Thread: Transulant arkansas stones

That's good to know about the shattering ill make sure to be extra careful now I have to ask how did that happen and atleast it was at the end

Originally Posted by Tylerbrycen

That's good to know about the shattering ill make sure to be extra careful now I have to ask how did that happen and atleast it was at the end

Don't drop stones, waterstones, oil stones, barber hones .... onto a hard surface.

That makes me sad the poor stone and it must be like dropping a razor

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Don't drop stones, waterstones, oil stones, barber hones .... onto a hard surface.

I put a strip of thick, foam , stick togather rubber in my honing area and it has saved two razors and one expensive stone.
Stingray

Originally Posted by Tylerbrycen

That's good to know about the shattering ill make sure to be extra careful now I have to ask how did that happen and atleast it was at the end

If you ever tried to lap one of these stones flat you'll know how difficult that can be. I finally gave up lapping on the side that had been used, you can still see the dished out depression mark in the one pic..
I got creative (lazy) and lapped the bottom of the stone with a belt sander and VOILÀ. Too much heat cracked it. It's flat though. he,he.
MIke

Yeah, belt sander. They are common in woodworking circles, and the vintage ones often are in bad shape. Belt sander, but make sure you move it outside if you're going to lap a lot off of a stone.

If you don't have a belt sander, don't buy a stone that needs much lapping, you'll just ruin something doing it.

Is anyone getting a true mirror polish off of their transluscents? I use mine to sharpen chisels and they improve the polish from the chinese 12k stone. But I press FIRMLY and they are a pretty fast stone that way. I dont think i would have to patience to hone a razor on them.

I get a uniform edge off of them, but not as bright of a polish as from chromium oxide on balsa.

I think they are a better tool stone than a razor stone because they respond well to pressure and have an abrasive that becomes very smooth and dull (thus the need for pressure).

But if an edge is brought to them in really good shape, they can improve it some and soften the harshness (at least translucents. I had a hard black ark at one point and never did use it for razors before selling it).

One thing to weigh in on making a choice if you are fortunate enough to find a translucent without defects like inclusions and irregular graining is that they do give visual feedback in terms of seeing the swarf while honing.

Jewlers and people who deal with gold like the blacks better for testing. either can be great polishers, especially on hard carbon steel because they cut into the steel ever so gently.

Nortons and Dan's are pretty good for modern translucent stones but the best I have used are from old stock.

Originally Posted by JamesT

Is anyone getting a true mirror polish off of their transluscents? I use mine to sharpen chisels and they improve the polish from the chinese 12k stone. But I press FIRMLY and they are a pretty fast stone that way. I dont think i would have to patience to hone a razor on them.

I don't even look for a mirror polish. I look for the edge to be shaving sharp to my preference. Not knocking the 'mirror polish school' but that has never interested me as much as the shave.

BTW, I came to that conclusion by examining many blades that were honed by pros when I was learning. Some of them did have a mirror polish, and some of them did not, but they were truly shave ready. So that taught me that mirror polish is not a prerequisite for sharp and smooth. Some of mine, whatever I finish them with, may end up mirror polished but that is incidental to what I'm shooting for. Just my 2 bits.