Hard Translucent Arkansas Stone in Wooden Box

The Hard Translucent Arkansas stone is natural stone with a high content of microcrystalline quartz. Quarried in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas and Oklahoma, it makes a great surface for sharpening knives and tools.

The Hard Translucent Arkansas stone is finer than the Hard or the Soft Arkansas stone so it leaves the finest edge. Because this is a natural stone, the color of the stone varies, but it is usually white. If held up to the light, the stone is translucent. Because these stones are graded natural stones rather than produced to a certain specification, we have found that quality among stones graded as Hard Translucent Arkansas to vary to some degree. We are proud to say that these stones compare very well to what others may call Hard Translucent Arkansas Stones.

The handsome wooden box keeps the stone safe when not in use. The Hard Arkansas stone is available in 3 sizes to fit your needs. The 4" x 2" x 1/2" is a small stone that is more portable. The 6" x 2" x 1/2" is a medium sized stone that is popular due to the good size and value. If you do a lot of sharpening, you’ll appreciate the large 8" x 2" x 1/2" stone; its generous size allows for longer strokes to speed up the sharpening process. The 8" x 3" x 1/2" offers the most surface area, and is particularly handy for working with larger knives or woodworking chisels and plane blades.

Proudly quarried and made in the USA.

Q. How do the grits of Arkansas Stones Compare to each other?

A. Arkansas Stones are graded not by grit numbers like other types of stone, but by their density and hardness. The less dense, or softer the stone, the coarser it is. The more dense, or harder the stone, the finer it is. The coarsest Arkansas Stone we carry is the Soft Arkansas. The Hard Arkansas is in the middle of the Arkansas stones, and the Hard Black and Hard Translucent Arkansas stones are the finest.

Q. How do the grits of the Arkansas Stones compare to other types of oil stones?

A. The Soft Arkansas is a bit finer than the Fine India and the Fine Crystolon stones, and it makes an excellent next step from those types.

Q. How fine of an Arkansas Stone do I need?

A. The decision of what stone to finish with is a personal one depending on what kind of edge you desire. In general, a Soft Arkansas stone will leave a good edge with a bit of tooth. A Hard Arkansas will leave a more refined edge that is more highly polished. And a Hard Black or Hard Translucent Arkansas will leave a very refined edge that is approaching mirror fine.

Q. Are Hard Translucent Arkansas Stones really translucent?

A. Yes. They are named accurately. Check out our article Is a Hard Translucent Arkansas Stone Really Translucent? for a demonstration.