Thread: Natural Barber Hones ID

I have difficulty with HHT too. I even tried my granddaughters hair. Im going to blame the hair in the family, not my honing.

To burnish your arkie rub the hell out of it with a piece of steel like a large screwdriver shank or punch shank. It will make the stone have a slight mirror finish. Or just keep honing on it. After a couple dozen razors honed on it it will be burnished. I like an Arkie edge but Im playing with lots of stones and havent used the Ark in a while. They are so damned hard and smooth it takes a lot of laps to get a good polished edge off of one.

I am not convinced the surgical Arkansas is higher grit than the coticule?

Not surprising, your Black Ark looks pretty rough for razor work. As said lap one side to 600 wet and dry and the other to 1 or 2k wet and dry. Start with 60 grit or loose Silicone Carbide. It is not expensive, and arks are hard. Loose grit is much quicker, there are many Ark and lapping threads.

Once flat burnish one side, now you will have an Ark finish progression, that should be much keener and smoother shaving that any Coticule.

Your Coticule may not be a finisher, or it could be technique. Coticules are not known to be keen finishers to begin with. HHT is very subjective, especially for a new honer. Do not put a lot of stock in how it cuts hair, other than if is does not cut hair.

Look straight down at your edge, if you see shiny reflections, you bevel is not fully set.

Which BTW, have you lapped all your stones?

Originally Posted by Pougee

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I managed to pick up a Bengall for $40 AUD which was in really good condition, to do some test sharpening. I had a go today, setting the bevel on the Soft Arkansas and then trying the dilute method on the coticule. I managed to get the razor to shave comfortably, but could be a little better. I tried putting it on the surgical Arkansas, but the feedback from it felt like it was a lower grit than the coticule with no slurry and clean water. I am not convinced the surgical Arkansas is higher grit than the coticule?

Your Arkansas should be smooth as glass. I'd suggest following Euclid's advice on preparing that stone to squeeze more out of it.