Quote Originally Posted by Mike Rother;2328151
In the end I need a coarse and fine. This is from Dans:

[I
Soft Arkansas (Medium) is the most popular of the grades of Novaculite. It is an all-purpose stone used by woodcarvers, sportsmen, butchers, commercial knife sharpeners and even housewives. This stone is used by people who desire keen, sharp edge on their knives and tools in a minimum amount of time. Soft Arkansas stones may be white, gray and black, or pink and gray in color.[/I]

Hard Arkansas (Fine) is most suitable for fine polishing and the maintenance of a fine edge on knives or tools. Hard Arkansas is often referred to as "White Hard." However, users should be aware that Hard Arkansas often has color variations also. To our knowledge, this color does not interfere with the honing process by any means. Hard Arkansas stones are popular among woodcrafters and a variety of industries including the dental industry.

would this Medium and fine do me?
No it would not. A soft Arkansas is more of a polishing stone, closer to 8000 than 1000. To hone carving gouges you ought to have a courser stone. A nice combination would be Washita, soft Arkansas, hard Arkansas. Of these three, the Washita is the indispensable one. You also need a slip stone for polishing the flutes of gouges. A 4 1/2 X 1 3/4 slip with a 1/8 radius on one edge, 7/16 on the other, or similar. I would avoid 3" stones and tapered edges, conical stones.