Picked up a Black Ark... now what?

I recently scored a nice used Dan's Whetstone Black Arkansas. From the website, it states the grit is around 1500+. I've read in other places that it may be around 4k. I know these numbers are just guides and estimates as this is a natural stone. When I received the stone, one side seemed to be burnished or at least used. To make sue it was flat, I lapped it with an Atoma 400. This was before I read the warnings. Luckily the stone was flat and my Atoma didn't take a lot of wear.

I've read some members use these Arks to finish razors. I've seen YouTube videos of folks finishing their knives with this stone. Finishing a knife and finishing a razor seem far apart. Can this one stone do both? Seems unlikely in its present state.

So, now what do I do with this stone? Do I need to burnish or polish to a higher grit to use on my razors?

If possible I would also like to use this stone to finish my knives. I currently have a synthetic 1K to hone my knives.

Thanks for any help,

Gabe

The problem with Dan’s is he sells a Hard black and an Ultra Fine Black. If you did not buy the stone new, you do not know which one you bought.

When ever you buy a used Ark, try it before you lap it, it may not need lapping and you may just lap off years of burnishing.

I lap Arks flat at 60 grit, with Silicone Carbide, then run up the grits to 500. Take one side to 500 and take the other side to 2k. 60-500 with Silicone Carbide 600-2k with Wet and Dry.

Then burnish the 2k side with hard carbon steel, I use a large cleaver, until smooth.

You now have a two-sided stone, mark the edge with a paint sharpie so you know which is which. You can finish knives on the 500 side and do razors on both if you watch the tip on your knives and do not scratch the 500 side.

The problem most folks have with an Ark finish is, it is just a finisher. You must go to the Ark with a razor finished to a pristine 8k edge and let the Ark polish the edge.

There are tons of threads on lapping and honing on Ark on this forum.

Thank you, this was very helpful. Can I use wet dry sandpaper for the 500 on one side and for the full progression to 2k on the other?

I use my Hard Black Arkansas stone on both Razors and knifes. It produces a nice edge but it is slow initially, a refresh takes less time. Going from a 1k to a Black Ark is a big jump, the Ark will improve the edge but using a higher grit stone between them would be my preference.

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Originally Posted by boz

I use my Hard Black Arkansas stone on both Razors and knifes. It produces a nice edge but it is slow initially, a refresh takes less time. Going from a 1k to a Black Ark is a big jump, the Ark will improve the edge but using a higher grit stone between them would be my preference.

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Thank you for the input. Perhaps this stone isn't what I was hoping for (dual purpose). I certainly do not want to buy another stone just to use the stone.

I will try polishing and burnishing the stone. When it comes time to freshen up a razor's edge, I will pull out this Arkie and see if it is up to the job. Currently I use a finishing Jnat to accomplish this. I've been able to keep my edges going for years with just this single stone.

"Can I use wet dry sandpaper for the 500 on one side and for the full progression to 2k on the other?"

Yes, but if your stone is not flat, you will burn through a lot of sandpaper, time, and effort, and still not get to flat.

First make sure your stone is flat. If it was not flat, I doubt that a 400-grit diamond plate did much to flatten it. 60 grit will get it flat. Once flat the rest of the grits go quickly, a few minutes on each grit to polish.

But if the stone is not flat, you will not get it flat with Wet &Dry.

To check for flatness, mark a grid with a sharpie, (NOT pencil), on the stone, take a flat dollar store steel cookie sheet put it on the floor, (flat cement), wet a new sheet of 320 wet & dry and do 5-6 laps. If ALL the ink is not removed in 5-6 laps, it is not flat. Pencil will wash off with the slurry and give a false reading.

That the stone is perfectly flat is not critical to the honing of a razor or knife edge. But if the stone has pockets that are lower than the face, as the stone wears those rough pockets come to the surface and contact the edge, imagine throwing a hand full of sand on the hood of your car as you are buffing the paint.

The only way to ensure that this does not happen is to completely flatten and polish the stone face to a consistent level and finish.

You only need to flatten the stone once in its lifetime, if you do not damage the stone face, (knife tip). I only hone razors on my razor arks.

You can buy a full progression of Silicone Carbide loose grit from 60-500 from GotGrit.com for about $15.

An Ark is a unique stone, in that the grit is relatively low, but the binder is very hard and wears very slowly. As a result the stone is able to polish at a much higher level than the grit size. Other naturals can do this also, think Jnats.

A Hard Ark stone can be finished to different levels and produce a variety of finishes depending on the smoothness of the stone. A smoother stone face will cut slower but polish higher. Burnishing, rubbing with hard carbon steel with lots of even pressure will polish the stone face to a high level.

You can control the level of polish a stone can produce, (to a degree) by the level of finish on the stone.

But an Ark edge from a properly prepared hard Ark, is a unique edge. In my experience only rivaled by a Jnat edge, though they are both a bit different from each other.

Stone prep and technique are a lot of work, but worth the effort.

Can't add more than what's been said. But I'll say this...
The more you use an Ark, the better they get.

I too, only use certain Aks. for razors, others for knives. Never, does a knife make contact with my razor, hones.

Don't see the necessity to take a knife edge, to the level of a black, Ark., except in the name of boredom, or incarceration. :rofl2: