Thread: Arkansas Surgical Black

That is what they say… about the grit rating, but I do not know where that comes from really. First you cannot grit rate a natural stone because they are all literally different and may be very different from one side to the other. I don’t know what the rating would be but the equivalent rating should be much higher… At least mine are… in my opinion.

What I do with natural stones is compare the stria to that of a known grit synthetic stone to get an idea of a grit range. But a Black Surgical will leave a hazy Kazumi stria pattern, making it difficult to compare and range it. And Grit range is not always an indicator of performance, of a razor stone.

As said, a lot will depend on how the stone has been prepped.

If you have been honing chisels on it for years and it is smooth as glass, it should be a finisher post 8K.

They also work well with a micro bevel with an extra piece of tape and 5-6 laps after polishing the bevel with 100 plus laps. Grit Rating of your stone, don’t know but they, unquestionably have the potential to be a very fine finisher.

Oil works, as does water and Smiths Honing Solution.

How about a photo?