Rare USA-Made Natural Whetstone, Black Hard Arkansas Stone with Wooden Stand

Ultra-Rare USA-Made Natural Whetstone Black Hard Arkansas Stone [100x24x11mm] New Unused
This is an ultra-rare, USA-made natural whetstone. Black Hard Arkansas Stone [74x24x7mm] from Arkansas.
This is an oil stone. Once used and the oil has settled in, it will provide a very fine finish.
As it is new, it is recommended to apply a generous amount of oil to the surface and let it soak in before use. This stone is for final finishing. The sequence would be: Diamond coarse stone -> Soft (medium grit) -> Hard (finishing grit) -> Fine ceramic -> Black Hard.

A base has been attached using scrap wood from a laurel tree, provided by a furniture craftsman. The top surface has been treated with organic wood oil.
While the whetstone can be used as is, a base has been prepared for ease of use as it is a pocket stone. If you plan to use the base, please secure the stone with epoxy adhesive.

For small whetstones, you can use them like regular whetstones, which is fine for small knives. For larger items, please hold the stone in your hand and keep the blade vertical while sharpening.
The feel is similar to using a Lansky or Spyderco sharpener. Hold the stone horizontally against the vertically fixed blade, then change to half the angle, and then slightly lower it to an angle of about 35-40 degrees to sharpen. The Black Hard Arkansas is a final finishing stone. It is finer than ceramic.

These are becoming rarer each year, especially the Black Hard Arkansas Stone. Even this size is considered quite large.
A sample of a used Arkansas oil stone is shown. Once the oil has settled in this much, very little oil is needed during use.