All About Pocket Knives

Just bought a 10” inch by 2” wide by 1” thick Dans

The stone I’ve had for forever was only 6” long.

I restore old knives for fun.

This long pull is an ABSOLUTE game changer!

Nice find! I use a Norton IM313 Tri-Stone set up for kitchen knives but have found I like the larger stone for medium sized pocket knives as well. They make Arkansas stones to put in the 313 but they are pricey.

JMAC wrote: ↑Sun Nov 24, 2024 1:30 am Just bought a 10” inch by 2” wide by 1” thick Dans

The stone I’ve had for forever was only 6” long.

I restore old knives for fun.

This long pull is an ABSOLUTE game changer!

Welcome here, JMAC.
What is the coarseness of your stone?
What ever it is you won't regret buying a big stone like that.

A ten inch Arkansas stone would be great, especially for larger knives, but they're expensive.

The most common grit and, as far as I know, the coarsest grit natural novaculite rocks are usually sold as Arkansas stones. However, they are finer than any "stones" I commonly see in hardware stores. Sporting goods store Case knife displays used to include Arkansas and small finer hard Arkansas stones. The finest novaculite stones are usually sold as transleucent stones. They feel like rubbing your finger on smooth glass.

Modern Slip Joints wrote: ↑Sun Nov 24, 2024 5:55 am A ten inch Arkansas stone would be great, especially for larger knives, but they're expensive….. the coarsest grit natural naviculite rocks are usually sold as Arkansas stones…….However, they are finer than any "stones" I commonly see in hardware stores.

I find myself stopping at fine India stones a lot for general use knives, especially kitchen ones. I love a razor edge and smooth hard Arkansas finished edge, but I think my wife uses our kitchen knives to chop cinder blocks lol. I have so many stones now, it’s a rabbit hole that is fun to go down but expensive.

FRJ
It’s a soft
It was white out of the box but turned Apaloosa after getting coated with oil

None of my kitchen knife blades are hard enough for it be worth my time stoning them to razor sharp. They loose that extra sharpness too fast. I frequently use honing rods on them. The rods remove very little metal if any. The rods also work well on pocket knives with 1095, 440A and similar steel alloy blades.

HISTORY & GENERAL INFORMATION
In the Quachita Mountains stretching from east of Hot Springs, Arkansas, west into Eastern Oklahoma, occurs a nearly pure silica rock formation known as Novaculite. The age of these formations is estimated to be more than 340 million years. This sedimentary rock type derived its name from the Latin word "Novacula," meaning sharp knife.
Novaculite rock is the rarest and finest abrasive stone in existence.
It is known that the Indians of the area used the hard variety of Novaculite for tools and weapons. There is evidence that trading between tribes resulted in the distribution and use of Novaculite rock hundreds and maybe thousands of miles from the source.
Quarrying and use of this natural abrasive for knife and tools sharpening began in the early 1800s. Each whetstone is cut by hand with diamond saws, finished, graded and packaged. Today they are marketed world wide.

COMPOSITION & PROPERTIES
Novaculite is a compact quartzose rock of almost pure silica content.
The technical
advantages of the Natural Arkansas oilstone are derived from the crystalline structure of individual quartz grains comprising more than 99 percent of Novaculite rocks. Voids and exposure of crystalline edges enhance the sharpening ability of this natural abrasive.
Two basic classifications of whetstone are known as Hard Arkansas and Soft Arkansas.
The Hard Arkansas is very fine grained, hard and compact, with an uneven conchodial fracture. Novaculite is typically a white stone but may be found in blue, pink, grey, black, brown or yellow tints due to the amount and nature of the minute impurities present. The Soft Arkansas resembles unglazed porcelain and has approximately the same composition as the Hard Arkansas stone. It is relatively less compact resulting in high porosity and less density.