Originally Posted by
Rafael Herrera
As I noted above I measured its specific gravity last night and it came to about 2.03, which is at the bottom of the coarseness scale given at the Dan's web site. One of my washitas measured at 2.35 which comes within the expected range for a fine washita.
From looking at the Dan's Whetstones website, a soft arkansas has a higher specific gravity than a washita. That means a soft ark is more compact than a Washita, I believe that also means that a soft ark is harder than a Washita, not the other way around.
Given the apparent coarseness of this stone, it may turn out to be a good stone to have in the workshop. Since it's in the lower end of the compactness scale, it will wear out faster than harder Arkansas stones.
Hi Rafael,
A couple notes. The SG numbers you quoted from Dan's refer to THEIR "Washitas," which are not from the Pike mine. Everyone I've talked to who has used one of these stones says they are simply coarse soft Arks, nothing like vintage Washitas. A related point is that Dan's soft Arks have a reputation for being finer than soft Arks from other dealers, e.g. Natural Whetstone.
The Federal standards for soft Arks say they are below 2.2 SG, so the new "Washita" you measured at 2.03 seems right for a soft Ark. There is no Federal standard for Washitas, but the number you got (2.35) seems right for a vintage stone--they are nearly always heavier and harder than soft Arks. I don't consider myself a true expert, but if you ask a real expert, e.g. Dave Weaver or Darryl Gent, they will tell you the same thing.
To sum up: A vintage Washita is usually heavier and harder than a soft Ark, but will cut as quickly and last longer. If you have a stone that clocks in with a low SG number like 2.03, and appears more porous than than a vintage Washita, then it is probably just a coarse soft Ark, regardless of what the label says. That's not to say it's a bad stone--a soft Ark is very useful!--but it's not a vintage Washita.
"For me, chairs and chairmaking are a means to an end. My real goal is to spend my days in a quiet, dustless shop doing hand work on an object that is beautiful, useful and fun to make." --Peter Galbert