>>1865782Looks like black Arkansas, which make nice stones. The relative grit might be anywhere between medium to extra fine.
https://www.danswhetstone.com/information/stone-grades-101/ Is your dad still around to ask him if he used oil or water with it? You have to stick with oil once you soak a stone with it. He might also have used it dry.
You shouldn't be intimidated by hand sharpening. It would be extremely hard to "ruin" a blade with that stone, so go ahead and learn on a Mora and Victorinox. The best advice I ever got was that you want to imagine you are cutting very thin 'slices of stone' off the top, keeping the same angle on the bevel. Lubricating the stone makes this easier to do but is not necessary. More pressure and/or lower grit will take more off the blade and can ruin a blade's geometry if you don't know what you're doing. Again, with a black Arkansas you shouldn't have to worry unless you're being retarded. Running a Sharpie along the edge of the knife before you start and looking at what you are taking off is highly recommended for the first couple times. After you do a Mora/wide bevel and a SAK/thin bevel, you will feel and hear it when you're doing it right more than rely on your eyes.
>don't fuck up my knivesBe prepared that you will have scratches on the blade after sharpening. They will be all over the place when you are learning, and are the mark of a beginner sharpener. After you get control you will be able to focus on more precise areas. A lot of beginners tape up the blade so they don't scratch the bolsters, logo/insignias, sides, etc. Regardless, you will need a series of whetstones to take the blades back up to mirror polish, and a lot of hand work. Nothing is fucked up because it can be fixed.
