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- #41
Definitely translucent, Alum.
Arkie Collection: Lot's of pics so take a look
- Thread starter oakeshott
- Start date
That was my sense from the picture, as it resembles the black translucent I received from Natural Whetstones. Thanks.
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So I'm thinking that I just picked up a Translucent Arkansas stone this morning at a nearby antique store. Its about 7 5/8 long by 1 13/16 wide and about an inch thick. It seems to be two stones glued together. I haven't cleaned it up yet, but it is very flat (ruler test) and incredibly smooth. One side is maybe just a little smoother, but can't really tell.
I have just started restoring razors and have honed three so far. None of those feel quite there yet. I have a Norton 4/8K and a strop with chromox. Is this a good stone to do the finishing with? I'm reading between the lines that this one is better suited to someone more experienced than me. What do you think?
I have just started restoring razors and have honed three so far. None of those feel quite there yet. I have a Norton 4/8K and a strop with chromox. Is this a good stone to do the finishing with? I'm reading between the lines that this one is better suited to someone more experienced than me. What do you think?
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I'm in love! Thats a beautiful translucent Arkie! I am looking for one like that so congratulations!
I think you SCORED! Congrats man.
I doubt that's two stones glued. More likely you're just seeing the line where the top of the box was. Oil and swarf builds up and sticks there and gives it the look of a division.
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- #48
Well, the first thought that comes to my mind is that with Fathers Day coming up, it would make a lovely gift for whoever started this thread. That's a tremendous find.
It is a finisher all right. No doubt about that, but make sure that, as Gamma memorably said once, it's dead stupid flat. Also, I'm not sure how much refinement you'll get off of it after an 8k edge. I go well beyond that via a jnat progression and if the edge isn't right, then the arkie seems to be less effective. Try it though. Let us know. Don't be afraid, however, of giving it a couple hunndred laps and then a few hundred more.
It sounds like it's flat enough to use. Don't try to flatten it or you'll have to spend hours of sharpening time before the stone's potential is back. This stone looks like it'll do great as-is.
Yeah, you really should have at least a maxed out 12k edge before jumping to the Ark, but in reality, that just translates to more time. Maybe a thousand half laps on each side, followed by a few hundred X-strokes. Honestly anything should help.
Wow, those are good reasons why I traded it to Scott! It will be a lot of time before I can even get to 12k. So I'm thrilled that someone else will get a stone that they can maximize. I think I'd be frustrated under the teaching of that rock. When you're talking laps in the thousands, I get overwhelmed. I can't even remember how many passes I put on a strop most mornings.
Scott, make sure to take some good pics when it arrives and you've cleaned it up.
I will Take pics Padre. Your welcome to try the stones I sent you pics of to give you an idea what different finishers are like. Both of these are just 10-20 laps after your 8k. Thanks again
Well I got the Arkie all cleaned up and started to use it and I found it riddled with check marks that go perpendicular to run of the stone and can be felt with a fingernail too. Anybody have any experience with this?
Sorry to hear that Scott. Hope you can find a way to make it usable.
Would further lapping help?
I shine a light and I am pretty sure they go all through it. There is an area on one side that is like an inch wide they are solid top to bottom. And they are are scattered about and on both sides so I think they go all the way through as in they are small but whe you lap one set out another appears like playing whack-a-mole.
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Oh, I am so sorry to hear that. 
If you want to send it back, no problems. I want you to be able to use it fully. No harm, no foul. If I knew more about hones I maybe could have caught all of that. My bad.
If you want to send it back, no problems. I want you to be able to use it fully. No harm, no foul. If I knew more about hones I maybe could have caught all of that. My bad.Thanks Padre, I'll probably send it back with your razors when I am done honing them.
Cool. I will maybe put some lights under it and mount a fountain pen desk set base to it. That would be interesting. Lemonade out of lemons. We tried.
I would think its still good for knives at least.
