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Arkansas Love...Let's see those Arks!

Snagged an IM-313 with a Vintage Norton HR-115 (11.5" Hard Ark)... Translucent with pink and butterscotch.

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It is grippy for a translucent. I cleaned/lapped it on 400 grit... but even given that, it felt really hungry when I touched up a Panama hone edge on it. I'm half tempted to keep the kit together and put it in my kitchen and see how it does with knives... generally I prefer a nice washita, Tam or charnley for knives as Hard Arks don't give me the bite/grip I like... but this one may be the exception.

If that winds up happening, I'll probably swap out the Coarse Crysto for a Soft ark (or washita if I can find one in 11.5x2.5x0.5") and have a Med India/Soft Ark/Trans Ark. Might even swap out the Med for a fine and do Fine India/Soft Ark/Trans Ark.
 
The butterscotch stones I have are all "grippy". I thought of them as feeling like they were sticky but grippy is a better way to describe the feel.
 
Yeah, I don't think I've ever had a butterscotch bigger than 6" long before, so it's interesting getting a nice long piece. Definitely different than my black trans and white trans have been.
 
Finally took the IM313 down to the kitchen to try it out on some knives.

Wow.

This is a cold dead hands stone.

So, My go to Kitchen knife is a big soft Charnley because it's got a good grip, refines to a nice level, a hair past a washita, and is decently fast. Only thing I didn't really like was it would gouge super easy if you slipped the angle at all. Like a soft coticule or a thuri.

This stone is a translucent ark that no joke, cuts like a Washita. It's baffling. I've never seen a trans ark cut anything like this stone. It could literally be a one stone hone for the kitchen just like a good washita or charnley... it's that fast. I would bet I could reprofile on it without too much struggle.

I took my Lathem & Owen, Wustof, Sabatier, Forgecraft, Old Homestead, and my Henckels Honesuki to it. Melted them all. I'll put some of my 60+hrc japanese knives onto it next chance I get.
 
I have a couple of the old IM-313 sets. A set of arks to go in them them too, but I'm not so sure I don't like them better with just a stone holder. Them stones are a great size for big knifes either way.
 
So the 7" pink and butterscotch is quite fast as well, but nowhere near like the 11.5" was. Also took two different translucent blacks and a surgical black downstairs and tested them all.

I'll try and get a SG sooner or later.

11.5"Pink/BS>>>7"Pink/BS>TB1>SB=TB2
 
Here's a washita I just got from the bay. It is fairly dished as you can see from the pics. The last picture is after about 40 minutes of 60 grit sic on glass. I would've just lapped the other side instead but there's an even bigger issue on that side. I considered using my driveway but I'm scared of leaving deep gouges on the surface. Does anyone have a different method of lapping dished arks?
Two last comments about the stone. One, I was not expecting it to turn more brown with lapping, in fact I thought it would turn less brown. Lastly, does the stone look like it might've had a label on it in the past? Take a look at the second to last pic to see where I'm coming from.
 

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timwcic

"Look what I found"
Here's a washita I just got from the bay. It is fairly dished as you can see from the pics. The last picture is after about 40 minutes of 60 grit sic on glass. I would've just lapped the other side instead but there's an even bigger issue on that side. I considered using my driveway but I'm scared of leaving deep gouges on the surface. Does anyone have a different method of lapping dished arks?
Two last comments about the stone. One, I was not expecting it to turn more brown with lapping, in fact I thought it would turn less brown. Lastly, does the stone look like it might've had a label on it in the past? Take a look at the second to last pic to see where I'm coming from.

I feel your pain. I have a heavily dish Ark in plain sight as a paper weight to remind me when I see one to walk away, walk away quick. Your option is muscle music and lots of it. A little at a time. Hit it with a belt sanded, but all that does is burn up belts. The imprint on the side is possibly a glue mark, looks about the size to be a Norton or use sticker
 
Here's a washita I just got from the bay. It is fairly dished as you can see from the pics. The last picture is after about 40 minutes of 60 grit sic on glass. I would've just lapped the other side instead but there's an even bigger issue on that side. I considered using my driveway but I'm scared of leaving deep gouges on the surface. Does anyone have a different method of lapping dished arks?
Two last comments about the stone. One, I was not expecting it to turn more brown with lapping, in fact I thought it would turn less brown. Lastly, does the stone look like it might've had a label on it in the past? Take a look at the second to last pic to see where I'm coming from.

i would think you could control the depth of the gouges with pressure. Maybe try 120 sic. I know sounds counterintuitive but i just did the same thing with a heavily dished (~ 1/3 inch of dish) washita on 80 and 120 and 120 seemed to get me there. IIRC i saw that specific advice too recently which made me try it.
 
i would think you could control the depth of the gouges with pressure. Maybe try 120 sic. I know sounds counterintuitive but i just did the same thing with a heavily dished (~ 1/3 inch of dish) washita on 80 and 120 and 120 seemed to get me there. IIRC i saw that specific advice too recently which made me try it.
I'll try 120 next session
 
Does anyone have a different method of lapping dished arks?

Diamond cup on an angle grinder for crazy stuff. Then SIC.

You mentioned gouges from your driveway - you will likely polish the driveway before you gouge the ark. Global mentioned pressure to control gouges, and when you are using SIC (not your driveway), I agree with him and instead call them pits. If you use too much pressure with coarse SIC it tends to encourage pitting and cavitation that you then have to work harder to remove. Slow and easy wins the race - let the abrasive do the work and not your elbow. Regarding pocks/arks/SIC, my experience is that the coarser the grit the more prone to occur, so take it easy and don't create more work for yourself.
 
Belt sander with high quality belts to take out big dishes, then DMT's. Done literally hundreds this way (though only a few required the belt sander... most went straight to DMT's. Hard Arks get taken to sandpaper after (Finest DMT I use for lapping is 325)... but washitas get left at 160/225/whatever... I like tooth on them.


Like LJS noted I ran into SIC pitting problems when I tried it (mostly on soft charns, but some arks too)... I'd still use it if I had the stuff to save wear on my belts (I'd go VERY coarse SIC to belt to DMT)... but given the choice of buying more belts or more SIC, I choose more belts.
 
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