Okay so I have been looking at all the Arks which is the best one for finishing? Also do you need to use oil or can you use water?
Best ark finisher
- Thread starter abush1984
- Start date
The one with the most favorable specific gravity combined with the best surface preparation is the best ark. That and you have to nail everything leading to it, bevel most of all and then refinement stages. You can use oil, water soluble solution, glycerin and water for finishing. It's so slow on razors you could do water but with a finer edge to be had with something else why would you... oh, dish soap mixed with water as well
I like translucent Arks best. Can't say they're better than blacks, that's just my preference. I use smiths honing solution with mine. Norton honing oil is good too but a little thick for razors IMO
I've got a Natural Whetstone Co. translucent black that puts as nice an edge on a razor. Any of the black or translucents from Dan's or Norton should be fine too. I like to use oil.
Arks are not just good at finishing. A Dan's soft/medium or a vintage Pike/Behr-Manning/Norton no. 1 Washita is a very nice bevel-setter too, used with Dan's honing oil. In the right hands, a Sharpening Supplies soft/hard black Arkansas combo might be all that is needed for around $60.
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #6
thanks for all the info gents I have been really thinking about getting one of these bad boys for a finisher for the price to size ratio I think its a good deal just wanted to get some insight on them.
The only one I've got is a black 8x2 from Dan's. It's really good though. When I ordered it, I asked them to please send me a good flat one since I'd be using it on straights and they obliged. It didn't need any additional flattening so I went straight to work on it with a chisel and it was ready in no time. I've been setting the bevel and moving up through 12K with no tape on the spine. Then I add a layer of tape and do a couple hundred laps on the arkie with Smith's honing solution. The edges are just great.
Why not both? Translucent blacks come up now and then and are pretty neat stones. In my collection, in general Trans blacks & yellows > Trans whites > Blacks. But it's really all so close that it could be in my head, as I just really like translucents in darker hues than the typical white.
