Hart-Arkansas (H) Wood Carving Substitute

Arkansas - for use with oil or water.
They are also one of the classics among sharpening stones. In contrast to the Belgian chunks, the Arkansas is much harder. As a result, the respective stone shape is largely retained even after years of use. Working with Arkansas is more time consuming, but it does produce highly polished steel surfaces. The most common Arkansas is the grey hard Arkansas (H). There is also the yellow soft Arkansas (S) and the rare black Arkansas, the so-called Königstein (K). The Arkansas stones also come in a variety of shapes. In addition to irregular chunks and box stones, multi-shaped stones, hollow chisel stones, stones with various edge profiles and round files are offered. The four sets of small whetstones with different edge profiles have proven themselves for sculptors.

Since most whetstones can be used with both water and oil as a lubricant, it must be mentioned that the user must choose one of the two. When working with oil, the following rule applies: once oil - always oil. Oil is more “pliable” than water for handling, but it carries the risk that traces of oil can get onto the piece of wood and leave stains there.