Burnishing an Arkansas Stone?
- Thread starter Acmemfg
- Start date
Not sure what happened to #1 Post. All I see is "I was hoping for more input here......." in a post numbered #2
Which isn't prompting much of a response.
Which isn't prompting much of a response.
I recognized the author of first post. Which is now gone......... glitch in the matrix......
Found this here......Burnishing an Arkansas Stone?
Found this here......Burnishing an Arkansas Stone?
If you have a single sided DMT plate, use the blank side to rub/burnish the Arkansas stone. If you don't have a Dmt you can use 800 then 1000 grit wet/dry sandpaper glued to a piece of flat glass. You can also use loose grit on flat glass such as 600 grit Silicon carbide powder . The more you rub the powder and water mixture the finer the powder will get, because it fractures and becomes finer and finer.
When I was a young boy, I discovered that if you use an ark without oil or water, it will burnish it to a pretty unusable state, pretty much permanently. Lapping might fix, not something known to most knife sharpeners. I didn't know that term until now, and my dad was not a happy camper, fisher, and/or hunter
If you use without oil or water it will not burnish, but it will clog/glazed the pores.When I was a young boy, I discovered that if you use an ark without oil or water, it will burnish it to a pretty unusable state, pretty much permanently. Lapping might fix, not something known to most knife sharpeners. I didn't know that term until now, and my dad was not a happy camper, fisher, and/or hunter
It won't take the high points off? Your stones work differently without oil than mine do. From the other thread, burnishing is the removal of high points, and the clogging of the pores. Without oil it is permanent clogging though.
Glazing is a synonym of burnishing BTW.
No glazing and clogged are basically the same. Just say if you use the stone just the way it is now, but without oil or water. By doing this it will not float away the metal particles, and they particles will become embedded into the pores of the stone and that will make it ineffective. Meaning it will not put the final polish on your razor, because it will mot polish or will not cut.
Burnishing is when you are changing the texture of the stone, by a you stated" knocking the high points down." By really fine sandpaper or lapping compound, such as silicon carbide loose grit powder on flat glass.You are essentially making the stone finer and more glassy. You always want to use a lubricant when sharpening. This will float the metal particles away and let the stone do its work. If you started with oil you have to continue with oil, unless you degrease the stone, by using a product called purple power or mean green. Then you can use soapy water to hone with. I hope this makes sense. If you want the stone prepared for a razor i'd be happy to burnish it.
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If the stone is not flat, then I use 80 grit SIC powder to lap it flat,( > then I finish my stone on finer grits of sandpaper or SIC powder to get the desired texture/finish i want. <) This part is called reconditioning the stone
After the 80 grit sandpaper or SIC grit ( which ever you choose is up to you) I would use loose grit powder SIC on glass to lap it flat then go to wet/dry sandpaper to get you desired finish with 220 grit, 600grit, then 1000. If you like you can take it to 2000 grit. Note: while you are doing this use water on and with the abrasive media used to work/lap the stone.
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We just seem to have trouble with the fluidity of definitions in different contexts. The best definition of burnishing involves plasticity, which doesn't apply to stones. The "By really fine . . ." makes it lapping, from my perspective.
I do understand what you are saying though.
I don't know how else to say it. Burnishing and lapping you are going through the same motions. When you are lapping/flatting you use very coarse abrasive, because it is not truly flat, and you don't take 1000 grit abrasive to flatten a dished stone, because you will not likely get there You check for flat by using a ruler or some kind of straight edge. If the stone is true or flat then just burnish or polish the surface.
The burnishing you do the same thing except using finer abrasive. You can make the stone like a mirror if you want by polishing the stone with finer abrasives.
The burnishing you do the same thing except using finer abrasive. You can make the stone like a mirror if you want by polishing the stone with finer abrasives.
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Burnishing, lapping, polishing, glazing, and abrading are all going through the same motions to some extent. They differ in the particular. Polishing is making something smoother by rubbing. This rubbing could be causing glazing, abrading, or burnishing- smoothing through plastic deformation- impossible with stones- but has been appropriated to mean smoothing, and you contend flattening as well, which is lapping. You can burnish concave, convex, irregularly shaped, or flat objects. Wouldn't want to burnish a non-flat stone with razors, but with knifes really wouldn't matter.
At what magical number does lapping become burnishing? Keep in mind lapping films
Now if there is a published honing manual from an agreed upon* reliable source, that actually defines the terms and figures as being different from what I am stating, I will agree that in the trade of honing, you are correct. I'm just using generic definitions looked up on online dictionaries.
* Doesn't have to be me agreeing, several users here would suffice.
When a Arkansas stone is new it will be a little rough from how they finish them. Kim at Dans whetstones said that they flatten their stones with 80 grit SIC powder after they saw and cut the stones, and put the final finish using 220 SIC powder. And yes over time just using a knife,chisel razor etc the stone will naturally smooth and mellow out. Some just chose to do that process quicker by using a very fine abrasive. I don't know the correct words and terminology. I just know that what I'd do works for me.
I've used various whetstones for years. Im no expert, I can just pass on to you what i do
If you want expert advise go contact Dans Whetstones and ask for Kim. They are nice and very helpful people.
Thanks,
Mike
I've used various whetstones for years. Im no expert, I can just pass on to you what i do
If you want expert advise go contact Dans Whetstones and ask for Kim. They are nice and very helpful people.
Thanks,
Mike
Nobody bite my head off. Today out of curiosity I tried something. I have two washita stones. I believe they are Arkansas stones. One is similar to a piece of have I have. It is harddddd. Anyhow,I decided to rub them together to try and burnish one of them. It was cool to see how I really had not flattened the one. I used 120 we're dry and thought it was lapped flat. I wanted to see the gleam so I rubbed them together. The area that had contact looked great. With the arks I believe bitnishing is to smooth the texture left by lapping. As in low grit leaves stone more aggressive. High grit with leave stone surface smoother . So my experiment with stone on stone no water was somewhat successful. That's my two cents on the thread. Good luck
