Thread: Translucent Arkansas stone?

I'm a TransFan. One side kept refreshed, one side semi-burnished. They are not fast but they are effective on razors if you want a smooth keen edge.

Arkansas stones (novaculite) are a type of rock consisting primarily of silica. Other silica based rocks are obsidian, an igneous rock also called volcanic glass, Quartz a crystalized silica, sandstone which is a sedimentary rock, and chert which is a metamorphic rock. Novaculite is a type of chert.

Silica-based abrasives are not very aggressive in sharpening hardened steel such as razors. A hardened steel file has a hardness similar to that of a quartz crystal (about 6.5 on the Mohs scale). A steel file can scratch amorphous silica glass. Razors are not quite as hard as a hardened steel file, but some razors come close.

There is an old saying from the Bible that "iron sharpens iron", but when materials are of similar hardness, the sharpening process is slow. Thus, while silica based hones can be used to sharpen steel razors of similar hardness, the honing/sharpening process is slow. Thus, they tend to be better for the final polishing/finishing of an already sharp edge.

Hones based on materials that are significantly harder than steel will sharpen more quickly. Those include garnet as found in coticules, corundum (rubies and sapphires), and diamond. There are also man-made abrasives such as fused alumina ceramics, fused zirconia, silicon carbide, boron carbide, and boron nitride. Although diamond is found naturally, man-made diamonds are commonly used for abrasives.

One very popular finishing hone is the Thuringen. Escher stones are a vintage brand of thuringen stones. The stone is comprised of silica embedded in chalk. Since chalk is one of the softest minerals, it abrades quickly releasing quartz crystals that are responsible for the sharpening/polishing.

Since Arkansas stones are nearly pure silica, the crystals are not released so the action is more for polishing/burnishing rather than sharpening. This is especially true for the hardest Arkansas stones: translucent and hard black.

I have a friend who used to love honing on Arkansas stones. He found honing relaxing, so he would hone for long periods of time while watching TV. He has now switched over to the use of Shapton ceramic on tempered glass hones as they provide better feedback and are far quicker than Arks.

Naturals can be strange beasts sometimes. I consider my Surgical black to be fast. 20-30 passes (same as stropping). While Charnley Forest is crazy slow for me, 100-150 passes. But there is a price to pay either way. 20, 30, even 50 passes would be manageable. That's not the real issue. It's the maintenance of that sweet spot where it performs this. And I guess at some point it gets cumbersome to give so much time to the stone itself and, after, some more to the razor. It's like using a carbon chef and you constantly need to take care of the knife just as much as of using it, if not more. Some don't mind doing so even if they are professionals, some find it simply cumbersome. That carbon edge (I actually use a carbon chef right now) has its price. No free lunch. So, from a different perspective, I guess even when it's fast, it might not be. Not like synths that are mostly always easy to use with consistent outcome.

I have all kinds of coticules, some very fast, some glass like slow, many somewhere in the middle. One in particular would rival a very burnished translucent. It's extremely hard and very very fine. And one very soft and equally fine. Obviously the softer one is faster. Considerably. That's naturals for you! I enjoy them all. I guess this is part of the craziness that naturals will always offer. At first I was getting stones just to see how they perform and learn. After a good amount of stones, I still have the urge to buy some, just to see if there isn't something different from all the others. Naturals are strange beasts, as I've said. While Translucent stones are pretty similar (much more than coticules), the best one I got was an old yellow one. It was softer than usual. A smooth velvet like edge.

From my little bubble, I have no regrets trying as many stones as I could. Get one, try it, sell it. I've sold many, I've kept a few. OK, maybe more than a few, but I'm getting there. Slowly. And maybe this could be another purpose of this thread. See for yourself how you like a few stones. My best bet would be a thuringian, but who knows. And even if you don't like the translucent, it won't be an expensive mistake and your experience would grow.