Black Arkansas "primitive" Happy B-day to me!!!

[Dilbone]

I recently(December) picked up my first coti and I have enjoyed using it as a finisher to replace the cnat. I had an improved edge almost immediately from the coticule. After having used the coti with some success the past 3 months I got a hankering for something I can go to off the coti to further refine and bring a keeness that I just can't get off the coti right now.

I had debated finding a Jnat but the inexpensive variety(under $100) seems to always be out of stock on JNS. The black arkansas from Dan's Whestsones had caught my eye as a possibility for me and I was informed about the possibility of an even cheaper option by requesting a "primitive" stone. It is raw on all sides but the one side that has been cut and lapped flat.

I called Dan's Whestones last week and they were VERY friendly folks and had done some checking on the shop floor for me to see what was available that would be a primitive. Mary there in the office even sent me pictures of the stone she was able to get from the shop so I could make a decision based on the exact stone I would receive. It is about 7" by 4" and its thickness is 1 and 1/8" at the thickest and right at 1/2" at its thinnest. It seems like a lot of real estate for less than $50

I am really looking forward to breaking this in and trying it out. Here are plenty of pics...I LOVE that it's a primitive, it's a freakin' rock...

 

[kcb5150]

A good ark edge doesn't really have any superior.

 

[Rotflmao]

Nice. Enjoy.

 

[JoeyZ]

That is one nice looking rock. Please post how the two of you are getting along.

 

[kelbro]

Excellent buy! Unique and I'm certain that it will take your edges to the next level.

 

[Alum of Potash]

Nice story and good luck with it. I appreciate the scratch patterns on the spine of your razor. A hand like that works well with the Arkansas line.

 

[Dilbone]

Thanks everyone for the interest. I'll be updating this for sure and hopefully including some of my anecdotal experimentation coming off the coti to the ark. In my other thread I documented my introduction and journey through my first coticule...if you're curious you can check that out here. I did a preliminary volume measurement this morning so I could calculate the density of this rock. It's mass is 1050grams and on my first volume attempt I collected 452ml of water from the overflow bucket(it's nice to be a physics teacher with access to all sorts of fun and interesting stuff).

This worked out to be 2.32g/ml which is waaaaaay less than a black is supposed to be. Before panic could set in I did another dip in the overflow tank and got 399ml which worked out to a 2.63g/ml. Ahhhh, much better. I'm not sure if there was a bubble trapped under the natural side of the rock when I dunked it or if I'm having surface tension issues in the over flow bucket. I'll check another time or 2 and get a decent average for an idea of where it sits.

Last night I did some honing on a couple of chisels I have for about 30-40 minutes as a way to break it in and burnish the surface as suggested by David here on the forum. There was quite a bit of black in the oil indicating a really nice slurry had formed. After rinsing with some dish soap to remove the oil and holding it up to the light it was obvious that the surface was more reflective than it was out of the box. I think another session or 2 of that and I will be wanting to get a straight going on this bad boy.

 

[Steve56]

Try a few drops of JetDry in the water, it should cut the surface tension way down.

Cheers, Steve

 

[Brianskeet]

I think I like the look of that stone better as a "primitive" than I would if it was finished on all sides.

 

[Dilbone]

I repeated a couple more times and got 383ml and 380ml, so if I avg. the 3 volumes I got and divide for density that puts me at about 2.7g/ml and in perfect range of the black arkansas...not my 2.32g/ml at first. I will look forward to working on the chisels again tonight and hopefully by the weekend I'm able to see what this will do to a razor.

 

[Dilbone]

Try a few drops of JetDry in the water, it should cut the surface tension way down.

Cheers, Steve

I don't have any JetDry but did put a few drops of dish liquid in the water and got similar results
Thanks!

I think I like the look of that stone better as a "primitive" than I would if it was finished on all sides.

I totally agree

 

[David]

I think I like the look of that stone better as a "primitive" than I would if it was finished on all sides.

No doubt. That's a mans rock, lol. Love the looks of that one.

 

[alpster]

Really nice stone and a great score for a steal. Enjoy the shaves. From the pics, it looks like you might benefit from chamfering the edges of the stone.

 

[rideon66]

Awesome Ark. Really like those in the primitive style.

 

[Dilbone]

No doubt. That's a mans rock, lol. Love the looks of that one.

Thanks David for the tip about primitives. I am so glad I finally decided to pull the trigger on one of these.

Really nice stone and a great score for a steal. Enjoy the shaves. From the pics, it looks like you might benefit from chamfering the edges of the stone.

Thanks, and you are correct. I actually hit the edges with the DMT tonight a bit...I probably need to hit them a bit more. Those edges were sharp for sure and boy are they tough to knock down on a stone that isn't cut on all 6 sides.

Awesome Ark. Really like those in the primitive style.

thanks

 

[Dilbone]

I spent a bit of time with a chisel again on the ark tonight and got fed up. I figured I'd rather spend the time burnishing with an actual razor and at least feel like I'm accomplishing something. I pulled out that bone scaled Gold Dollar in the previous pics and went to town. The edge on that razor just wasn't quite where I wanted it, so there was no harm in sacrificing it for the job. After my first 60-100 laps I took a look at the spine hone wear and it really wasn't reflective at all. The polish that I already had was completely gone. As I continued to hone I would check it periodically and see some improvement along the way. I'm not sure exactly how many laps I did(anywhere between 300-500 maybe more...no idea)but the stone showed quite a bit of improvement in that time. The feedback got much smoother and the polish on the blade started to come back a bit. It still isn't where it needs to be, but it is far better than it was.

I'm also not quite sure how "glass" like the surface of this stone should get. When I hold it at an angle to a light source it is beginning to reflect light better than it was out of the box, but it is still really dull when looking straight on or only slight angles. Here it is at a pretty good angle.


I will hopefully be able to do another 500 laps or so on that razor tomorrow and make some more improvement. I definitely like honing on it.

 

[eKretz]

It will take quite a while to burnish up if you don't lap it to a higher level first. I like to go to at least 800 grit level before starting burnishing. You can forego the higher grit lapping but the burnishing will take a LOT longer to get where you want to be for the best razor edges. Good looking primitive Ark for sure.

 

[kelbro]

That's a pretty good burnish already. I would say that it's ready.

 

[SliceOfLife]

Nice rock. I like these primitives; especially when the cut is so usable and creates such value.

 

[Dilbone]

It will take quite a while to burnish up if you don't lap it to a higher level first. I like to go to at least 800 grit level before starting burnishing. You can forego the higher grit lapping but the burnishing will take a LOT longer to get where you want to be for the best razor edges. Good looking primitive Ark for sure.

Thanks for the input. I had thought about using some of my film and going all the way to 3u, but decided to just hit it with the chisels per David's advice. I grew weary with that though after a while.

That's a pretty good burnish already. I would say that it's ready.

Cool, after what I experienced with a test shave this morning I am leaning your direction on this.




So after I posted last night I decided to take another couple hundred laps on it. I then did some laps on cotton, linen, and leather. The HHT wasn't where it normally is coming off the coticule as I float the blade over arm or leg hair, so I decided I would take a swipe in the morning down my right cheek and see how bad it was. I had another razor stropped and ready also knowing I'd be trading out after a short couple of strokes.

I was pleasantly surprised by the shave. Like very surprised. The ATG on my neck and under my chin was not quite where I'd like it in terms of sharpness but overall it was VERY smooth. I will be hitting this again with another 300-500 laps and see how much more improvement I get. I do think the stone is progressing well and the polish on the blade is beginning to show again.

One question though, I've been using mineral oil so far. I don't mind it, but is there anything anyone would recommend I try that they feel is better?