Thread: 6" Fine Arkansas Bench Stone - Any Good?

Thanks, the Spyderco Ultra Fine Benchstone sounds like it is just what I needed!

Originally Posted by Qohelet

Thanks, the Spyderco Ultra Fine Benchstone sounds like it is just what I needed!

Not particularly effective, IMO. There is never a good substitute for the proper tool, and the proper tool in this case is a barber's hone. Look for one in the classifieds here or on eBay-- it will serve you far better than a Spyderco; further any natural stone is a variable-- just because it is "black" or "surgical" or "hard" or "translucent" arkansas does not mean it is of a specific grit and function. At best you get one that works (although they are painfully slow cutters) but most likely you would be throwing your money away.

Originally Posted by Domino

Jeff, what size stone do you have?

Hi Domino,

My hard Arkansas stone is 1.5" x 6"; plenty big enough for a straight razor.

Jeff

Originally Posted by JeffR

niftyshaving,

A hard white Arkansas stone can indeed be used to maintain a razor; that's what I use. Before using it for the razor, though, you'll want to smooth the surface finish by sharpening regular knives or by rubbing it with the smooth shank of a drill bit.

Jeff

+1 Spot on....
An Arkansas hone has rather large grains but they can be polished to
flat tables that do not dig large scratch marks into the steel. Arkies work
best on softer steel. The hardest of razors like the TI not so well, IMO.

This "polished table effect" can also work on barber hone and even
carborundum hones. Another hone where this applies is the
ceramic hones like the one from Spyderco. I think Terrazzo...

These hones change a lot after lapping to flat because the surface
reflects the last grit used to lap the surface. And when polished
(in contrast to glazed) they can wake up with a little spritz of suspended
abrasive since they do not make a slurry the way other hones do.

What type of oil do you use on your Arkie or do you use
water and lather?

Originally Posted by Qohelet

Thanks, the Spyderco Ultra Fine Benchstone sounds like it is just what I needed!

+ 1 on what BKratchmer said.

The Spyderco Ultra fine hone needs to be lapped flat. My Spyderco UF
had saw marks on the surface and was not even ready for kitchen knives.
After lapping it flat it presented itself as at the same coarse grit
as the last lapping surface I used on it. With a lot of care I was able
to condition the surface to the Ultra Fine surface it promises.

It is HARD and will wreck a common DMT plate the way a barber hone might.
So hard that I resorted to an inexpensive carborundum bench stone to wear the saw
cut ridges down so I would not kill my DMT.

It is also thin. When I find a chunk of thick marble to
glue it to I suspect I will. Now it lays too low on the counter
and is too thin to hold in the hand.

However it can be used dry or wet and is a fine bench size
and once lapped and dialed in would be a worthy hone to
maintain a rotation of shavers.

I would use mine more if I did not own a Na12K superstone.

I think if the factory surface was better the UF would be a favorite
for a lot of folk.

Originally Posted by niftyshaving

What type of oil do you use on your Arkie or do you use
water and lather?

Hi Tom,

Yes I agree about the harder steels. It can take quite a bit of time to remove much steel from hard or abrasion-resistent steels with an Arkansas stone.

I don't use oil with it. I usually use water, though if anything lather seems to work better. Don't know why. Even dry does a fairly good job, but may not be so good for the stone in the long run.

Hmmm... I hadn't thought to try adding an abrasive to act like a slurry. Thanks for the idea!

Jeff

@Jeff here is some more info from Mr. Williams. He refers to it as an inexpensive "superhone". He adds the diamond to a Spyderco UF.
An inexpensive "superhone"

I found that when I went to the 16k naniwah, it was much smoother, quicker and my blade got sharper. The stone doesn't seem to work as well for me.

Originally Posted by JeffR

Hi Tom,

Yes I agree about the harder steels. It can take quite a bit of time to remove much steel from hard or abrasion-resistent steels with an Arkansas stone.

I don't use oil with it. I usually use water, though if anything lather seems to work better. Don't know why. Even dry does a fairly good job, but may not be so good for the stone in the long run.

Hmmm... I hadn't thought to try adding an abrasive to act like a slurry. Thanks for the idea!

Jeff

If you use an abrasive us an exceedingly fine one....
Perhaps 0.25 micron diamond or perhaps just as
good and very available a thick white tooth paste.
Recently if I have a barber hone that glazes up I use
toothpaste one time and the swarf vanishes.