Natural finishers: The relative merits of Jnat's vs Thuri's vs Arks

[Empire straights]

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[relli1130]

jnats erase scratches better than any other stone I know of. And they produce some of the most keen yet comfortable edges. They are flat out excellent stones if you find a good finisher from a reputable seller. Coticule have the most range of any stone I know of. They are capable of bevel set, all the way to finisher/shave ready. But coticule stones don't provide the keenest of edges, yet quite nice nonetheless. Thuringian can take a razor after a bevel is set, all the way to shave ready. They are not commonly used in this manner, but it is possible with practice. But mostly they are used purely as a finisher in a progression. Arks (black and Translucent), are polishers really. But a set of Arks (Soft, Hard, Black/Trans) are fun to experiment with in a honing progression. Ark edges done right are sharp and crisp. These are my opinions based on my personal experiences.

 

[Pedigree]

The new pop ups are making this site unuseable.

Agreed.

 

[Empire straights]

jnats erase scratches better than any other stone I know of. And they produce some of the most keen yet comfortable edges. They are flat out excellent stones if you find a good finisher from a reputable seller. Coticule have the most range of any stone I know of. They are capable of bevel set, all the way to finisher/shave ready. But coticule stones don't provide the keenest of edges, yet quite nice nonetheless. Thuringian can take a razor after a bevel is set, all the way to shave ready. They are not commonly used in this manner, but it is possible with practice. But mostly they are used purely as a finisher in a progression. Arks (black and Translucent), are polishers really. But a set of Arks (Soft, Hard, Black/Trans) are fun to experiment with in a honing progression. Ark edges done right are sharp and crisp. These are my opinions based on my personal experiences.

If you finish your ark off at 600 grit like dans does it'll both still cut steel and finish a razor. I don't subscribe to burnishing new arks because I need stones to cut, plus I finish knives on them constantly so they usually smooth out pretty fast but ones they stop cutting I put them on the diamond plate. My translucents turn get really fast and they've been used a lot.

 

[Yanky]

Never had much success with the Vermont green. I give it a try every few months when I bump into it in my drawer but I cannot seem to get it to deliver on the same level as the 3 aforementioned types.

 

[Frank Shaves]

@Yanky, what type of juice do you use?

I have tried lapping mine to 400 and 1000 grit with a cheapo diamond plate, and I have tried both water and mineral oil. For me the winning combo is lapping to 1000 grit with mineral oil. The edges are plenty sharp and very comfortable.

 

[Yanky]

I used w/d up to 1k but water only. I’ll definitely give your way a shot. Thank you for the tip

 

[Frank Shaves]

I used w/d up to 1k but water only. I’ll definitely give your way a shot. Thank you for the tip

I was initially apprehensive about using oil on my Arks and Vermont slates, but I am now sold. I wash each stone off after each session using Dawn - leaves zero oil residue. And getting a little oil on my fingers is now no big deal - just wipe them on a piece of paper towel.