how long to wear in an Arkansas stone?

[Warren Mickley]

I never use my natural stones becaue they simply take too long to work an A-2 bevel. I have good stones ( including a Norton certified translucent ) but I haven't used them in years. Give me a waterstone set or India stones followed by a strop.

Why would a stone need breaking in?

Arkansas stones are good at polishing, not so good at sharpening. If you have a sharp edge with scratches from a coarse stone, the Arkansas stone will remove the scratches, but then will not cut very fast once the bevel is polished. A freshly abraded soft Arkansas stone will cut faster than a stone that has some wear on it, but will not give as polished an edge.

I have been to about eight Lie Nielsen events; I have never seen a surface from an A2 iron that is in the same league as what I get with Arkansas stones.