Thread: Translucent Arkansas: Good for razors?

I have a Black Ark and so far, I have been able to lap about 50% of the surface of just one side of the stone. If I ever get it completely lapped, I hope it polishes steel faster than it laps.

That's one hard stone and I can't imagine ever wearing it out.....

JERRY
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Originally Posted by A_S

One thing I've been experimenting with successfully is using a Surgical Black Arkansas spritzed with 1 micron Boron Carbide compound spray. This is something that the owner of Handamerican (his name escapes me at the moment), has mentioned on a couple of other forums, and it works very well. The combination of the Surgical Black and the Boron has a strange synergistic effect, where the end result is greater than the sum of it's parts.

Kindest regards,
Alex

Here is a long post from Keith at Handamerican where he mentions that method:
Slightly off topic-Razorblades - Knifeforums.com - Intelligent Discussion for the Knife Enthusiast - Powered by FusionBB

Thanks again Marty for one of the most informative articles about the Arkansas stones.

Stingray

I had a Translucent and I still have my Surgical Black.
Both were/are extremely consistent and both produced really really fine edges.

In my opinion Translucent Arkansas stones are good finishers if they are flat and polished to a mirror finish. My first introduction to Arkansas Translucent s was in a large wholesale order I bought to sell on eBay It was aggressive enough to set a bevel. I did not have any luck with it, until I got it flat and polished slick and that is a job in it self. Typically Translucent Arkansas are 1200 grit and the one I got was only finished to 400 Grit about like a Soft Arkansas. They are hard to flatten and polish if you don't know what you are doing and unless you have have used one that is set up correctly, you probably won't like them. The thing I like most about them is while they are polishing they are are also burnishing. I use diamond paste and sprays on a cherry blocks about 3" x 8" sanded to a slick smooth finish and use kerosene as a lubricant, works better than putting it on my Translucent Arkansas. I use shaving lather on my translucent as a lubricant and use it behind my Belgium Blue and Yellow Coticule and get a great edge.

So then the question is, how do you set one up correctly to get a good edge out of it? I've a surgical black, but it's pretty rough and only mostly flat right now. I'd be interested to get the best out of it.

When I am setting up translucent I use plate glass and silicon carbide grit to flatten it. I am not sure it the correct way, but it worked for me. A couple of years ago I was selling new Arkansas stones, they were flat, but all had a very coarse finish. There was not much difference from the Soft Arkansas (approx. 400 grit) up through the Translucent (approx. 1200 grit), either one would set a bevel. I tried it on my 325 DMT and it would hardly touch it, that is when I ordered the silicon carbide from Lee Valley. I started with 90 grit sprinkled on plate glass and wet it with water using a spray bottle. I moved the stone in a figure 8 motion, after about an hour I cleaned everything up and went to 180 grit and did the figure eight thing for an hour or so. I had a 80 belt on my bench sander the grit on the belt was worn and not real aggressive. I turned it on and laid stone on the belt, after about a couple of minutes I checked the surface and it was polishing it, so I kept going another 5 or ten minutes. It polished like a mirror, so I thought I would try it on a razor and had great luck with it for the first time. I use soap and water or shaving cream for a lubricant. I do not go along with using slurry from other stones to change the characteristics of the Translucent. I like the way a Translucent polishes and burnishes the edge at the same time and I do not mind the extra time because enjoy honning straight razors as much as I do shaving with them.

Originally Posted by maddafinga

So then the question is, how do you set one up correctly to get a good edge out of it? I've a surgical black, but it's pretty rough and only mostly flat right now. I'd be interested to get the best out of it.

Lap it flat using wet/dry on a flat surface, a belt sander or a DMT(though the DMT might be ruined after lapping the Arkie). Once flat you ned to burnish the surface to get your best results. Just use a piece of metal, such as a screw driver or chisel on it's side( or in my case I use my jeweller's block), and give the stone a good rubbing until the stone looks highly polished. Then it's good to go.