Thread: Any Arkansas users out there?

Eleblu5: Just wanted to let you know (as if you didn't already) that prep routine really does wonders. I never really knew about prepping them. I modified it a little, according to what I have available, but it dramatically changed both the appearance of the stone, and the quality of the edge. I can't imagine how nice it'd be if I'd been able to do the whole routine. I've been fiddling with it most of the day, and that advice was top notch! Maybe I DO have all the stones I need. :P This is a whole different experience from what I was expecting when I started this thread. Awesome!!

In reading some of the first posts, Arkansas stones are not about raising a slurry. The correct way to use an Arkansas stone is with oil, not water and not dry. Dry fills up the pores with metal and you almost need to remove the entire top thin layer of the stone with an abrasive to remove it if it gets bad enough. Used with a light oil, the residue that looks like a slurry is called "swarf" and it is a combination of tiny bits of stone, the oil, and the metal from your edge. But unlike a coticule, the swarf does not aid in sharpening the edge. It merely carries off the debris, and if you let the swarf build up without wiping it clean on occasion, you will end up dulling your edge with the debris. I know some people say use water, but these stones don't work as well with water as with oil - and I have tried them both. There is a reason Pike and Norton always wrote to use oil right on their Arkansas Stone labels.

Almost universally, the old stones are better than the new ones although I have found some new translucents that are just as good or nearly as good as the best old translucent stones from Pike and Norton. The Blacks are a whole different ballgame. I have yet to see a new black arkansas that is worth spit compared to a fine old one. The old one's are dense and smooth and almost glassy to the touch. They appear to be more heavy and dense than the new stones. A fine old Black Arkansas will hardly remove any metal at all - I mean hardly ANY metal. They merely polish to a mirror finish. The translucents, on the other hand, will both sharpen AND polish, although since they polish almost as good as fine Black Arkansas, they work very slowly. But much faster than a true fine Black. You can feel the difference on your blade. The translucent will "grip" the edge and you can feel the abrasive working on the steel and for my money provides the best "feel" of the edge condition during the sharpening process of any stone available, and certainly of all the Arkansas stones. The Black on the other hand, feels almost like working your edge on a mirror - just a very slight resistance.

The Washita stones, particularly the Lily White, cut very fast by comparison and the new Washita stones are no match for and not even in the same game with the Lily White Washita, or even a good old #1 Washita stone. I sent a 50 pound box of Arkansas stones back to one of the biggest suppliers in Arkansas because their stones were such poor quality by comparison. On the other hand, the 12 x 3 x 1 and 12 x 2 x 1 translucents that I got from the two largest suppliers of Arkansas stones in the U.S. were all excellent, but not quite as good as my best old Pike translucent stones.

Originally Posted by regularjoe

Eleblu5: Just wanted to let you know (as if you didn't already) that prep routine really does wonders. I never really knew about prepping them. I modified it a little, according to what I have available, but it dramatically changed both the appearance of the stone, and the quality of the edge. I can't imagine how nice it'd be if I'd been able to do the whole routine. I've been fiddling with it most of the day, and that advice was top notch! Maybe I DO have all the stones I need. :P This is a whole different experience from what I was expecting when I started this thread. Awesome!!

I'm glad it helped you out thats what we are all here for is to help one another out !

Great thread!! seems there a lot people interested in the Arkansas stones lately, i really like Eleblu prep routine, wasnt aware about breaking it in like a diamond plate!

Originally Posted by eleblu05

+1 to what gamma said ,he hit on alot of good points. something else i would like to put out there ark's progression and how to prep your translucent or surgical black stone. first up the progression, washita is the coarsest ark its around 400-600 grit next is the soft ark 600-800 grit next is hard ark 800-1000 grit and to finish translucent or surgical black 1200+ grit. Now if you have a lily white washita you could sub it in for the hard it is around 800-1000 grit. Ok stone prep this is what i do to prep my finisher. (translucent or surgical black) dmt 325 with lite pressure so i dont pull the diamond's out of the nickle bonding, and then on to 1000 grit w/d sandpaper, this sandpaper is placed on my granite surface plate so its perfectly flat Once flatten the prep work come's in to smooth out the stone. I use a pocket translucent stone with oil to rub down the stone i'm finishing. use a pencil grid and remove it three times . last step i use a piece of w-1 tool steel (you can use any hard steel)and i rub the stone down until its coverd in swarf ,and repeat three time's. using these step's will wear in your stone and give the smoothest and sharpest edge possable of that stone !

On the last step, using the steel, do you use oil before you bring up the swarf????

what i have been trying is to slurry my arkansas with a coticue slurry stone this cuts very fast judging on how fast my slurry gos black and the slurry keeps the stone clean and polished. iam still trying to perfect this but it feels promising.

Originally Posted by drwextra

On the last step, using the steel, do you use oil before you bring up the swarf????

yes ,you have to use oil if not you'll glaze the stone over .

Originally Posted by cutalot

what i have been trying is to slurry my arkansas with a coticue slurry stone this cuts very fast judging on how fast my slurry gos black and the slurry keeps the stone clean and polished. iam still trying to perfect this but it feels promising.

That's called using your ark as a base stone you can do that on the trans, surgical black. i use oil on my oil stone's but when i use my arks as a base stone i'll use water . for the most part you'll get the finish of the slurry stone your using on the base stone. coti slurry , j-nat slurry ,nagura's ,chromium oxide powder etc.

Originally Posted by eleblu05

That's called using your ark as a base stone you can do that on the trans, surgical black. i use oil on my oil stone's but when i use my arks as a base stone i'll use water . for the most part you'll get the finish of the slurry stone your using on the base stone. coti slurry , j-nat slurry ,nagura's ,chromium oxide powder etc.

I've found this to be the case as well and I have been using a vintage Pike/Norton Hard White Arkansas (almost translucent) for years as a base stone with water and different slurry stones. Lately I have been using a series of JNAT Naguras (Botan, Tenjo, Mejiro, Koma) and the results on a few of my razors has been outstanding!

Originally Posted by eleblu05

yes ,you have to use oil if not you'll glaze the stone over .

Mc Wolf told me to use thick glycerin on my Arkansas Translucent I bought from him. Same as oil with water clean up.......works for me.