Deadeye

I inherited a very nice Browning Arkansas Sharpening Stone. It has two different sides (medium & fine). I can't tell which is which.

One side is darker than the other but they both feel the same.

Machinist

Usually a hard Arkansas is very white unless it's a black surgical grade. These are extremely hard and smooth. I use one for final honing. If the grayer side is softer it might be a washita stone. I have never heard of a medium Arkansas stone.

sheepdog

...dark side is usually hardest...do you use water or oil on it??? I used to use water...till I discovered the Buck and Gerber and later Schrade Sportsman's steels...never had a stone since...sharpening on a good stone is an art...

Machinist

I use oil on Arkansas and India stones. I have always seen darker stones being courser, with the one exception of the black Arkansas stone.

Deadeye

So how does hardness = grit? I'm thinking harder = finer.


It came in original box that says med & fine grit, but no instructions.

sheepdog

...of course...I'm just an old dog who's never even heard of an India stone...harder on the cheaper stones I've used was the coarser grit...and the smoother...grey side was softer...wore down first....removed very little metal as opposed to the dark side...

Machinist

Courser is usually softer. It has less tendency to load up and glaze. The finer stone is for finishing so it is harder and finer so it wears less and holds it's shape. It removes very little material but will load up if used dry. Soak it in oil for days to penetrate and apply oil when using it. Try an old blade on both sides and see which seems to grab or remove more material. This is the medium side. If you still can't tell than don't worry about it. Get a medium and/or fine India stone for initial use and use the Arkansas for final finishing. An 8" Norton or other top quality Arkansas bench stone is expensive but will last your lifetime if cared for. A synthetic like an India is a third the price and is great for all but final dressing of the edge. A diamond hone is great instead of an India but the Arkansas is the answer for the final edge. The ceramic stones I have seen seem to fall just short of the good Arkansas stones. Those I use with water. I use all of these much more with machining tools than knives but I do a lot of knife work too (and swords at times).

Bountyhunter

Just drag a paper clip across it. You'll know real quick which is the courser side.

Machinist

Sheepdog, those are the cheaper synthetic stones. I only use those to stone a mill table to remove burrs and I follow with an India stone. India stones are orange, brown, and black. The orange are fine, the brown are medium, and the black are course. They are synthetic aluminum oxide stones by Norton (and now copied by others). They are very hard and are the standard for gunsmithing and tool sharpening. The ceramic or Arkansas are used for final honing, putting a mirror finish on a tool edge or a shaving edge on a knife. Being synthetic they are perfectly formed in many shapes and sizes. Arkansas stones are natural and are cut and ground to shape with diamond saws and grinding tools.

Machinist

Inelegant, but it should work.