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Now I have a pair of natural stones... Ha!!

I think Ian is referring to the pic where the grid lines are still showing in the corner, that appears to be 'post lapping' , no?
That surface does look 'unfinished' to me, but maybe it is the pic.
Arks don't usually feel like slate.
Dunston stone, which is slate, doesn't feel like typical slate either.
Some Basalt can feel like slate.

You mentioned Basalt and volcanic glass in the same sentence, did you mean basanite?
Seeing them referenced in a honing context is uncommon.
I just mean it has a very glassy feeling. Not like any of my nortons, Naniwa, the coticule, or the ILR. And it rings like a hammer on an anvil when the spine touches the stone when doing x-strokes (not the volume of course, but the same kind of sound), or if I hold the stone in the middle width wise between thumb and forefinger and tap the bottom, it also rings like that.

Those pics I guess might have been after the first round of lapping--and it still has slurry on it because I did the lapping in a bucket--not under running water. I took some at different stages.
 
Hopefully, this might be a little bit better representation. I probably should get a diamond plate and lap it more. But it did do a good job on the razor I tried it on.

IMG_0344.jpg
 

Legion

Staff member
I just mean it has a very glassy feeling. Not like any of my nortons, Naniwa, the coticule, or the ILR. And it rings like a hammer on an anvil when the spine touches the stone when doing x-strokes (not the volume of course, but the same kind of sound), or if I hold the stone in the middle width wise between thumb and forefinger and tap the bottom, it also rings like that.

Those pics I guess might have been after the first round of lapping--and it still has slurry on it because I did the lapping in a bucket--not under running water. I took some at different stages.
Generally speaking, the higher pitch the ping of an Ark, the higher the SG. There are a few videos of people doing comparisons on YouTube.
 
I tried different finishes on my 6 x 2 hard black, working my way down from 1200 to 240 grit using wet/dry sandpaper on a marble slab. I landed on 240 on one side and 400 on the other.

Many guys prefer finer finishes. Only takes a few minutes to change the finish. Worth trying to see what you like.
 
I tried different finishes on my 6 x 2 hard black, working my way down from 1200 to 240 grit using wet/dry sandpaper on a marble slab. I landed on 240 on one side and 400 on the other.

Many guys prefer finer finishes. Only takes a few minutes to change the finish. Worth trying to see what you like.
did you just do it with sand paper or what?
 
Finish that Ark up to 600 Grit then put a knife on it for just a bit, you're done.

If it's a good finisher you'll know right away. You can go from your coticule to the Ark but max out the coti edge first.
 
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Finish that Ark up to 600 Grit then put a knife on it for just a bit, you're done.

If it's a good finisher you'll know right away. You can go from you coticule to the Ark but max out the coti edge first.
Yes, did that tonight (not the finishing part, but did hone with it). I didn't get where I wanted to be with the coti, so used the ark to get it there--and it did get it there. But I'm sure I'm not getting the best out of the coti yet. It also seems to be a really good stone. I just need to get acquainted with it better
 
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Legion

Staff member
This one? That is what I hear too...

Nah. The one I'm thinking of is just a home made one, with a guy in his basement or workshop, and he is just tapping a bunch of stones with a little hammer, and as the stones get finer the pitch goes up.
 
Here is a Dan’s blue-black out of the box, and the same stone after lapping up to about 1200 grit SiC and a little burnishing.

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Work your way up from rough grit to fine and finish one side of your stone to a high grit finish then run some big knives or cleavers over it. You can leave the other at a rougher grit for the purpose of a dual-sided dual-grit effect.

Definitely do not put a diamond plate on your Ark. Unless you hate diamond plates in which case that will be fine. Arks will very happily chew up most diamond plates.
 
Here is a Dan’s blue-black out of the box, and the same stone after lapping up to about 1200 grit SiC and a little burnishing.

View attachment 1607831

View attachment 1607832


Work your way up from rough grit to fine and finish one side of your stone to a high grit finish then run some big knives or cleavers over it. You can leave the other at a rougher grit for the purpose of a dual-sided dual-grit effect.

Definitely do not put a diamond plate on your Ark. Unless you hate diamond plates in which case that will be fine. Arks will very happily chew up most diamond plates.
Very nice!! I do have some stainless kitchen knives and cleavers that could do that work. Sounds like a trip to Home Depot is in my future
 
I can't send PM's to people either. Maybe there is a required number of posts to allow that? I tried it tonight. I have one of my favorite razors that in a moment of inattention while stropping, cut deep into my horse hide strop and needed re-honing. So, I decided to do it on these stones.

