Thread: Hard Arkansas

I too am inspired by this thread. It's funny how things change over the years. In my several day search for information about honing straights with an Arkansas I have come across many older threads that really don't paint a pleasant picture of the Arkies for razors. It seems that they have recently fallen back into favor as a viable finisher/polishing stone. I will state that I have not yet used one for this purpose but the concept of "taking your time" while honing appeals to me. I enjoy honing almost as much as I enjoy a straight razor shave. The prospect of 10-15 laps on a modern synthetic and your done seems anti-climactic. I actually look forward to 100+ laps to get that finely polished edge using an old school stone in a classy wooden box.

Maybe I'm just odd like that.

"Things" haven't changed so much as knowledge. Arks have always been good razor stones, it's just that they need to be prepped correctly to give a comfortable shave. Before the internet and the resurgence of straight razor shaving where would you get this info? The men who knew how to properly prep and use Arks for razors before the internet on their own were few and far between. I can't even count how many times I have read about guys having tried Arks for razors and saying they are too coarse and won't give a comfortable shave. And the funny thing is it's never their fault they got a bad shave...it's always the "POS" stone's fault.

I shaved with a LeGrelott #193 that is the first edge finished on my new primitive Black Ark from Dan's.
It took quite a few laps but the edge was worth every stroke, sharp and very smooth.
Like others have stated the razor just didn't feel like it was as sharp as it is, but after the first pass there was no doubt, HHT was a 4 with a good polish to the bevel.
The edge showed absolutely no sign of tugging or a sense of being tedious, it felt as though it would only cut beard and not skin even ATG on a five day beard.
The honing of the razor was an exercise in patience, being my first Arki edge. I had set the bevel and refined on an Okunomon Suiita then on to the Black Ark did about 150 X strokes on honing oil, stropped on linen 30 and clean leather 60. Edge showed HHT but was week so back to the Ark.
Another 100 very light and careful laps and stropped as before, a marked improvement in HHT 2-3, so back for another 50 laps as light as I could make them on very little oil.
Then stropped 30 on Kanayama hemp, 30 on flax linen,120 laps on Horween, HHT 4, felt satisfied the edge was there and the shave proved that.
One of the best shaves ever, could hardly feel anything on applying the alum and post shave felt great, BBS with absolutely no irritation.
Rivals my best J-Nat edges.
If you haven't tried an Arki edge I highly recommend that you give it a go.

FranfC...

Another way to get it there faster is to add a layer of tape and do a micro bevel. IMO you do sacrifice some smoothness but instead of 200 or more laps it can take as little as 50-100. Of course I don't mind doing all the laps. And I too have found that, as you said, an arkie edge likes to cut whiskers and rarely skin and never any irritation afterwards with alum or anything.

Frank - beautiful stone man!

Thanks Eric.
It would have been allot easier if it had come flat but that was not the case. The top pic above is the stone as I received it from Dan's, many hours later and the results are quite a transformation.
I am astounded at what a great finisher this stone tuned out to be and at a bargain if you don't count the hours necessary to get the stone in shape for razors.
It looks a little large for hand hold honing but as I have rather large hands and the stone is allot thinner than it looks in the pic's it fits me just right.
Now to see how many different kinds of steel it likes.

That's a beautiful stone Frank, looks just like mine.Attachment 195542

I might have to grab one of those, very nice. What do they charge for a rough stone like that?

Erik:
This one @ aprox. 4" X 7" was $37.50 and $10 to ship, allot of real estate for not much $.

Wid:

Do you have that Monolith lapped and finished yet, after all it is 2015?