| Sharpening stones are an absolute must if you | | | | stone is the Arkansas Stone which is made from |
| plan to sharpen your hunting knives yourself. | | | | Novaculite. The Washita and Ouachita stones are |
| They come in many different styles and grits | | | | made from the same material and are from the |
| which can make choosing the best one for your | | | | Ouachita Mountains in Arkansas. These stones |
| sharpening needs a bit confusing. Here are the | | | | tend to cut more slowly compared to the |
| most common types of sharpening stones in use | | | | synthetic India Stone that is made of Aluminum |
| today: | | | | Oxide. Oil stones made of Silicon Carbide are the |
| Diamond Stones | | | | fastest cutting stones which make them ideal for |
| Diamond stones have small industrial diamonds | | | | initial course sharpening. |
| attached to a metal plate that's available in various | | | | Water Stones |
| sizes, ranging from credit card to bench plate size. | | | | Water stones, just like the oil stones, are available |
| They are harder than any of the other sharpening | | | | in both natural and synthetic materials. The main |
| stones, are very fast cutting and the most | | | | advantage of the water stone is that it is fast |
| expensive. There are two types of diamond | | | | cutting. Another advantage is the use of water |
| stones to choose from. The first type has | | | | instead of oil which is less messy and easier to |
| surface holes to capture the swarf (metal | | | | clean up. Synthetic water stones are made of |
| shavings). The second type is a continuous | | | | Aluminum Oxide but are softer than India Stones |
| diamond surface that is preferred when you are | | | | which are made from the same material. The |
| sharpening tools with points or edges that could | | | | Japanese water stone consists of fine silicate |
| get caught in the holes. | | | | particles in a clay matrix, making it a soft stone. |
| Oil Stones | | | | The worn material from your hunting knife and |
| Oil stones are natural stones quarried from the | | | | the water form a slurry which in conjunction with |
| earth or synthetic stones that are cut and shaped | | | | the stone, sharpens and polishes your blade. |
| as whetstones. The most well known natural oil | | | | |