Black or translucent

[Cattleman02]

I was wondering if anyone has used a black or translucent arkansas stone for honing if so what was the result? How difficult are they to use? Which one was better?

[outback]

I have a black. Very slow, too keen for my liking. If u like doing 1000 laps on a finisher, and like your edges blistering sharp....it's made for u.

[gssixgun]

Arkansas
Color means next to nothing Density means more

Both a very capable finishers although slow, as Outback mentions MANY laps. For a beginner the more laps you do the more chances to miscue on one and wreck all your previous work

The real difference is in the dressing and burnishing that you do..

That being said, Translucents are better looking

[Christian1]

I love the surgical blacks from Dan's. Very consistent and great stones. Would try to get a 3 inch wide if it was in the budget, but 2 inch is good too. If I were getting a translucent I would look for vintage. Both will perform roughly the same.

[Johntoad57]

This is the only stone that I own that I have paid money for. I found it at a flea market for $15.00. Glad I invested in this one. Great finisher, if you know what you're doing.

[PaulFLUS]

All accurate appraisals. People will say that a black makes a keener edge or is more crisp than a transluscent but that is imaginary at least in terms of differences based on colors. They are dark and light phases of the same stone. Arks are great stones and will make a blade TOO keen, to the point where it is uncomfortable for some. Ark edges are my favorite but must be used with light pressure on the face because you can actually exfoliate your skin with them in some cases, especially when used on hard vintage American steel. Many people tame the edge with a coticule or leaded strop.
They do take more laps to achieve their potential but I use a method (bevel set to finish completely Arkansas progression) which speeds that process. I have posted it somewhere. It involves three stones lapped differently on either side to simulate six honing surfaces. If you have the time to spend They are well worth it.

I inherited a number of them which sparked my love for them. Since then I have collected many more. They range from quite rough (soft Ark/Washita) to insanely dense and fine (hard Ark/trans-black). The main thing about them is that the particles are very tightly bonded crystal formation making them very hard and very dense. Even a soft Ark is still pretty darn hard. They come in all colors of the rainbow including speckled and streaked. The only real differentiating factor is particle size.

[PaulFLUS]

One more thing to keep in mind. In general and mainly with washitas the vintage ones are almost always better. Washitas were considered mined out but recently some new ones have resurfaced if I recall. At least with Washitas I wouldn't buy anything new.