Great job Mike! That would be how you Git’r done! I liked how you showed the 2 different surfaces at the end. The stones can be tuned to cut however you’d like. I think my black is my favorite finisher at this point.
Hi, Matt! Thanks. Yep, that is the most important characteristic. People try things with these stones without taking that into account, then blame the stone. Duh. I love the edge off of a Black Arkansas. But I pretty much consider it a post finisher, like a lot of honers think of a 20k or 30k. I always move to a Black after leaving what I would consider a quality finishing stone, like an Escher, coti, or jnat. I've shaved your Black Ark edge; ain't no curr in that bunch, lol.
I burnished my trans blue/black Ark with my Ozuku Asagi. I like using my Arks as a base for all my Jnat Nagura...then finish on the plain stone with soapy water...works beautifully!
Well, my instinct was right....that black went to the right home! That was a great video, Mike! I learned a lot....especially why razor honing and knife honing are different. That's where a two-sided stone has an advantage over a combo as Chris Blaylock (miss him) pointed out. You covered a lot of important ground: 1) An Arkansas will "eat" SIC and, as you're using one application, the SIC will get finer....that's why I like the combination SICs like 60/90 or 150/220 when you're in the flattening process. 2) The flattening process for razors is much more critical than for knives. That's another reason I thought you could use a Dan's...it is well known that a Dan's is flatter out of the box than any other manufacturer thats current. 3) My only addition to this video....a couple of people mentioned on the "Unboxing" video that your next step should be a transluscent. The stone you are working on is a black from Dan's quarry. Dan's rates stones by specific gravity, not color and a Dan's black is denser and finer than a translucent FROM THEIR QUARRY. A Dan's black may be the finest Arkansas you can get! But, again, they are natural stones and all different. People think translucents are finer because they cost more....not necessarily true. I've got a Norton 3X8X1/2 translucent that I use for planes. It would take me 10 times longer to condition it for razors than what you just did with that black Dan's. As I mentioned to you, I use it because it's easier for my old eyes to see swarf. I've got an 8X2X1/2 Dan's translucent that I use for knives and chisels ....I only had to hit one side with wet/dry for polish. It's like night vs. day compared with the Norton. This is one of the very best videos I've ever seen! Blessings, Wayne
Thanks, Wayne! Regarding Trans vs Black, you are correct that they are rated for specific gravity, but these are all natural stones; you could have a finer Trans than a Black, or vise versa; just depends on the stone. But Dans definitely rates the Black as ultra fine vs the Trans, for their stones. That is why it is important to buy from a seller who has high standards in what they sell. Consistency is king. And yes, I'm glad this came from Dans. These stones are d e n s e, lol. If significantly out of true they are a bear to flatten. Thanks again! Edited to add; the Transluscent are more expensive because of people's perception, IMO. But they are beautiful stones.
@@analogoutdoors ,Exactly..and there is a lot of subjectivity, but, but you now have one of the best! It still may need some tweaking but I saw your face in the reflection. You've pretty well nailed it. Can't wait to see a sharpening video! Blessings, Wayne
thank you thank you thank you i never would have thought about using a clever as a burnishing tool (im going to go find one now :) )what i did instead was go to 3000 grit wet dry flint paper kind of glossy but your clever finish looks better. i dont mind how long it takes to hone,thats all part of the zen....:)
Just make sure you keep the stone wet when you burnish it. Dry it WILL load up, and that isn't what you want. And I'm the same; speed doesn't mean a thing to me. I just love passing steel over stone.
Mike your loading the stone with mettalic particles to make the stone cut less aggressively??? Is that what your doing with the cleaver? And why do u do that. If u want a finer finish on the stone should u use a finer abrasive when lapping?? Varnished stones have shown to rub weakening the metal vs abraiding the metal? Idk just asking
Nope, not what I am doing. When a stone "loads" with metallic particles, it does so unevenly. No matter how you rub it, the surface would never be as smooth or even as it is here. There would be patches all over the stone that were embedded more, and in some areas less. And the surface would actually glaze over, not polish. Much different than what I am doing. On another stone, yes, this is what would happen. Burnishing is a property unique to these stones. On the True Hard stones like this Black or a Translucent, it does indeed slow the stone down, but the resulting finish is ultra fine. And you can indeed do this with abrasives as well, but it takes a lot longer. And you will get the exact same results in the end.
Great instructional. I have a series of the sic powder I need to break out, my 1200 Atoma is about to give up the ghost. I never had an Arkansas or an Escher, not sure what qualities to look for, other than that, I think your smart using the cleaver to burnish as compared to using a spoon..
@@analogoutdoors seems to work well. 7 years ago I actually had 7 steps in my progression, aack! now I have 4 steps plus I lessoned my passes on each stone. I can now hone a razor in 7 minutes..
