Reply by lwllms

That’s actually a pretty nice stone set up. I think the hard Arkansas is actually a translucent stone. If you’ve got a couple sheets of 100 grit silicon carbide (wet or dry) sand paper you can dress both sides to flatten and expose fresh abrasive. Just put the sand paper down on a flat surface like a table saw top.

Those stones will get you by just fine unless you’re trying to sharpen A-2 steel. Novaculite stones aren’t a good choice for A-2 steel but then I don’t think A-2 steel is a good choice for edge tools.

I prefer to dress my oil stones before each use and any time I feel the cutting action slow down. I use an extra coarse diamond stone for dressing my oil stones. I tried water stones but found myself spending more time flattening stones than sharpening. I also disliked the mess of water stones. Well maintained oil stones cut just as fast as water stones when working normal high carbon tool steel. I wouldn’t go back to water stones, I’d rather spend time working wood than flattening stones in a sloppy, messy environment.