Skerper Arkansas Pocket Stone NAPO20, Hard Black Arkansas

The Skerper Hard Black Arkansas pocket stone is a fine stone equal to an American 2000-3000 grit stone. This stone will start the polishing process of the edge. The finish of this stone is rather fine and with the right technique it will get edges shaving sharp. This pocket sized stone is the perfect companion to take to the great outdoors. Available in 5 different grits, for a stone progression from rough all the way to a very finely polished edge. Each stone comes in its own sleeve for storage and transport.

About Skerper Arkansas stones

The Skerper Arkansas stones come in a variety of grits, sizes and shapes. The Arkansas stones are graded by their hardness, with five different grit sizes. Soft Arkansas is the lowest of the grits, comparable to an American 400-600 grit synthetic stone. Up next are the Hard Arkansas (800-1000 grit), Hard Black Arkansas (2000-3000 grit) and Surgical Black Arkansas (4000-6000 grit). The highest of the grits is the Translucent Arkansas, comparable to an 8000-10.000 grit synthetic stone. The different sizes of the stones will suit home sharpening that requires a big stone surface for kitchen knives, to the pocket stones for the people on the go. Whatever your sharpening needs, with Skerper Arkansas you will always have the right stone for the job.

Stone use and care

All of the Skerper Arkansas stones will benefit from the use of honing oil. Some of the products come in sets with oil and stone(s). If not, we highly recommend a bottle of honing oil to go along with the stones. Please apply a few drops on the surface of the stone and it will help with preventing the stone from clogging, reducing friction during sharpening and keeping the stone clean. Using water instead of oil is also an option. From what we’ve experienced however, the oil gives a slightly better result. Cleaning of the stone will also be a bit more difficult when using water. Especially once you’ve used the stone with oil.

These natural stones are very hard and do not need flattening as often as most synthetic stones. When sharpening, position the blade in a fixed angle. Sharpen both sides of the blade equally until they meet at the apex. Since these stones are natural products, there may be slight variations in colour to the one pictured. When using oil the stone and wood will darken but it will not change the quality of the sharpening. Once you’ve finished sharpening, wipe it with a cloth to clean the stone. Now you can safely store the stone in the sleeve.