Thread: Is this ok to use on straight razors?

Originally Posted by jelajemi

Soft Arkansas are on the 1000 grit to the most. Maybe lower, and they are slow

Sharpening Stone Grit Chart

So based on the info in this link, the Black Hard Ark is about the same in the progression as a Norton 4k? Visual inspection of an edge after a few passes on a Hard Black Ark put it above the 8k.. what gives?

Just because something is shiny, it does not means it is sharp.

Originally Posted by jelajemi

Just because something is shiny, it does not means it is sharp.

Not sure who you are responding to.. but if it is me.. I implying that either were sharper or shinier. My observation is that the Black Ark looks to be closer to or above the 8k.. By visual observation I am referring to the scratch pattern.

It depends on the stone you have.

Soft Arkansas is about 600 Grit
Hard Arkansas is about 800 Grit
Surgical Black / Hard Black Arkansas is about 1200+ Grit, maybe up to about 4K Grit
Translucent Arkansas is about 1200+ Grit, maybe up to about 4K Grit

Soft Arkansas is Never 1000 Grit, because if it was that fine, it'd be one of the higher grades of stone, not Soft.

Case graded your stone as Soft Arkansas, so I'd trust them. I have a Case branded Hard Arkansas stone, and it will put a fine edge on a knife blade. A natural progression for a knife would be, Soft-Hard-Black Arkansas.

Originally Posted by 1KnifeGuy4U

It depends on the stone you have.

Soft Arkansas is about 600 Grit
Hard Arkansas is about 800 Grit
Surgical Black / Hard Black Arkansas is about 1200+ Grit, maybe up to about 4K Grit
Translucent Arkansas is about 1200+ Grit, maybe up to about 4K Grit

Soft Arkansas is Never 1000 Grit, because if it was that fine, it'd be one of the higher grades of stone, not Soft.

Case graded your stone as Soft Arkansas, so I'd trust them. I have a Case branded Hard Arkansas stone, and it will put a fine edge on a knife blade. A natural progression for a knife would be, Soft-Hard-Black Arkansas.

Wow...

I have a Lile Hard Black Ark and it is glass smooth. Far smoother than the Norton 8k and it leaves a super smooth finish too. I think I need to do some more research. I thought it was above the 8k.

The thing with arks is they're graded on hardness so grit really means nothing. Surgical black and translucent have been used as finishers on straights. The grit ratings given are based on the sized particles of man made stones. Naturals especially arks don't apply.