I started on the coticule, hoping that was all that was needed. I tried the Dilucot method with a thick slurry and progressively thinning to just water. But I was not satisfied with the keenness of the edge. I'm new to coticules, so that is probably my technique. This one seems harder than I was expecting and seems to be a slower cutter than my synths, but I still need to get used to these rocks and learn their qualities to get the best out of them. I'd say I got the edge to where my Norton 8K would take it.

So, I decided to try finishing with the Ark. I'd say 50 X-strokes later and several stroppings later had it where I wanted it as far as tree-topping, the tomato test, and dry shaving.

I haven't shaved with it yet, but will later this evening or in the morning. I'm due for one.
I've been experimenting with coticules lately and I haven't had good luck with thicker slurry. I tried water only on one edge and it came out ridiculously sharp but not comfortable. I'm leaning towards lighter end of slurry for a good mix of sharpness and comfort.
 
So, I have 3 Dovo Barbarossas that I just finished over the last couple of days. All full hollow. (these are great size stones for those razors because of their blade length).

  • A Square point. Edge killed on a glass and then honed with my normal progression of Nortons and finished on an ILR
  • A Dutch point. Edged killed on a glass and then used the coticule with the Dulicot progression and finished with the Ark
  • A Spanish point. Edge killed on a glass and then just the coticule with the Dulicot progression and finished under running water on the coticule.
I didn't realize that coticules get sticky under running water...

I'll do a test shave using all of them for part of the shave tomorrow and see what suits best.
 
I've been experimenting with coticules lately and I haven't had good luck with thicker slurry. I tried water only on one edge and it came out ridiculously sharp but not comfortable. I'm leaning towards lighter end of slurry for a good mix of sharpness and comfort.
I was able to get an edge that I was satisfied with on my second try. I haven't tried shaving with it yet, but by all tests I've done it seems like an edge I would shave with. That test will be tomorrow. I'll test shave 3 very similar razors honed with different methods and one is coticule only. We'll see...
 
And it rings like a hammer on an anvil when the spine touches the stone when doing x-strokes (not the volume of course, but the same kind of sound), or if I hold the stone in the middle width wise between thumb and forefinger and tap the bottom, it also rings like that.
Arks will ring, some slates will ring similarly. Dunston stones ring pretty brightly also sometimes, not good finishers in my experience. Their SG can be over 3.0, Translucent Arks will usually be under that.
Density, dimension, flaws, inclusions, and impurities can affect the tone. Thing is, Jnats are shale, and they sound dull, while slate will have higher SG and sound brighter. Shale has finer particle size, indicating ring-tone means little in relation to fine-ness. Hematite's SG is 5.0-ish, its particle size can be huge, sound can be very metallic/bright. But it is not a good finisher typically.
Typically, denser Arks are thought to be the finer finisher. I have been thinking that might not always be the case when we're talking about stones in the upper register. But, it comes down to splitting hairs, literally, and not having a way to prove it objectively.
Your stone looks better in the last photo you posted. Honestly, the best thing to do is to use the stone, and evaluate it that way. It's really the only thing that matters. I have a translucent Ark on my bench right now with a matte surface, and it sounds pretty dull when tapped, but it's a stupid fine finisher.
 
did you just do it with sand paper or what?

Yes. For finishing a flat (already lapped) surface, I just use wet/dry sandpaper on a flat surface (marble slab, granite tile, glass sheet, etc.) with water using a spray bottle. I sometimes tape the sandpaper sheet to the flat surface but more likely do not bother.

You need to sand in steps (e.g., 240 to 400 to 800 to 1200 or 1200 to 800 to 400 to 240) stopping at your preferred finish. I personally like 240/400 on a hard Ark - many prefer finer.

Ignore the silicon carbide (SIC) powder in this photo.

1676729982041.png


If, however, the surface is not flat or pitted then I used SIC powder from GotGrit.com - https://gotgrit.com/ - see:

 
Yes. For finishing a flat (already lapped) surface, I just use wet/dry sandpaper on a flat surface (marble slab, granite tile, glass sheet, etc.) with water using a spray bottle. I sometimes tape the sandpaper sheet to the flat surface but more likely do not bother.

You need to sand in steps (e.g., 240 to 400 to 800 to 1200 or 1200 to 800 to 400 to 240) stopping at your preferred finish. I personally like 240/400 on a hard Ark - many prefer finer.

Ignore the silicon carbide (SIC) powder in this photo.

View attachment 1607980

If, however, the surface is not flat or pitted then I used SIC powder from GotGrit.com - https://gotgrit.com/ - see:

Interesting--so how do the 2 different finished sides fit in your progression? What is your overall progression?
 
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