WHETSTONE

Square 2-1/2” x 1/8” x 1/8” translucent Arkansas stone

Arkansas files are whetstones that are often used to hone the fine, sharp edges of Japanese swords, straight razors, scissors, knives and other cutting tools.

These sharpening stones come in a variety of shapes and sizes. They are generally available in two types of materials. The natural, translucent Hard Arkansas stone is a mined product, cut from the natural stone into the desired shape and then polished. Hard Arkansas stones will yield a fine honed edge and are the preferred sharpening stones for Japanese sword polishing.

The word whetstone is sometimes mistaken as a reference to the water used to lubricate Arkansas stones when used. The word actually comes from the root word "whet," which means to sharpen a blade, not the word "wet" (the opposite of dry).

Arkansas stones should be used with or without water. Do not use sharpening oil with these sharpening stones.