Oil or no oil

[Wowbagger]

(glaze) pretty easily, even on steels more suited to them. Even more so, if they ever get used dry, or only with water.

I can varify that. I glazed this one with A2 in one light super sharp edge refining session. The edge was already whittling off my water stones and a sharpening jig (for a woodworking plane blade). I merely tried the edge on the Trans Ark to see if it would "improve" the edge.
Glazed it.
I was using water.
Link>>>>

PS: now I know better than to take it to my diamond plate and that the loose grit lapping is the way to go to get it back in shape.

 

[eKretz]

The link you posted on the first page pretty thoroughly explains that phenomenon and why oil is better. Hopefully the O.P. and anyone else interested read it.

 

[Evan.S.Merritt15]

What steel types are you sharpening? Depending on that, it could explain at least part of why your Arkansas stone gets glazed. The natural grit in Arkansas stones is only moderately harder than simple cutlery steel (with little or no hard carbides, like 1095, CV, 420HC, 440A), so Ark stones will still wear (glaze) pretty easily, even on steels more suited to them. Even more so, if they ever get used dry, or only with water.

Also, if you're sharpening steels with some significant hard carbide content (pretty much anything at or beyond 440C, for example, in wear resistance), the other Arkansas stones you're looking at may not be well-suited to those anyway, for the glazing issues described above and because they wouldn't work well anyway for such steels. That's where a ceramic or other synthetic stones (aluminum oxide, SiC, diamond, etc) may be better than the Arkansas stones, at least.

I'm usually sharpening 420hc, 8cr13mov, or case cv. Sometimes I use aus8 or aus8a.

 

[Evan.S.Merritt15]

Evan, it's technique and experience that helps the most to put a hair shaving edge on a knife, not the stone. However, if you want to get a
fine Arkansas stone then do it. A fine Spyderco ceramic would likely work better but either one you must clean after each use. Your old ceramic rods may just need cleaning. DM

I clean my rods thoroughly with a lansky eraser block after each use and it looks clean but I think it may have more to do with the steel because I had colonial lock back that I sharpened using my Norton bench stone and the ceramic rod and it was hair shaving but with my Kershaw I take it through my bench stone soft and hard Arkansas and a ceramic rod then finish with a strop loaded with green compound and it still doesn't shave. It has a mirror polish but can't shave.

 

[David Martin]

Ok, good you're cleaning them. Are you sure the Kershaw is full apexed? It should be shaving after working it on the bench stone. DM

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

I'm usually sharpening 420hc, 8cr13mov, or case cv. Sometimes I use aus8 or aus8a.

The 8Cr13MoV and AUS8/8A are a little more wear-resistant. They might do OK in sharpening on the Arkansas stones, though they'll be slower to grind. They'll also work a little quicker toward glazing the stone a little bit. 420HC & CV aren't generally much of a problem on Ark stones.