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Gauging interest in a Dan's Whetstones Group Buy to AU/NZ

I just wanted to see if we could get enough GSL dwellers interested in pooling resources to try and make shipping economical enough to transport some Arks down under.

If you would be keen to participate, comment below and we'll see how we go.

The plan would be to form a group, submit the order and have it delievered to our chosen delegate (probably someone in Oz as I suspect that is where the numbers are), and then we each pay our split plus sufficient postage for the final delivery leg. Open to better suggestions if it looks like this has legs.

I have cleared this with @Legion and agreed we'll keep the mod team informed as we go so that there is some oversight.

Arks for AUS/NZ is now in planning! :)
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
Arks are Arkansas whetstones. Dan's is one of the suppliers. Just do an internet search for Dan's Whetstones.
 

Legion

Staff member
What is an Arks? Any links?
Arkansas stones are a type of novaculite stone, that comes in a variety of grades. They can be used for sharpening tools, right up to razors, depending on the stone.

Dans are one of the last producers of said stones, and sells almost all of the different types.

Problem is international postage costs are a killer, so a group buy might help alleviate some of that pain.
 
I’ll probably sit this one one. I bought a big 8x3x1 surgical black from him back in 2020 when the stones were cheaper and the exchange rate was better. It’s a cracking stone and on par with my other vintage Nortons. If you haven’t got an Ark you should get one. They’re hands down my favorite finisher.
 
Timing has never been my strong suite! :p
Yeah the 8x3x1 blacks used to go for $303 back in 2020. Now they’re asking $370. That’s a pretty big hike. Even more so when the exchange rate is factored in.

On the plus side, at least they’re still producing them. After a while you’ll forget how much you paid. You’ll just be reminded that you have a killer stone every time you use it. They last forever and the quality is top notch.
 
Arkansas stones are a type of novaculite stone, that comes in a variety of grades. They can be used for sharpening tools, right up to razors, depending on the stone.

Dans are one of the last producers of said stones, and sells almost all of the different types.

Problem is international postage costs are a killer, so a group buy might help alleviate some of that pain.
The other remaining producer worth mentioning is RH Pryeda. @Gamma has reviewed these stones in one of his you tube videos and I believe he quite liked the higher grades. There’s a chap in NT that has the 6” translucents listed for a far price in eBay. The shipping is much more reasonable. The thing to note is they only come in the 0.5” thickness. That’s not really a problem for me.
 

Legion

Staff member
The other remaining producer worth mentioning is RH Pryeda. @Gamma has reviewed these stones in one of his you tube videos and I believe he quite liked the higher grades. There’s a chap in NT that has the 6” translucents listed for a far price in eBay. The shipping is much more reasonable. The thing to note is they only come in the 0.5” thickness. That’s not really a problem for me.
I'd be tempted to bond a .5" to the back of a vintage Washita, or maybe even a Coticule. Or a Fine India, which would be easier to source in a standard size.
 
I have the .5-inch thick stone in a 2X8". It comes in a nice wooden box. I've never had an issue with the .5" thickness. I will never wear it out! But if I was to drop it I can see it would break.
 
It may also be worth getting in touch with Dan’s when you have an order together to confirm the actual shipping cost. When I ordered mine they gave me a credit adjustment when the actual shipping turned out to be less than that calculated by the website. From memory it was about half the calculated rate. I didn’t ask for a rebate, they just processed it automatically. They’re nice guys to deal with.
 

Legion

Staff member
I have the .5-inch thick stone in a 2X8". It comes in a nice wooden box. I've never had an issue with the .5" thickness. I will never wear it out! But if I was to drop it I can see it would break.
The 1" thick ones will break almost as easily.

3692F4EB-4E63-48EF-AEF0-107A71F5815D.jpeg
 

ajkel64

Check Out Chick
Staff member
I know nothing of Straight Razor shaving or sharpening and the same with knives. I am assuming that one stone can do both?
 

Legion

Staff member
I know nothing of Straight Razor shaving or sharpening and the same with knives. I am assuming that one stone can do both?
Ummm. It's a bit more complicated than that. Generally speaking, a stone that is fine enough to finish a knife would be about where you would start on a razor. That is a loose rule of thumb, and there is some cross over, but I have my knife stones, and my razor stones. Some will serve double duty, but most will be tools for the specific job.

In the Instance of Arks, a soft Ark might be a great hone for a kitchen or hunting knife, but I wouldn't use one for razors. That broken translucent one is more of a razor finisher, but personally I wouldn't bother with honing a kitchen knife with it. IMO it would leave the edge too refined, and I like kitchen knives with a bit of tooth, to slice through squishy tomatoes, chicken breast, etc.

As alway, YMMV.
 

Legion

Staff member
@cotedupy wrote an interesting post about different types of sharp, which might explain it better than I can.

 
Those last posts explain it very well.
By the picture, I was thinking the broken one was a soft Ark. Glad you were able to save enough yardage to keep it a good useable razor hone. I know they are brittle.
 
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