Thread: Arkansas hardness

No need to apologize, I didn't post it to start an arguement. Mostly it was to share information. Dan's doesn't just sell them, my understanding is they also own one of the mines in which these hones are quarried from. So I would like to believe they're being forthright in their information.

As to yours in particular, if they both came from the same seller, and the translucent is good quality then I'm sure they sold you the black in good faith as well. And I don't doubt that yours behave as you say they do.

I apologize if my post came off as combative, defensive, or worse - derogatory. Such was not my intent. Mostly the post was made to point out that there are a variety of Black Arkansas stones in grades above and below Translucent stones, and that one must be careful to find a reputable dealer - as it sounds like you did.

In my own search (I'm constantly on the lookout for these) I've seen hones called 'surgical black' at hard Arkansas hone prices. These are the ones I am particularly wary and suspicious of.

I agree with you that sharpening these blades is quite a challenge. Much more so than shaving with them, learning that was the easy part.

I've got one of those stone wheels you speak of. It belonged to my grandfather, and I'm sure came from his father before him. I've never thought to use it on anything, the stone itself seems rather coarse and badly worn from misuse.

The stones need to be prepped properly. They can't be compared well if they aren't identically prepared. If they are prepared/conditioned in a way that is suitable to use for razor honing, you should not be able to feel any "gritty" feeling at all with your fingernail - it should feel like running your nail along a piece of optically clear glass.

Using the hones as received from the vendors is a waste of time in most cases if you're trying to hone a razor.

After lapping the stones flat they should be brought up to a higher polish with at least 1k+ level abrasive, then burnished for a good while with a steel chisel or wide knife blade all over the surface evenly. This takes quite some time, but when finished will provide fantastic razor edges.

ah! Jus as my grandfathers, whom he possiably got from his.I apologized because sometimes my narrative comes out a bit harsh and I need to learn to find more proper words. It's not like a conversation eye to eye were you can read the facial expression, tone of voice and body gesture, al cures to the intent of the conversation. Thank you for your kindness and patients with me.

Originally Posted by Marshal

All depends on where you get them from. You can find Black Arkansas stones that are hard, true hard (Same grade as Translucent), and True Black (Finest/highest grade possible). So if you got it cheap, or from a less than reputable seller, it may not be the grade it was advertised as. See here:

Stone Grades 101

Dan's is pretty much the only one left, They own the quarry and do the cutting, lapping, packaging. They also sell to places like Norton or such companies that re-brand them.

Dan's sells all grades of stones though, usually you can look at it and figure out which grade it is, at least I can.

I wish I could. I can tell spit soft ones pretty easily. And translucent are also obvious. I don't have enough hands on experience with hard and beyond to be confident what's what.