History & Guarantee
The Hall Family
The Hall family of Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas has been in the natural Arkansas Whetstones business since the early 1970's. The Natural Arkansas stone business has been and will be here for many generations, and now Hall's Arkansas Oilstones, Inc. is the Oldest and one of the largest suppliers of Natural Arkansas knife sharpening stones in the world. Hall's is committed to offering its customers these high quality products for many years to come.
Hall's has been commercially mining Novaculite for over 30 years. The rock is mined around the famous Hot Springs, Arkansas in the Ouachita Mountains. The only place in the world where 350 million-year-old deposits of Novaculite have been commercially mined since the early 1800's. Before that, the Indians had used the stone as tools and weapons after which pioneers in the area realized the stone's value as a sharpening device for metal blades.
Novaculite is a silica
rock comprised of very pure and compact granularity, which refuses to
"hollow out" like most artificial sharpening devices do. The
Novaculite will actually polish the metal as it sharpens it. However, in
its native formation, the stone is fragile until cut and lapped;
therefore, it must be carefully mined by hand after small amounts of black
powder loosen it, exploded in very low density explosions.
One of the most extraordinary features on Novaculite is the
rich beauty of the softer stone. The colors and striations vary from
metallic blues to contrasting reds and golden yellows. Some veins are
veritable rainbows in stone. This feature is an additional reason for the
Arkansas Stone's coveted place in the hearts of even the most modestly
enthusiastic knife owners.
We carefully mine and
then individually cut Hall's Whetstones and lap all six sides by hand to
guarantee perfect, flat honing surfaces. The stone's are then cleaned and
all dirt is removed from the stones pores and then dried, so the stone
will not mildew. Hall's stones are unequaled in their craftsmanship and
precision cutting by diamond saws and hand finishing. Sportsmen,
Craftsmen, and Industries throughout the world use them for honing and
finishing knives, surgical instruments, tools, watch parts, and similar
precision products.
If you would like more information on Novaculite stone, you may go
to the web site of the Arkansas Geological Commission by clicking
here.
If you are not 100% satisfied I want you to send the merchandise back and let me replace it or refund your money. You are in charge of our Guarantee; you decide what satisfaction means.
This page dedicated in Loving Memory of
Robert L. Hall
1937 - 2001