I though Washitas had to be below 2.25, at least that's what Dans says. Dans also says that color is not a determination of how to grade. Other sites say they are a a porous variety of novaculite. Other things I've read say they are the softest of the Arkansas stones 400-600 grit. You seem to be making your identification based on color and age and I agree with that. I had a conversation with the daughter of Smith's and she asked her dad (who is retired) about grading and he stated that back in the day Smith's did all their grading based upon color. Pike seemed to call all/most of their stones Washitas. Now the Lilly White brand came in fine and soft. But to me that would imply that the density of a fine Lilly White would have to be in excess of 2.25. But Lilly Whites seem to be very porous as they get that speckled look once used. And as a side note, Isaac Pike began manufacturing whetstones in Haverhill NH around 1823. Last I checked New Hampshire is not even close to Hot Springs Arkansas. LOL So are Lilly Whites really Washitas? Anyway I own quite a few arkansas stones that look like yours but none of them would I grade at 400 - 500 grit which is what I've been looking for quite a few years. Of the group of stones you show, are there any which you would start with before proceeding to a Soft Arkansas? Thanks, I enjoyed the video. I also enjoyed your video on Specific Gravity, though I was very confused, until I realized that one ml of water weighs 1 gram and that the difference in density of water at 4c vs the density of water at room temperature is probably not enough to significantly affect the calculation. Nice job on that video too.
Back in the day Arkansas quarry men would weigh the Novaculite stone by the square foot. Based on this they determined the quality or grade. I reserve the term Lilly White for the finest, densest and hardest of Washitas. They truly begin to border ion the translucent arks; they're specific gravity usually begins at 2.37 Issac Pike inherited his land from marrying a widow and discovered some of "the finest mica Schists in the world" at Indian Pond. Within 40 years Pike was an empire. I like extra coarse synthetic stones for the 400-600 grit range. Diamond or CBN wheel style dressing stick stones are what I prefer.
@@flipsfan78 You know your history. That's a great story on Pike isn't it? I did not know they weighed Novaculite to determine the grade. But it makes sense doesn't it? Below Norton soft, I also like diamond. I reprofile with Atoma 130 or 220 diamond at 15 degrees, then soft Ark and on to black. Thereafter I just use a black ark to resharpen to shaving sharp. I don't dull the edge on the stone. I start with 8 passes inclusive - total not per side, test, and proceed to 40-50 passes, testing in-between Stone in hand, watching tv in a recliner, it goes fast. If that does not shave I drop to the soft ark, then up to black which always shaves. I never strop as I flip the knife each pass thus minimizing burr. My best black ark tops at 165 BESS. In fact, I grade all my stones according to BESS. Why use density, just cut to the chase .. pun intended. Oh and I move backwards in sharpness testing. I move from a 165 Black to a Hard, 50 passes and record what the Hard stone gives me. That's what I expect the stone to give me the next time I move from soft to hard. Make sense? I write the sharpness score on the side of the stone in pencil and change it when I get a better score. I do use a hard felt block to kill the micro burr, but only if I'm testing sharpness on the BESS sharpness tester. Otherwise I just pluck a couple of hairs off my arm. Any micro burr is gone after the first thing I cut anyway, except my finger. And yes I do have a sharpeners naked left arm. I once told my doctor there was something wrong with my arms. He got a little shook up. I quickly let him off the hook as I did not want him to get out his rubber glove. Still, I'd love a sub 400/500 grit natural stone. Ideas? I do have a Woodturners 220 grit flat edges not round CBN 10in wheel on a half hp Rikon slow grinder that I use for kitchen knives producton sharpening. 4 swipes on that and 4 on a 1 inch special order paper wheel (white compound) gives me a 160 gram Bess Scale sharp knife which is low utility knife sharpness. Bevels are iffy, but that's the trade off. Time vs Sharp vs Pretty. And seriously nobody but us notice pretty bevels. They just want to cut a piece of stake and grind your 20 minutes of sharpening into that ceramic plate. And as your heart sinks and your mouth droops, they say .. great steak! But at eight swipes on the Rikon. You think, "Enjoy the first cut my lovely. Is your knife sharp enough? Test it on your wrist!" But instead you smile and say I'm glad you like it. Funny thing is you really mean it and grab the knives from the dish washer for a little Zen time with the stones. Burt
Any other tips distinguishing India stones versus Washitas? Do India stones lap differently? Is there a specific gravity for India stones like there are for Arkansas/Washita/novaculites? Thanks for the chill and informative talks.
Off the cuff India stones, that I have measured are usually 2.48-2.5+ specific gravity. Washitas have one of the widest s.g. ranges I've seen. Most are in the 2.28 range, but I have seen them as low as 2.08 and as high as 2.49. If you scratch a Washita and an India stone, they will be indistinguishable, by that test alone. The best distinguishing feature is to study the edges, corners and faces very closely, you're looking for very fine small micro pores. That's a Washita type. India stones don't have any visible 'pores'. Coarser synthetic stones always show a granularity. Washitas are smooth, and while they have a sandy look, they are not grainy stones
Oh, just for interest/amusement, check further into novaculite - Ouachita stones are in fact NOT novaculite, and in fact the man who discovered them kept fighting until he died against people incorrectly labelling/identifying them as such. He hated that people called them by the name of another stone when they were, in fact, a unique crystalline stone. It's a very common misidentification, and one I only learned after calling them the wrong thing for decades, LOL. I thought I was so smart knowing the scientific name, when all along I'd been trapped like so many others by the "common name" being a misnomer.
I've got an ark that has me confused it seems similar to like the one you said that boarded on a hard ark. Mine is red/orange on top, sandy white on bottom but the whole stone is translucent stone is 7/8 thick and with the lights of a flashlight will just barely shine through the whole thickness of stone. With lights on it shines through half way on edges
Sounds like a fine and *old* stone. The transitions between the various stages of Washita to Hard Ark can be subtle. If that red/orange can be described as butterscotch I'm sure it's a good one!
They're actually very hard. You can lap them if they are worn in, but it takes a long time. I find them harder than Washitas, similar to a hard ark. Japanese coarse water stones are similar in color, but slurry a lot easier.
