My first finisher.... Wow

Ok so after reading the long thread on the Arkansas stones I bought a 11.5x2.5 trans and a 3.5 x 6 primitive black from dans . Both were flat but not as smooth as I would like so they each got 3 sheets of 800, 1200, and 2000 wet dry. Then to burnish I used my old Kbar and did maybe 1000 laps on each . I took a razor that I recently just refreshed and gave it about 100 laps. Feedback was very nice I could tell how the edge was coming along by sound and feel. Shaved with it today and boy what a difference! First very sharp I quickly reduced both my normal shaving pressure and angle which yielded a much smoother shave :) no as sting except for the usual Adam's apple area ( curse you Adam's apple).

Glad you had so much success! I have always wondered about the Arkies, but I have way too many finishers to keep me busy already. Finishers are easy to acquire, but difficult to master. What were you honing with prior? What made you decide on an Arkie?

My hones are a 220/1k and a 4k/8k norton combos. I was getting good shaves but you know.... I wonder what's next. As to why an arky my decision was based primarily on price. For a natural they seem to give consistent results where when I read on others that there can be quite a bit of variance. Also no slurry which means one less thing I need to worry about. And lastly I like a sharp finish almost harsh finish . I have thick hair and skin that is not sensitive.
Eventually I'm sure I'll try another finisher to try the slurry. But right now I'm content( we all know how that goes lol )
Btw the hard black was right around $35

Did you use the trans or primitive black?


Mike

I have a friend,that is a true honmeister bar none,He claims a trans ark will finish an edge better than any stone available today.

I guess you could say I am a huge fan of arkansas stones and dans. These babies are at least 8x4 at the smallest. And these are my only ones.

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I absolutely love an arkie finish. Whats funny is the YMMV aspect of it. You say you like the almost harsh crisp feeling you get from it. I find that arkies give me a mushy shave. I literally feeling almost nothing except the pressure of a blade lightly moving across my face. I have heard other people describe the shave feeling as you have. I wonder if thats the because of the degree of the burnishing on the stone. I would like to see some pics. Also is it a second from dans. It seems like that size of the stone for that price it would be a second. Which is totally fine all of mine are seconds or rough cuts because why pay more when you don't need to and they have at least one side that works perfectly fine.

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Originally Posted by mglindo

Did you use the trans or primitive black?


Mike

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I used the trans on the first blade, I'm going to try the black on a stainless dovo and shave tomorrow.

Also the black is a second/ rough cut. Trans is a finished and boxed stone .
As far as the feeling it could be a lot of things once get a good feeling for consistent results from the stone I'm going to start playing with different oil weights and types I think that would have an effect also

I have a black trans which I got from Natural Whetstones which gives me great shaves! I'm glad you are happy with your new finishers.


Mike

My 4/8" Boker Extra Hollow has always been a challenge for me to hone. It likes to come off the stones a little harsh. I honed it on my Black and it was extraordinarily smooth (for it off a stone). I was pretty excited lol. Before my next shave with it, I did two laps on 1 micron diamond, and then 6 laps on the CrOx... the razor was just an absolute pleasure. Butter smooth. Crazy.

I don't know what it is about my black that's tamed my Boker so well - but in spite of my shock, I sure as sin am not complaining :).