Thread: Norton Vs Dan's translucent stones

I gotta load the lead, after a few uses as well. Don't care for the cr/ox strop that much. If its dull, a few passes on a finisher is my deal.

I have been underwhelmed by all but 2 synthetic edges and very impressed by all the natural edges (that were done well) I have tried. Including cnat, Arkansas, thuringian & Escher, and coticule. I am just now dipping my toe in the J-Nat pool. So far my favorite edges have been Arkansas and thuringian/ Escher/ Hohenzollern.

One of the synthetic edges that was impressive was done by Ace who used a Gok20K followed by CBN. About as close to a natural edge as I have found....so far.

Originally Posted by Gasman

I find a lead strop changes the synthetic edge by smoothing it out. And this can be seen with a scope. I played with it for a while too but had such a hard time keeping lead on the strop. I still pick it up now and than but i have to rub the lead on it everytime to get anywhere. But it does calm an edge. Rubs some of the stria smooth at the edge.

Originally Posted by outback

I gotta load the lead, after a few uses as well. Don't care for the cr/ox strop that much. If its dull, a few passes on a finisher is my deal.

Are you guys using pure lead or an alloy?

I have pure lead but find it easier to find an alloy.

I don't have a clear understanding of "burnished." I have a surgical black Arkansas but don't know how to gauge if I have it well burnished but I definitely
know that it is a slow, slow stone. Any responses?

After lapping you want to rub the heck out of it with some hard carbon steel, use a chisel or knife with a lubricant and go to town. By doing so you will be knocking the high points off the exposed grit that are in the matrix of the stone. Keep at it until the surface starts becoming reflective. Try a razor, if the resulting polish isn’t to your liking do some more burnishing with your knife or chisel. This burnishing will give you a higher and higher polish but will also slow the stone down. I go from my 12k to my sb, my resulting edge is very comfortable but not as keen as it is with the 12k.

Originally Posted by Learner

I don't have a clear understanding of "burnished." I have a surgical black Arkansas but don't know how to gauge if I have it well burnished but I definitely
know that it is a slow, slow stone. Any responses?

You might take a look at this.

https://sharprazorpalace.com/hones/1...true-hard.html

I took an old razor that was not worth fixing. Sanded the spine smooth and clean then everytime i want into my room i worked the spine on the stone for 5 to 10 minutes. A screwdriver or chissel would habe been better but...

Now i have a trans arkie that shows reflections when you hold it up to something. Not mirror like but enough you can see an items reflection on my desk. Rub the hell out of it with metal! For a while!

First, a stone must be properly lapped, then burnished. How much is enough, is hard to say, a lot depends on the stone. A good practice is to lap Both sides to 600 grit and burnish one side, leaving the other lapped and more aggressive, now you have a progression, pre finish and finish, which can cut your time on the stone.

With Arks your edge should be well finished at least to 8k or better, (I take the edge to 8-12k or 20k chip free edge) or you will be spending a lot of time on the burnished Ark.

Some judge a stone’s burnish by how smooth and/ or shiny the stone becomes. But that is subjective and may be a valid test for your stone only. Judging when a stone is sufficiently burnished, is based on the performance of the stone. You can adjust the performance by lapping for more aggressive or burnishing for more polish and slower cut.

The biggest mistake most folks make with finish Arks is the razor’s bevel and edge is not finished well enough and then put on a slow cutting burnished Ark and stellar result expected, then blame the stone.

An Ark edge often takes many more laps than a synthetic, or faster cutting naturals. You might try using a bit more pressure that usual and using a water-soluble oil, like Ballistol or Smiths.

Originally Posted by 32t

Are you guys using pure lead or an alloy?

I have pure lead but find it easier to find an alloy.

I use stick on wheel wieghts from semi trucks. Their 1/2 oz. each. Haven't tried my pure lead.

Right on, Marty. That's just what I did with my hard black ark. They are a lot slower than I expected, but will polish to near 12k, with the right solution.

Did a first time test shave off it, the other day. NOT TOO SHABBY.! If I say so myself..

As for burnishing, a wood chisel works wonders for this.