Thread: Hard Arkansas

Well, I spent the day breaking in my strop properly and lapping, polishing, and burnishing (Not sure if that's the right word for 300 strokes with a kitchen knife) those old arkies. Worth it! My razor is sharper than ever, and shaves smoother too. I couldn't do ATG strokes under my chin without razor burn prior to hitting the blade with a hard and translucent Arkansas stone. I can't wait until they've had a few more blades run over them to properly break them in again.

So I have a chance to pick up a good sized Arkansas Extra Hard White Translucent, what should I be looking for? Which is the better of the two, black or translucent?

Originally Posted by Grazor

So I have a chance to pick up a good sized Arkansas Extra Hard White Translucent, what should I be looking for? Which is the better of the two, black or translucent?

Doesn't matter the color, although "Extra Hard" sounds kinda gimmicky. If its translucent its obviously a hard stone. Make sure there are no cracks or divots that will have to be lapped out because that is a pain in the butt, and of course make sure there are no cracks or divots that can't be lapped out because then the stone won't work for your needs.

If you get an old stone that has been used a lot, years, like Marshal’s Grandfather’s, Try it first, that old stone has probably seen more old, hard steel than you will ever put on it. It may not be dead flat, but it sure will be smooth.

Clean it with Simple Green and put a razor on it, if it is not perfectly flat the razor will just ride on the high spots. If you lap it you will remove all the polish. If it is rough, then lap it, or just burnish it with an old carbon steel cleaver, I see them all the time at flea markets for a couple of dollars, they do come in handy, in the kitchen as well.

I buy old Arks and just clean them and use them, they don’t have to be large or dead flat, to work well as finishers. I have 10 inchers, but a 6 inch stone or even a 4 in will finish an edge just fine, just do more laps. Here is a nice 6 in Black Tranlucent I picked up last year, for a song, just washed and used it.

I use synthetic stone to bevel set and polish and Arks to finish after a 12k Super Stone. Love the Ark finish.

Originally Posted by Euclid440

If you get an old stone that has been used a lot, years, like Marshal’s Grandfather’s, Try it first, that old stone has probably seen more old, hard steel than you will ever put on it. It may not be dead flat, but it sure will be smooth.

Clean it with Simple Green and put a razor on it, if it is not perfectly flat the razor will just ride on the high spots. If you lap it you will remove all the polish. If it is rough, then lap it, or just burnish it with an old carbon steel cleaver, I see them all the time at flea markets for a couple of dollars, they do come in handy, in the kitchen as well.

I buy old Arks and just clean them and use them, they don’t have to be large or dead flat, to work well as finishers. I have 10 inchers, but a 6 inch stone or even a 4 in will finish an edge just fine, just do more laps. Here is a nice 6 in Black Tranlucent I picked up last year, for a song, just washed and used it.

I use synthetic stone to bevel set and polish and Arks to finish after a 12k Super Stone. Love the Ark finish.

I really like the 6". I can sit on the sofa and palm hone while I watch tv .

The brand is "sharpening systems" never heard of it and it is new. 8 by 2 inch. Not many arkansas hones made it down here. I did miss a Norton white a while back.

Originally Posted by Grazor

The brand is "sharpening systems" never heard of it and it is new. 8 by 2 inch. Not many arkansas hones made it down here. I did miss a Norton white a while back.

Well if the price is right I would say go for it.

I found this hard slice languishing in a drawer of mine. #guilty #regret

That one will most likely be a notch below a black or translucent in finishing ability. Those stone types are categorized by density as "true hard" and your stone is categorized as "hard."

Agree. They label it as hard, but it's a tweener stone. If you're lucky, it might be a fine washita. It should pre-finish a razor, though.