Does anyone use a progression of soft/hard/surgical black Arkansas stones for honing from bevel setting to final polishing? I've been reading as much as I can on hones, but I haven't read much about using them from start to finish. From what I understand they are slow, but you can get a respectable edge off of a surgical black. But can you set a bevel starting with a soft and work up? I've read up on coticule's and understand their capabilities and the learning curve. I am just thinking that for a novice, a progression might be a better option, and the price's are pretty good for 6X2X1 inch stones.
Soft, hard, black arkansas progression
- Thread starter Skrymr
- Start date
It would be very difficult to set a bevel on an Arkansas stone, soft or not. a 6" hone would make it even harder to do (though I agree, the prices are great).
The caveat here is that I've never used an arkansas hone to set a bevel. I cheat -- I use a DMT 1200 mostly, though I have done bevel setting on a coticule.
I'd actually think that a coticule would be a better option for a novice to learn with (contrary to what you think), as it is just one stone. You'll probably find it easier to master - just get yourself one decent-sized coti and stick with it for a while.
- Thread starter
- #5
Thanks for the replies. I've done a lot of searches to see if it was a reasonable option, and came up blank. I appreciate the replies based on experience. Looks like I need to save for a coticule. Everything keeps pointing that way, so I may as well bite the bullet and finally do it.
