Sandpaper/ wet and dry is useless on an ark it has to be sic powder, as the arks are hard and kill sandpaper/wet and dry.
Better finisher?
- Thread starter ZeroMinusOne
- Start date
My wife ordered my big and I told her to
tell them it was for razors but i got a pocket stone and didn't tell them and they are ready to go out of the box. They're lapped to 600 so if you want it super burnished you'll have a little work, but no flattening that hard sucker. I don't like them done past 600 because they'll still cut but settle in quickly to be very fine.
I did have to do a little work on my primitive translucent because it wasn't perfectly flat(close though) but the finished stones I've gotten were perfectly flat check with a straight edge. I expected that I'd have to do not work because it was a big stone and it was $45. I expected it to be a flattish chunk of rock and it was. If you get finished stones and tell Kim it's for a razor she will make sure you get fixed up, at least she has for me.
Diamond pasted balsa would blow your socks off.
I have an ILR, I usually have it right before my black Ark. I have a black Ark and a true hard Ark from Dan’s, both worked fine out of the box.
Diamond pasted balsa would more likely knock your nose or ears off. I’m sure it would do socks easily enough too. The edges are like light sabers!
Last edited:
Arks are awesome. Sharp, comfortable, easy, consistent and great value. They’re a bear to lap initially but you only need to do it once.
If shopping for new, Dan is the man. His stones are high quality and finished well. They are very close to flat and can be used as is. If you have a surface plate you can get them flatter without too much effort.
If shopping for new, Dan is the man. His stones are high quality and finished well. They are very close to flat and can be used as is. If you have a surface plate you can get them flatter without too much effort.
Last edited:
So, if a guy was making a Christmas list, for instance, and wanted to try an Ark from Dan's as a finisher, would he want to ask for a translucent or a black? Is True hard even an option for finishing?
Asking for a friend, of course.
Asking for a friend, of course.
I would opt for a black from Dans. The translucent is more money and you'll get nothing extra for your money. The true hard is basically a colored translucent and is the same cost as the black.
I asked for a black for my bday and it's amazing. Best finisher I've got.
What is the difference btw the true hard black and the black?
The True Hard is a colored translucent and rated as extra fine. The black is a different stone and rated as ultra fine. In real world use a person would be hard pressed to tell the difference.
And ultra fine is "finer" than extra fine?
That is the thought
A good black and a good translucent will take you to just about the same place but in my experience the translucent one does it marginally faster. I love how the true hard stone at dans look and I plan on getting a couple in different sizes. I've got a colored translucent pocket stone from Smith's that is great too. I prefer the blacks because of finish/ feedback but the true hard is the best deal and they look awesome.
This is my progression with the arks
1 Soft Arkansas 6" 400 to 800 grit
2 Hard Arkansas 6" 800-1000 grit
3 Hard Black Arkansas 10" 2000-3000 grit
4 Surgical Black Arkansas 10" 4000-6000 grit
5 Arkansas Translucent Extra fine 6" 8000-10.000 grit
6 Washita 203x51x18 8" x 2"
And this works fine for me
1 Soft Arkansas 6" 400 to 800 grit
2 Hard Arkansas 6" 800-1000 grit
3 Hard Black Arkansas 10" 2000-3000 grit
4 Surgical Black Arkansas 10" 4000-6000 grit
5 Arkansas Translucent Extra fine 6" 8000-10.000 grit
6 Washita 203x51x18 8" x 2"
And this works fine for me
Why the Washita after the translucent?
Nice looking stones. Do you do spine leading strokes on your washita or edge leading?
I'd guess a couple strokes to make the edge a little more aggressive or to mellow it out a little depending on the Washita and it's hard to tell what it's like from pictures.
Similar threads
