Let's Talk Arkansas Stones

I just picked up some used Arkies... Does any body have an idea how to distinguish a true black and a surgical black? I have a hard black stone from Preyda with no markings...

Cleaned and lapped with a Naniwa 1k slurry, didnt need much and seemed to work alright. Got a ways to go before I test them.

Great thread here!

John

 

The Surgical Black will be very hard, very smooth, and non porous when lapped

 

Maybe mine is the "true" black...I'll add a pic...

Is this the same as just "hard" black Arkansas?

 

Doesnt look like a Surgical Black. Sorry.

 

I have a nice collection of Arks, hard, soft and Washita's. Three of my favorites are a transitioning translucent, clear to black. Second is a porcelain white Novaculite and the third is a beautiful butterscotch translucent in a tramp art style case dated September 1897. Butterscotch has inclusion below the surface, can be seen but not felt. The porcelain white took 15 hours over a month to get a slight dip lapped out but it was worth the effort. All three deliver a Ark edge we all search for

 

Thanks for your help...So then the "surgical" black is a black version of the translucent?

Nice set of stones@Timwcic!

 

Thank you Sir.
I always wondered the same. Is "surgical" term used for the same stone or just marketing. Translucent black and surgical black, two different stone or the same?

 

I have sent a message to the maker of mine to ask help in identifying, No response yet...

 

This is my surgical black arkansas. It's almost solid black, ultra smooth when lapped with a little dark grey in the mix. No pores. Weirdly enough made by the same company as @Shojo510 . I know they offer an extra fine and the ultra fine black ark. Which is yours?

 

I got mine second hand and I don't have any real info other than hard black...if I don't get a response back I will try and call. Maybe they have a record from original sale.

Mine is a little lighter after lapping with the 1k slurry for about an hour and half Of elbow grease...I could see the wear pattern as it flattened from dark to lighter shade.

Nice stone!

 

It may be the extra fine black that they offer. Pro cut, my stone is the same vendor as yours but mine was ultra. I had to email them and took about 24 hrs for a reply but they got back to me and were rather nice

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

Thanks for your input on my Arkansas

 

Got a soft and hard ark now coming from Dan's. Looking forward to getting my hands on them and ultimately getting to know the stones.

 

Just landed.





Gonna get this bad boy lapped and try a refresh with it then my surgical and see 2hat I think. Soft Ark is still on it's way.

 

From what is told, Dan's stones are already lapped pretty good. But, it doesn't hurt to check. What are you lapping it with? Because, depending on the material, it can take 20 minutes, or 20 hours. Trust me, I know.

 

Sic powder. It was pretty flat but definitely not dead flat. Still better shape than the RH Preyda Surgical Black I had to lap lol

 

I was hoping you would use the Silica Carbide Powder.

 

Good thing I read the forum first. That Hard Ark is nice now that its lapped two different grits. Although the refresh didn't go quite as good as I thought on the GD 66. That was including the surgical black. Ah well, practice makes perfect.