Thread: Black arkansas vs Translucent

Well, I took advantage of a rainy Saturday to finish two already shave-ready blades on the polished stones:
1. A John Paul 72 Best Silver Steel French Quarter Hollow I actually won on one of our monthly Giveaways. It got circles+200ish x-strokes on burnished TransArk w/glycerin and water; then circles+50 x-strokes on Dawn and water; stropped 60 on English Bridle.
2. A Frederick Reynolds Rattler Grind smiling Sheffield. It got several sets of circles, back and forths, and ultra-light x-strokes w/water and Dawn on buffed PHIG/C12k. (More and more I find myself sort of "zenning-out" or daydreaming on these fine naturals, and really more feeling for smoothness than counting strokes).+50 on English Bridle.

I'll share results after tomorrow's shave.

I also took your advice to lap the back of those hones, Marshal. Using a flat platen on a 72" belt grinder and a spray-moistened , well-worn 320 belt (to cut down the PHIG dust!), the saw marks left quickly and I was left with mostly smooth surfaces. A few minutes for each on wet-dry 320 and 400 wet-stuck to a granite plate left both dead flat and smooth. It was actually much easier and faster than I expected; that PHIG was actually much softer/easier to work than the Ark. I finished both with some gentle figure-8's under running water with a worn DMT 325, and will leave them at that to have the combo hones as you suggested. I can't wait to try them!

My NAni 12 sits dry at the corner of my honing station giving me the stink-eye. More later. Aaron