Arkansas Stone. At first I just used oil and got good results, but it was really slow. I decided that oil was just too thick and basically allowed the blade to skim across the surface without getting cut, particularly when polishing the backs of chisels and plane irons.

So being the impatient sort I decided to try something else. I thought I'd read somewhere that water can be used on Arkansas stones, so I decided to try water on the other side of the stone (both sides are flat and smooth). The water allowed the stone to cut a bit faster, but I had problems with the blade skittering across the face.

I decided that the water side needed a bit more lubrication so I tried using a Nagura stone on it to generate a slurry. That did the trick, now I get a finish that I think is somewhere between a 6000 and 8000 Japanese waterstone, without the need to flatten all the time.

For the past several months this has been my final polishing stage, and quick honing stage for touchups. I have been quite happy with the results.

Has anyone else tried something similar? Am I missing something and maybe causing some kind of damage to the stone by using water? I haven't seen any signs of damage yet, but some of these things take time.

[Bob Smalser]

More dentists use novaculite these days than woodworkers....and the ones I know use water.

But next time try mineral spirits. On the fine stones, the steel hardly gets past even a lightweight honing oil to reach the abrasive. Does a better job than either oil or water.

[Don C Peterson]

Thanks, I'll give that a shot. I understand that "honing oil" is a mixture of mineral spirits and oil, so that makes sense.

[Ken Werner]

When I use an oil stone, I use kerosene. A bit smelly though.

[Larry Williams]

We maintain all our oil stones, Arkansas included, with a coarse diamond stone. Each time they're used, we dress them with the diamond stone and leave the slurry. Start with the finest stone you'll use and work up to the coarsest. Contrary to what you might read in places, Arkansas stones do go out of flat and attentive dressing keeps them flat. The diamond stone leaves a fresh, fast cutting surface. It doesn't take a lot of dressing, just a few passes with the diamond stone.

[Bob Smalser]

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/17020258/263581563.jpg

I've never had a hard stone go out of flat, but the soft and mediums can, depending on how you use them. Give them a rub dry on fine or medium paper on an indexing surface then sight down the stone looking for any shiny hollows that don't have dust. Then lube with moneral spirits on coarse 60 grit to flatten.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/17020258/272093964.jpg

I store mine in kerosene because it doesn't evaporate easily but use mineral spirits as the honing lube. Soaking them isn't necessary but keeps them nice and clean.

[Michael Schwartz]

I have a friend and mentor who is a renowned woodcarver and has been using arkansas stones as water stones for decades. The key is using a new stone that has never been soaked in oil.

[Matthew N. Masail]

I have been trying to use brand new Arkensas stones with water and window cleaner, the window cleaner works a little better but both cut very slowly.

I wonder what kind of Nagura did you use? sound like a good idea to me. but most of the slurry is most likely to be from the nagura rather than the stone so the finish you get should change in relation to the nagura choice, as the stone is more of a jig at this point.

[Winton Applegate]

you shouldn't mix fairy tales with liverwurst and buttermilk.


Am I missing something ?

Well yes and no. You have too many of some things and not enough of another.

To find your way back

Save the Ark for steel made from 01 (clean it in solvent and then use super fine oil or better yet Kerosene etc as was recommended (water rusts 01 extremely quick).

For other steel that does not rust so fast
use an 8000 water stone and you won’t have to breath all those solvent fumes and WISH THE ARK CUT FASTER (or at all) on steel made from A2 etc.

Forget the nagura for sharpening and use it JUST to clean the stone. Diamond plate is also very good but for water stones unnecessarily wearing except for flattening OCCASIONALLY.

This is my main nagura. I can't find another like it (all I see are synthetic and or some kind of white completely different thing that is way less friable meaning this white nagura (http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/icebear10000gritwaterstone.aspx) on top of the stone).
I can't imagine wasting my good nagura on an ark or to sharpen with after rubbing out a bunch of it on a stone.
No reason in the world I have found to do that.

http://i801.photobucket.com/albums/yy298/noydb1/IMG_0216_zps1a68c914.jpg (http://s801.photobucket.com/user/noydb1/media/IMG_0216_zps1a68c914.jpg.html)