Thread: Arkansas bliss

Originally Posted by HARRYWALLY

I like thinner stones, so I'd be leaning towards an 8x2. What do guys think?

Arkansas Oil Stones - Lee Valley Tools

I once had an 8x3 black Ark from Lee Valley. Dans Whetstone. Didn't lap it out of the box just burnished it and it was an awesome finisher. I used the other non burnished side for knives and stuff. You've got to order online and then pickup. They don't stock them there.

Originally Posted by S0LITARYS0LDIER

I once had an 8x3 black Ark from Lee Valley. Dans Whetstone. Didn't lap it out of the box just burnished it and it was an awesome finisher. I used the other non burnished side for knives and stuff. You've got to order online and then pickup. They don't stock them there.

Yup, just read that Scott. I'm literally 10 min drive from LeeValley where I'm working. I'm sure if I go in they can order me one......

Originally Posted by S0LITARYS0LDIER

I once had an 8x3 black Ark from Lee Valley. Dans Whetstone. Didn't lap it out of the box just burnished it and it was an awesome finisher. I used the other non burnished side for knives and stuff. You've got to order online and then pickup. They don't stock them there.

I haven't re-flattened any of the stones I've bought from dan's either, at least not since I started shaving. The ark doesn't cut fast enough once it's burnished to need perfection on the surface, and I'd imagine that even on the flattest finisher the highest rate of honing being done at a given point in time is at a small spot of the edge, and it's up to the skill of the honer to keep the work even on the bevel.

The same as any other tool.

Natural whetstone's stones are also flat (speaking specifically about the gray trans stone they call "black trans"), but they have a surface that is either more coarse or it might be straight off of a diamond saw. Good stone, though, just not something you can just lay a razor on out of the box like you can a dan's stone (though the dans get better and finer with use, like they all do).

Thanks for the great info. I was beginning to feel the same excitement and (especially) confusion as when I first started reading about JNATS...
After reading through this (and the Hard Arkansas) thread I've settled for a Dan's Hard Black 8x2. The wait will be long but I have a good feeling about this : )

regards

Nice to see folks still interested in such fine stone(s)

Originally Posted by DaveW

I haven't re-flattened any of the stones I've bought from dan's either, at least not since I started shaving. The ark doesn't cut fast enough once it's burnished to need perfection on the surface, and I'd imagine that even on the flattest finisher the highest rate of honing being done at a given point in time is at a small spot of the edge, and it's up to the skill of the honer to keep the work even on the bevel.

The same as any other tool.

Natural whetstone's stones are also flat (speaking specifically about the gray trans stone they call "black trans"), but they have a surface that is either more coarse or it might be straight off of a diamond saw. Good stone, though, just not something you can just lay a razor on out of the box like you can a dan's stone (though the dans get better and finer with use, like they all do).

Yes my translucent black was VERY coarse, I asked the guy at the shop about it, he said he laps all his stones on a 220 grid wheel sander thingie... they definitely take some burnishing. cool thing about them though, they will take back anything you buy if your not satisfied, and their prices on the standard blacks, hards and softs are quite good. Right now my translucent is too fine for razors, it literally does nothing haha. Just sticking to my dan's black. I just finished a vintage Torrey on my Dan's, I did about 200 laps regular pressure, and finished with about 60 to70 laps feather light pressure, another awesome edge!

well ive noticed that very hard stones like ark or jasper are very slow , so you literally cannot feel nothing You have to be prepared the razor to a shaved condition , i mean realy very good shaving edge , and then go to them , to feel the small diference
From very good shaving edge - to an amazing and unforgetable shaving edge
If you decide to use them as finisher only stone prepare your self with a perfect technique and a lot of time for countless few hundredlaps and somethimes you cannot reach the levell of sharpness you whant

Originally Posted by RusenBG

well ive noticed that very hard stones like ark or jasper are very slow , so you literally cannot feel nothing You have to be prepared the razor to a shaved condition , i mean realy very good shaving edge , and then go to them , to feel the small diference
From very good shaving edge - to an amazing and unforgetable shaving edge
If you decide to use them as finisher only stone prepare your self with a perfect technique and a lot of time for countless few hundredlaps and somethimes you cannot reach the levell of sharpness you whant

Well said... some of my razors take better to a synthetic finish, it seems as though the arks have almost no effect on them.
I take my razors to 8 or 10k, sometims 12k just to see how it turns out, then to my black ark. I do endless passes until I feel absolutely no resistance between the blade and stone, and I then do another 100 laps. Usually that equates to 300 to 350 laps, or 600-700 passes. As of late I find my self not even needing to follow with CrO!
I did my vintage Geneva on my Trans black from naturalwhestone... I like my dan's edge better... however the dan's stone is larger. Go figure.

Originally Posted by AnsichtskarteausSolingen

Makes me want a surgical black or translucent even more (ad in the classfieds ....).

Does anyone around here have any experience with the hard blacks from dictum.com? (https://www.dictum.com/en/sharpening...tones/arkansas) Was considering one of those. Or another reliable source in europe?

My only Ark is the black one from Dictum and I'm extremely happy with it. Like they said, burnishing changed it from flop to top!

Originally Posted by RusenBG

well ive noticed that very hard stones like ark or jasper are very slow , so you literally cannot feel nothing You have to be prepared the razor to a shaved condition , i mean realy very good shaving edge , and then go to them , to feel the small diference
From very good shaving edge - to an amazing and unforgetable shaving edge
If you decide to use them as finisher only stone prepare your self with a perfect technique and a lot of time for countless few hundredlaps and somethimes you cannot reach the levell of sharpness you whant

Arks are different, you don't have to do gentle laps only, even with the finisher. If it's settled in, you can swish the razor back and forth on the stone with moderate pressure (just not enough to flex the razor, that would be pointless) and then end with progressively lighter strokes.

When I prepare a (new to me and long out of service) razor only with arkansas stones, it takes about 15 minutes from a bevel reset to a shave ready razor, but a lot of the work is done with some pressure until the very final strokes. It is a gentle abrasive once broken in, and as long as there is no floating particles on the stone. The stone itself is gentle.

The broken in jasper is even slower, and you can just swash a razor back and forth on it for a couple of minutes to get a final burnish. It won't create any semblance of a wire edge.