Thread: Help with history on Arkansas stones

That is interesting, thanks Lynn! I've always had a fondness for Arkansas stones partly because of their many variations, partly because of their interesting history, and partly because they're from 'murica. I like to think that the westerners can compete in the whetstone biz, too. This is the finest one I've held in the sense that no crystalline structure is visible and it is the least porous of all the Arkansas stones I've seen up close. I wish I had the wherewithal to determine its specific gravity.

that stone looks like a finisher when you do hone on it let us know how it feels. slick like glass or does it have a grip when you run your razor down the stone ?

Originally Posted by eleblu05

that stone looks like a finisher when you do hone on it let us know how it feels. slick like glass or does it have a grip when you run your razor down the stone ?

Will do. Hopefully I'll be able to report back Monday if I can finish lapping it by then; 48 hours could be pushing it!

heres some advice on how to prep a hard or translucent/surgical black. i lap them with a 325 dmt(use water) after that i use a 3x1 translucent pocket stone to rub down the stone to smooth it over(first dry then with oil ) for the last step i use a steel block(or a knife ) and rub the stone until there is swarf all over the stone(use oil) i repete this three times to get the broken in feel after this process the stone should have a smooth reflective surface and will deliver the best results thats with in your stone ability. i just finished a 10x3x1 surgical black ark

I would love to get my greedy little fingers on an 8" surgical ark. All I ever come across are 6 or less. I recently picked up a small one on the bay that I THOUGHT was a translucent that was saturated with oil and grime. Turned out, the stone is both black AND white! I had never seen that before. Stupid HAD, Stupid RAD, Stupid empty wallet!

Originally Posted by Magpie

I would love to get my greedy little fingers on an 8" surgical ark. All I ever come across are 6 or less. I recently picked up a small one on the bay that I THOUGHT was a translucent that was saturated with oil and grime. Turned out, the stone is both black AND white! I had never seen that before. Stupid HAD, Stupid RAD, Stupid empty wallet!

dans whetstones have all sizes !

Oh, and back to the original posting..... (duh!)

I have a knife sharpening kit from the same company that I have owned since it was new (1978?), and the included hard ark stone is exactly like yours, only smaller (sigh) I would guess that the stones they mined from where ever they were digging, were all like that with the grey/blue tone instead of true black. But they work very well indeed.

Originally Posted by eleblu05

that stone looks like a finisher when you do hone on it let us know how it feels. slick like glass or does it have a grip when you run your razor down the stone ?

Well I took my worn out dmt to it and thank goodness it was barely used as only a few minutes of work ensured me it was flat and smooth enough to use as a finisher. I took a Torrey to it and it felt very much like glass with almost no perceptible tugging of the stone on the razor. Beautiful results, too. I like this stone very much.

just finished my first razor on my ark. it put a very nice edge on my razor all in all a great shave. 200 strokes on the stone 25 on the linen and 200 on leather.