Thread: Some Arkansas Oilstones

I'm Sorry that the Cheap Camera Phone Pic is So Dark.

3 Soft Arkansas on the Left, 2 Translucent Black, 1 Translucent White, 1 Translucent Gray, & and 1 Surgical Black Arkansas that is the "bees knees" on the Right.


The large Translucent Black in the bottom-middle spot, is so hard that it's like window glass, and is pretty much unusable for knives, even after going over it with a diamond stone. It's the only one that I can't get good use out of. It's like a rectangular piece of black glass, with nice flat sides on it.

Welcome to SRP. I have a Lily White Washita, a Pike Soft Ark, Norton/Pike Soft Ark, Norton/Pike Translucent and finally a killer Norton/Pike Black Hard. I have used the translucent and the black hard on razors and either of them have finished to a nice edge. I've been sharpening pocket knives on Arks, mostly washita and soft ark for 40 years.

An Ideal Progression would be Soft Arkansas, to Surgical Black, to Translucent Gray. I wouldn't take a gold monkey for those last two stones.

The 4x2x1 Surgical Black to the far right bottom is a very fine stone, but still gives just a tiny bit of feedback as you are sharpening, allowing you to "feel" the edge being worked. It creates a nice fine edge, and came in a cedar box. This is my favorite stone.

The 6x2x1 Translucent Gray Stone in the Center is a dandy finisher for knives, and my 2nd favorite stone. It's harder than the Surgical Black, but not quite as hard as the Translucent Black stone below it. The Translucent Gray stone benefits from occasional work with either a diamond stone, or else sandpaper.

(The big black stone is so hard that it's almost useless to me.)

i like to go the synthetic route 1k 2k 5k 8k 12k 16k trans or surgical the big black stone sounds like it would do well in the straight razor world

Originally Posted by 1KnifeGuy4U

An Ideal Progression would be Soft Arkansas, to Surgical Black, to Translucent Gray. I wouldn't take a gold monkey for those last two stones.

The 4x2x1 Surgical Black to the far right bottom is a very fine stone, but still gives just a tiny bit of feedback as you are sharpening, allowing you to "feel" the edge being worked. It creates a nice fine edge, and came in a cedar box. This is my favorite stone.

The 6x2x1 Translucent Gray Stone in the Center is a dandy finisher for knives, and my 2nd favorite stone. It's harder than the Surgical Black, but not quite as hard as the Translucent Black stone below it. The Translucent Gray stone benefits from occasional work with either a diamond stone, or else sandpaper.

(The big black stone is so hard that it's almost useless to me.)

Cool. How do you like them for honing your razor(s)?

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

Cool. How do you like them for honing your razor(s)?

I'm a beard guy, not a razor guy.

Originally Posted by 1KnifeGuy4U

I'm a beard guy, not a razor guy.

Well if you're a beard guy, not a razor guy, I don't quite understand what you're doing here ....... but you wouldn't be the first who came to SRP and repented, took up a shave ready straight, shaved the beard and found a new passion.

BTW, if all you're sharpening is knives, that black stone that is 'so hard it is almost useless' might be a real good razor finisher.

Originally Posted by 1KnifeGuy4U

I'm a beard guy, not a razor guy.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Well if you're a beard guy, not a razor guy, I don't quite understand what you're doing here ....... but you wouldn't be the first who came to SRP and repented, took up a shave ready straight, shaved the beard and found a new passion.

BTW, if all you're sharpening is knives, that black stone that is 'so hard it is almost useless' might be a real good razor finisher.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,here we go !

Knifeguy could be right Jimmy, so why don't you send that Norton/Pike Hard Black stone to me.

Originally Posted by Hirlau

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,here we go !
Knifeguy could be right Jimmy, so why don't you send that Norton/Pike Hard Black stone to me.

The stone is in the mail .......

Should I pack a lunch as I wait by the mailbox?