Arkansas black sharpening stone fine grain

Stone for calligraphy nib sharpening. Real black Arkansas stone fine grain, it measures 50 x 40 x 12 mm. Its fineness is a guarantee of quality in grinding the nib.

Essential for:

• Removing the burr from new nibs (e.g. Mitchell) by smoothing down the sharp corners (e.g. Mitchell nib n.0 or n.1).

• Sharpen corners and edge of an old nib in order to obtain maximum contrast between thick and thins.

• Make thinner and sharper fountain pen nibs.

• Rub down a pointed nib and make a very small broad edge nib.

We recommend working delicately without excessive pressure on the stone and carrying out some writing tests before proceeding. If the stone gets dirty with ink it can be washed because it does not absorb the color.

What are Arkansas stones: they are natural stones from quarries in the US state of Arkansas. Its Novaculite abrasive mineral is very hard and very dense. Thanks to these properties, natural Arkansas stone has low wear and good stock removal. Sometimes an oil is used to grind and for this reason it is also referred to as Arkansas oilstone. Oil should not be used to improve calligraphy nibs. 

We have two types which are equivalent for the needs of a calligrapher:

Black Arkansas: (ultra fine density)

For nib sharpening, for beginners, less expensive. Approx. 4000-6000 grit.

Translucent Arkansas: (x-ultra fine density)

For calligraphy nibs and fountain pen nibs. The more expensive of the two. The rarest of Arkansas sharpening stones. Translucent stones in their purest form are white. Translucent stones may contain shades of pink, yellow, and grey. The Translucent sharpening stone produces the highest polished, razor edge. Approx. 8000-10000 grit.