Arkansas Love...Let's see those Arks!
- Thread starter David
- Start date
Show off! 
I am sucker for translucent rocks!
Vr
Matt
Vr
Matt
Ooooh nice!
Thanks!
Vr
matt
Vr
matt
Dan's primitive?
I have kicked around the idea of calling them and seeing if I could get a little black suited for honing in hand.
Yes...I don’t need a stone finished on six sides! Just on the flat top surface...as a bonus this one hardly has any wobble, and the flat face for finishing is 7.5x3.5.
Vr
Matt
Vr
Matt
Hey guys, looking for the best advice to de-grease my stones? I bought a gallon of simple green and I am ready to get to work. What the best approach? Dilution? Want them clean, but don't want to destroy anything in the process?
I usually dilute it 50/50 with lukewarm water and put the stone in a shallow container allowing it to sit overnight if its real bad and maybe longer. I also scrub with a brush or scotchbrite pads..
timwcic
"Look what I found"
I use my SG straight. For one stone, I use a one liter water bottle with the top cut off. For many I use a five gallon bucket with one layer on the bottom and just cover. I also never throw the juice away. As it get dirty, I use on heavy funk covered stones. Than into a glass bottle to let the grease sink to the bottom and drain off the clean top liquid. I use on all stone, but oil soaked soft stones, like Coti’s, only go in for a few hours. I have had Arks in for a week if bad
"Black Arkansas" from eBay seller.
Got this new from an eBay seller. Said they didn't know the origin of it, but called it a black arkansas.
It's glued in the base so I can't get an exact SG... but using dimensions and weight - lid weight, it's about 3.0 SG.
Given that I sort of suspect it's that non-novaculite "Arkansas" that Gamma (iirc) has mentioned Preyda selling now.
I took a finished razor to it on oil and the feedback was a bit more aggressive than I'm used to surgical blacks being, but not completely different. The shave was excellent. I'll have to go 8k to it and see if that's as good.
Any thoughts?
Got this new from an eBay seller. Said they didn't know the origin of it, but called it a black arkansas.
It's glued in the base so I can't get an exact SG... but using dimensions and weight - lid weight, it's about 3.0 SG.
Given that I sort of suspect it's that non-novaculite "Arkansas" that Gamma (iirc) has mentioned Preyda selling now.
I took a finished razor to it on oil and the feedback was a bit more aggressive than I'm used to surgical blacks being, but not completely different. The shave was excellent. I'll have to go 8k to it and see if that's as good.
Any thoughts?
Attachments
Dunston black I think
Yes, that's the one I was thinking of. Anyone familiar with those stones who can tell me if this is what one looks like?
Took more accurate readings of stone thickness (~14.5mm avg instead of 13mm) and SG is ~2.68, not 3... assuming the base weighs the same as the top.
This really doesn't seem like a slate to me though.
It doesn't scratch a translucent ark easily nor does the translucent ark scratch it. May just be an unusual surface prep on a surgical black.... but I'll need some more testing to confirm.
Took more accurate readings of stone thickness (~14.5mm avg instead of 13mm) and SG is ~2.68, not 3... assuming the base weighs the same as the top.
This really doesn't seem like a slate to me though.
It doesn't scratch a translucent ark easily nor does the translucent ark scratch it. May just be an unusual surface prep on a surgical black.... but I'll need some more testing to confirm.
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Ok guys just tried my 10x3 set of Arks out last night after the simple green degreasing. I need some advise as I gave up with them last night. I was unable to set the bevel on the 10x3 Washita. I wanted to progress Wash. / Hard / Surgical Black, but was unable to get past step one. Is it possible that I cannot set a bevel on a Washita? I was not seeing any pronounced swarf and was unable to get a sharp bevel, and I was at it for a good while. Not sure what I am doing wrong here, but any advice would be appreciated.
I guess I can always start at a 1k bevel setter and then move to Washita, but I thought I would not need a synthetic bevel setter with this stone. I am flummoxed??
I guess I can always start at a 1k bevel setter and then move to Washita, but I thought I would not need a synthetic bevel setter with this stone. I am flummoxed??
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I was using a good deal of pressure and alot of strokes. I was quite surprised I am not seeing any swarf. It sounds and feels like there is work happening, but no results. Cold the washita just not be an aggressive cutter and only good post bevel set?
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I just looked at your pictures. The term washita can mean different things to different people and companies. I grew up in a woodshop and washitas were pike branded only. What you have I don’t call a washita which I’ll even go beyond brand. Smiths others and even Dans sells stones they call washita but it is not the same. More like a soft ark to me maybe. Im not sure what your stone can do in all fairness. You may have to learn that for yourself. Maybe others have used that kind of stone and can offer better advice.
Washita is a pike/norton stone. Short of a VERY brief stint before they owned the mines that I'm aware of, every single washita ever mined was mined by them. Now they DID let other labels sell their stones, though they tended to be a lot less common. What you don't tend to see is soft ark labeled as Washita prior to fairly recently (maybe 70's-90's is when it seems to have started).
Unless I'm mistaken, Norton has completely stopped mining washita, and no one else has access to it... so ALL Washita mined since ballpark 2005 or so when Norton did a brief run of Lily White Washita as a treat for some woodworkers who asked for it is not actually Washita.
Dan's actually talks about this in their description of the "Washita" they sell. Basically it's a Soft Arkansas with a particularly low Specific Gravity.
Unless I'm mistaken, Norton has completely stopped mining washita, and no one else has access to it... so ALL Washita mined since ballpark 2005 or so when Norton did a brief run of Lily White Washita as a treat for some woodworkers who asked for it is not actually Washita.
Dan's actually talks about this in their description of the "Washita" they sell. Basically it's a Soft Arkansas with a particularly low Specific Gravity.
Pried that black stone out of the base. A lot of glue and some fragments of the base came with it, so I'm gonna clean it off, but I should be able to get a Specific Gravity reading soon.
How many Washita quarry's were there and when did each close?
