Thread: Arkansas

Wow, these Arks take a lot of burnishing, used kitchen knives, chef's knives, a small chisel and even my Fiskars axe although I am worried about scratching the stones with that one because the edge is a bit dented.

Even the washita is taking some burnishing, I think they're going to be a work in progress for a while yet. That's OK though because it just means my rocks will get better over time and that has to be a good thing.

I have one side of my Translucent at 600 and the other 1200 and being burnished.

5 questions if I may.

Should I also burnish the 600 side of the Trans?

Although I know that a bevel should not need to be set repeatedly, or even maybe more than once, for the practice do I need to kill the edge before I reset the bevel and progress or should I leave the bevel as it is and reset it while it's still sharp?

If I am setting the bevel with and progressing all the way on only Arks, do I still need to tape the spine or will it not really wear?

Can a person overhone or cause foils etc on Arks?

Is a Washita Pike Norton No1 an Ark?

Thanks guys.

Pike washita#1 can be great Ark.

Yes you can make a foil edge, just not as easy as others.

After bevel set I take the tape off sometimes. Depends on the razor. I prefer Kapton but use electical tape too.

I only kill the edge on my final finishing stone. I like to do ten laps on horsehide after each stone progression.

I would only lightly pass a chisel or some kind of tool to take any potential high points but not burnish.

Just by your questions you can tell you are comming along nicely! Well done Sir!

Originally Posted by STF

Wow, these Arks take a lot of burnishing, used kitchen knives, chef's knives, a small chisel and even my Fiskars axe although I am worried about scratching the stones with that one because the edge is a bit dented.

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

The amount and extent of burnishing is a personal choice and only marginally effects usefulness. See my link above. Your hard work only really effects high gloss. Makes for a pretty rock though.

Originally Posted by STF

Wow, these Arks take a lot of burnishing, used kitchen knives, chef's knives, a small chisel and even my Fiskars axe although I am worried about scratching the stones with that one because the edge is a bit dented.

Even the washita is taking some burnishing, I think they're going to be a work in progress for a while yet. That's OK though because it just means my rocks will get better over time and that has to be a good thing.

Bit late to the party but I'll chime in anyway. I have one side of my Translucent at 600 and the other 1200 and being burnished.

5 questions if I may.

Should I also burnish the 600 side of the Trans?

Although I know that a bevel should not need to be set repeatedly, or even maybe more than once, for the practice do I need to kill the edge before I reset the bevel and progress or should I leave the bevel as it is and reset it while it's still sharp?

If I am setting the bevel with and progressing all the way on only Arks, do I still need to tape the spine or will it not really wear?

Can a person overhone or cause foils etc on Arks?

Is a Washita Pike Norton No1 an Ark?

Thanks guys.

I would only burnish one side, it's useful to have a second side that is surface a little rougher. 600 grit is usually what I use for the unburnished side.

If you're doing it on a practice razor it can help to kill the edge. But it's not something I do often on razors that shave well and just need a touch up.

Tape or no tape is up to you, I don't mind hone wear on my razors as most aren't vintage. But any surface that will hone your edge will also hone your spine so if you don't want wear, tape it.

I don't think I've ever over honed on anything short of a 12K synthetic. I've created a foil edge on a soft Arkansas, but I really had to work the stuffing out of that blade. You'd be hard pressed to do so I think.

I think Washita and Arkansas stones are slightly different creatures, but they compliment one another well.

Well, technically a washita is an ark since it is from Ouachita county in Arkansas but iirc they are from a different vein from what is traditionally called an Arkansas stones by name. Also functionally they are different since they are not as dense I believe. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong but I think I recall that a soft ark is similar but more dense although I may have that in reverse. Either way I believe it tends to blur toward the middle of the spectrum between the two.

Originally Posted by PaulFLUS

Well, technically a washita is an ark since it is from Ouachita county in Arkansas but iirc they are from a different vein from what is traditionally called an Arkansas stones by name. Also functionally they are different since they are not as dense I believe. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong but I think I recall that a soft ark is similar but more dense although I may have that in reverse. Either way I believe it tends to blur toward the middle of the spectrum between the two.

You're correct. I didn't realize that a Washita stone is also Novaculite, just much more porous (less dense) than other grades of Arkansas stones.