Quote Originally Posted by scarface View Post
So - how do I use it?
I'm one of the few guys on SRP that uses them; the common concensus is that they aren't suitable for razors, which never stopped me from getting great results with them.

You'll need to lap it *very* flat - these stones aren't as forgiving about surface irregularity as the nortons are. They're more like ceramic hones that way - the slightest surface problem can chip the blade. Also like barber hones, they're pretty slow, though the translucent is one of the faster varieties of arksansas stones as well as the finest grit. Norton claims the translucent is around 5-6k grit, but because of the particle shape it makes a much nicer edge than you'd think from the grit rating. I tend to get a bit better edge from my pink translucent than I do from the 8k side of the norton. When I use it, I tend to use it after the norton 4k.

Traditionally arkansas stones are used with oil for honing knives, but this is to keep the stones from clogging up from the relatively large amounts of swarf produced, and to prevent damage to the hone from the weight and pressure. For straight razors this isn't nearly as big of a deal so I use mine dry. Every now and then I get out some shaving lather and a toothbrush and scrub it down to get rid of the swarf. I've heard you can use oven cleaner, but that stinks to high heaven so I don't use it myself. It might come in handy for the initial cleaning though, since it did look very oil-stained.

Keep a very light touch, no pressure at all. This is easy to do since there's so little drag, it's like sliding the razor over glass. Once you feel the edge starting to bite into the stone (you may also hear a kind of scratching noise), then take it to the chrome oxide paddle or to the linen strop for the final polishing. You can shave with it straight off the translucent, but it can use a bit more smoothness from the paddle or linen.

When the razor dulls from use, I generally strop it well then give it another 20-40 laps on my hone, but that would probably translate to about 10-20 laps on your full-size one (my 4" long hone only gives me about 2 1/2" of stroke).