Arkansas / Washita Stones

[Matthew]

Hello All:

I was wondering what everyones thoughts were regarding the various different grades of Arkansas stones. Do you use several when sharpening your tools. Have any of you tried the old, Lily White Washita stones. Or how about the old barber shop standby, the Belgian whetstone. I have been doing some experimenting with many different types and grades of stones, and found out that there are just too many different types and or grades to make an all encompassing statement like: Use this stone first, then this one then finish with this one. Different miners grade their respective stones differently, thereby almost forcing you to try several different grades from their company to distinguish your favorites.

My favorite stones come from Dan's Whetstones, and I use a soft Arkansas, followed by the translucent or the hard black Arkansas, before finishing up with a leather strop. If I have a badly damaged blade, I start with a Lily White Washita, then move on to the rest of them.

Anyway..enough rambling, just thought I would like to hear what the experts associated with this board have to say.

Thanks...and have a great holiday season everyone!!!

Matthew

[Kenny_S]

Diamond Hone then strop for me. have the stones but never could quite naster them. Maybe wasn't patient enough. If it works for you, great.

Mathew - I use pretty much the same lineup you do. However, have about every other manual device known to man laying around and sometimes I just grab whatevers handy. They all work, I just happen to prefer the Arkansas and Washita stones. Why? Beats me.

I have an old Ark oil stone the that is med on 1 side and coarse on the other.
If my knife or tool is extremely dull or has no edge at all, I start off with this 1.
I also have the 3 Ark stones that are mounted on the long triangle shaped wood. Hard Soft Fine

I use these 3 stones after I have gotten a good sharp edge on the knife

I then finish by stropping

I rarely have to do anything more than just strop my carving tools and knives and then just lightly on the 3 Ark stones.

Now the lil woman's kitchen knives are a different story. I have no idea how she gets them so dull.

[Ky_Whittler]

For my knives I wouldn't use anything else. Add a good strop and I'm set. I haven't mastered their use with the gouges and other tools of this type yet.

Wayne, don't make the mistake of offering your wife your fro as a replacement for her knives, just keep sharpening and smiling Whittler

Wayne if your wife is anything *like mine, the kitchen knives just get thrown in the dishwasher and then into a drawer. *Even the ones in the knife rack get banged around in the sink and on the counter. *Gives me something to sharpen when I get bored sharpening my own tools! *hehehe

Nope, looks like I was wrong.....just asked Karen how she gets those knives so dull and she broke the secret, long held by women, the world over. *Only on special 'womens' advertized specials' are special DULLING MACHINES available! *Remember those classes in high school where only the girls were alowed to attend? *Well, that's where it starts. *They are first made aware of these machines there, and how to disguise them around the kitchen as common household items.

She also told me they use these machines to dull the knives so we men can feel as though we actually contribute to some manner of maintaining the operational houshold. *

And all along, I thought she was just careless! *Turns out she was just being thoughtfull.

Al

So now i know what they were teaching the girls in those home ecconomic classes

[Baldy]

If you could see the bottom of my wife's pans you would know why they are always dull. There are a million deep cuts from cutting cake, cookies and other goodies.
Baldy

and she wonders why the cake batter leaks out the bottom of the pan