The One Stone Challenge

[David Weaver]

http://www.wkfinetools.com/hUS-mechT...y-OilStone.asp

A pasted bit of literature from 1902 on wiktor kuc's site. Presume that the pike company wrote it.

It suggests that stones were sold without labels and people tried them until they found something they like. The same method should be employed with japanese stones now, but taking the mine stamp off of a japanese stone through use is a no-no.

I wondered why there would be soft arkansas stones of lesser quality in vintage form when the pike stones were so widely distributed, but also found some retailers who sold three stones "soft stones, washita stones, and arkansas stones".

The arkansas stones weren't labeled as hard arkansas, but they certainly would've been translucents or black stones, and the soft stones they sold at a cut rate so that they would be less expensive than the pike mine washita stones.

[Tony Zaffuto]

But what exactly is a "soft Arkansas"?

I've tried several new (and don't ever recall seeing a vintage stone labeled as "soft Arkansas") and I've never seen anything I've liked. They have been either sold off, or in the pile labeled "OK to loan to idiot neighbor".

[David Weaver]

It's a low density stone from somewhere other than the pike mine. The only ones I've tried that I actually are the ones from natural whetstone. I sold the one I had to archie, kind of wish I hadn't, but they're inexpensive enough I could get another one if I felt the need.

Bad ones are frustrating to use because they're always slower than you expect them to be, and they're not very fine. You have to keep on them with a diamond hone to keep them cutting fast.

Once you have a washita that you would agitate with a diamond hone, there's no need for them.