Arkansas Stones are unique because they’re natural stones, quarried from real Arkansas Novaculite rock. This means there can be some variation in them, unlike man-made stones. Because of this, the grit equivalents are usually given as a range rather than a specific number. While man-made stones have consistent grit, natural stones like Arkansas stones may have some variation in grit due to their natural formation. Therefore, Arkansas stones are graded based on hardness, not grit. However, to make it easier for people to understand, we provide grit equivalents.
It’s important to know that there are multiple scales used to express grit numbers, which can cause confusion. For example, according to the scale used in the US for abrasives, the Hard Black Arkansas is equivalent to 1200+ grit. On the other hand, according to the scale used for Japanese water stones, the Hard Black Arkansas stones are equivalent to approximately 4000 grit.
The key thing to grasp is that regardless of the scale used, the Hard Black Arkansas Stone is a very fine stone. We consider it to be approximately 4000 grit equivalent when using the same rating scale as water stones. Read this article from tunaknives.com for Sharpening stone grit chart.
Technique and Steel Quality
If you’re not achieving the edge you desire when sharpening with the Hard Black Arkansas stone, there are a few factors to consider.
Firstly, it could be your sharpening technique causing issues. Maintaining a consistent angle while sharpening can be challenging, but with practice or the use of a knife sharpening guide, this can be improved.
Another common issue is not properly establishing an edge on the blade before using the Hard Black Arkansas stone. If the knife edge isn’t prepared properly before using a very fine stone like the Black Arkansas, you won’t achieve the desired results. It’s recommended to first use a coarser stone to prepare the edge before moving to a very fine stone.
Additionally, the steel your knife is made from could be causing sharpening issues. Some steel blades simply don’t hold a good edge, often lower quality or softer steel knives. You can test this by sharpening different knives and comparing the results. If you get good results with other knives but not with a particular one, it might be that your specific knife doesn’t hold a good edge.
In conclusion, the Hard Black Arkansas Stone is an extremely fine stone capable of producing a near mirror polish on an edge. With proper sharpening techniques and a properly prepared edge (usually using a coarser stone first), the Hard Black Arkansas Stone should give your blade an extremely sharp edge.
