arkansas oil stones

Re: arkansas oil stones

Charles

>I have a Norton Hard Black and it's, well, hard and black. Really, the stone seems to be very consistent over both sides. I have not run across a patch that drags, which sometimes happens on a natural stone.

I've heard good things about Dan's on the other hand but I honestly believe the stone I have lacks for nothing. Maybe I'm just showing my ignorance. My edges seem plenty sharp.

Re: arkansas oil stones

Brent Smith

>Don't meen to change the subject.......but....who is Dan's ??

Brent

Re: arkansas oil stones

Charles

>Dan's Whetstone Company.

Re: arkansas oil stones

les winter

>Thanks for the reply. I have a Dan's hard black. I bought it new on ebay. It has places that drag near the ends. Do you know what causes that and if it affects the honing qualities?

thanks again

Les

Re: arkansas oil stones

Jim Cosgrove in N. Virginia

>I have a hard white Norton stone that I purchased new about 8 years ago. A friend has a nonNorton black stone that he purchased from Woodcraft about 2 years ago. Although I have always heard that the black stones are the finest, a comparison of our two stones shows that is not always true. Mine is much finer than his. I don't know if the Norton pedigree has anything to do with this.

Re: arkansas oil stones

Charles

>Natural stone is not always going to be perfectly consistent, however, Dan's supposedly prides itself on grading out those stones.

In the grand scheme of things it probably won't affect things much unless you honed on that area continually which would mean you were not honing on the finest, smoothest part of the stone.

You've paid a premium price if you've bought from Dan's. I'd give them a call or an email and discuss the issue.

Re: arkansas oil stones

Charles

>The translucent stones are supposed to be a little finer but IMO you can stop at a hard black. One wouldn't own both stones it's an either/or proposition.

Re: arkansas oil stones

Kevin Adams

>Les, I recently purchased a Norton multi-stone set (and holder) from The Best Things (I got medium India, hard white, and black) and the quality is excellent. I also have a set of natural stones (soft, white, and black) that I purchased from Hall's in Arkansas and while they are also nice, I find they are not as consistent as the Nortons. I figure a good oil stone should last you a few lifetimes, so my recommendation would be to buy the best quality.

Kevin

Paid dan a visit .....

A.J. Byrd

>...year before last while my wife was attending a conference in Hot Springs and was very impressed. Dan's son Steve was very gracious and gave me a tour of the plant, (which has since moved to new facilities on site at the quarry), and even let me pick out my own stone from the large selection they had in stock. Having already purchased a vintage Norton Hard Arkansas on eBay I selected a 12 x 3 inch Soft Arkansas bench stone with an unusually open grain structure sort of intermediate between a Washita and a Soft Arkansas. Had I ordered a Norton from one of the major woodworking suppliers I would have had to take what they sent me or played exchange tag to get the stone that I wanted but by dealing with a small producer like Dan’s I was able to get exactly what I was looking for. The stone I purchased was dead flat and has become one of my favorites; I use it as and intermediate stone between my medium India and Translucent Hard Arkansas for chisels and plane irons and as the final stone for my kitchen knives. I have no affiliation with Dan’s I’m just a satisfied customer.

P.S. I also got to pick through the cull pile and picked up a 2 x 6 inch Black Hard Arkansas with only a minor blemish on one side for about half list, I use it to put that final honed edge on my drawknife; but I frankly can’t tell any noticeable difference in sharpness in the blades honed on it and my Translucent Arkansas.

A.J.