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265685 Don Schwartz <dks@t...> 2018‑04‑08 flattening Black Hard Arkansas
I have a small Black Hard Arkansas stone which is concave ( hollow Jeff) 
on one side and convex on the other. I know the convex side is going to 
be hard to flatten, so I'm working on the concave side. I am using a 
coarse Norton Crystolon stone  ( SiC, 100 grit maybe ) with my usual mix 
of lamp oil and dish detergent ( washing-up soap Jeff). It's cutting, 
but I'm finding it very slow going. Apart from a surface grinder, is 
there a better way?

Don

-- 
I have decided to leave my past behind. So, if I owe you money...I am sorry, but
I’ve moved on.

The harder they come, the bigger they fall." Ry Cooder
265686 Bill Ghio <bghio@m...> 2018‑04‑08 Re: flattening Black Hard Arkansas
Sent from my iPad

> On Apr 8, 2018, at 6:06 PM, Don Schwartz  wrote:
> 
> 
> I have a small Black Hard Arkansas stone which is concave ( hollow Jeff) on
one side and convex on the other. I know the convex side is going to be hard to
flatten, so I'm working on the concave side. I am using a coarse Norton
Crystolon stone  ( SiC, 100 grit maybe ) with my usual mix of lamp oil and dish
detergent ( washing-up soap Jeff). It's cutting, but I'm finding it very slow
going. Apart from a surface grinder, is there a better way?
> 
Don,

I bought a translucent Arkansas stone that the seller said he flattened on a
diamond plate. It is definitely flat. Diamond should cut the black too.

Bill
265688 Brent A Kinsey <brentpmed@c...> 2018‑04‑09 Re: flattening Black Hard Arkansas
Don, I have flattened my washita, hard ark, and translucent white on diamond
stones and while it took quite a bit of elbow grease it was much quicker than
other methods I tried.  I found I needed to clear the swarf regularly with a
stiff brush or rinse the diamond plate under water when it started to load up.
I used my diamond plates dry when flattening the stones. I started with a coarse
diamond stone to get it flat then a couple of passes on a fine to smooth the
surface.

YMMV

Brent A Kinsey
265689 "Gary P. Laroff" <glaroff@c...> 2018‑04‑09 Re: flattening Black Hard Arkansas
Don,

 

I've bought a number of "antique" sharpening stones, mainly for their
natural shape or the combination of stone and wood they were in.  I also
have a number of stones including the hard black Arkansas and translucent,
probably from Woodcraft, which either came un-flat or later required it.  I
think I have mostly flattened concave surfaces  These and my Japanese
Waterstones are flattened on DMT brand diamond plates.  If you have a
choice, use the coarsest one you have.

 

To be kind to the diamond, I wash the oilstone in detergent and scrub with a
coarse brush.  This is just to get as much of the oil grunge off it.  Then
flatten it dry on the diamond plate.  I let the diamond do the work and
never press down heavily.  When flattening Waterstones, I do it under a
gentle stream of water.  Shortly after starting you will see the areas that
are flat and those that aren't by color.  It is a quick process.  I turn the
stone around often so that I'm not leaning more on one side than another.
This will not damage a quality diamond sharpening plate.  The dust can be
wiped off both the diamond and your stone with a brush, cloth or water.  For
a very fine Black Hard stone such as yours, you will probably want to
lighten up the pressure towards the end or rub it against a much finer
diamond at the end.  You'll be surprised how clelan, quick and easy the
process is.

 

Gary Laroff,

Portland, Oregon 

 

 

> On Apr 8, 2018, at 6:06 PM, Don Schwartz < <mailto:dks@t...>
dks@t...> wrote:

> 

> 

> I have a small Black Hard Arkansas stone which is concave ( hollow Jeff)
on one side and convex on the other. I know the convex side is going to be
hard to flatten, so I'm working on the concave side. I am using a coarse
Norton Crystolon stone  ( SiC, 100 grit maybe ) with my usual mix of lamp
oil and dish detergent ( washing-up soap Jeff). It's cutting, but I'm
finding it very slow going. Apart from a surface grinder, is there a better
way?

> 

Don,

 

I bought a translucent Arkansas stone that the seller said he flattened on a
diamond plate. It is definitely flat. Diamond should cut the black too. 

 

Bill
265690 Don Schwartz <dks@t...> 2018‑04‑09 Re: flattening Black Hard Arkansas
On 2018-04-08 4:14 PM, Bill Ghio wrote:
> Diamond should cut the black too.

It will. I've been reluctant to use my diamond for that. Not that it 
gets much use otherwise. I think I read somewhere that it shouldn't be 
used for flattening stones.

No idea why or where. But considering how many came out in favour of 
that method, I'll try it.. Thanks to all who responded.

Don

-- 
I have decided to leave my past behind. So, if I owe you money...I am sorry, but
I’ve moved on.

The harder they come, the bigger they fall." Ry Cooder
265692 John Ruth <johnrruth@h...> 2018‑04‑09 Re: flattening Black Hard Arkansas
Don, and the rest of the porch:

Seeing as diamond hones are expensive, I too would be reluctant to use them for
flattening whetstones.

My father used to “prospect” for whetstones among the glacial till of upstate
NY.  He’d flatten “candidates” by rubbing them on a smooth concrete surface,
with plenty of water and some rubbings from a common red brick.

Not sure what the brick was supposed to do, but it made a nice slurry. 

(I do not recall that any of the “found” stones was a great whetstone, but at
least one of them would crudely sharpen a pocket knife.)

Maybe coarsely flatten your stone on smooth concrete with water and then use the
expensive diamond stones to put the finishing touches on it?

John Ruth
265693 Zachary Dillinger <zacharydillinger@g...> 2018‑04‑09 Re: flattening Black Hard Arkansas
In line with this suggestion, I might offer the following: an old cinder
block. I have used the same cinder block for this duty for last four or
five years, with a constant dribble of water from a garden hose. Run the
stone in a circular motion over the whole surface of the stone, flipping
the stone end for end and moving your hands around the stone periodically.
It works well.

--
Zachary Dillinger
517-231-3374
265694 scott grandstaff <scottg@s...> 2018‑04‑09 Re: flattening Black Hard Arkansas
Run the stone in a circular motion over the whole surface of the stone, 
flipping
> the stone end for end and moving your hands around the stone periodically.
> It works well.
Ahyup
  Didn't I tell this story already? And recently?

Pick a decently smooth patch of cement.
Last time I did some stones, I chose my back porch step.
There was a small part of it that the trowel man didn't get quite as 
smooth. I'd like to fire that cement guy,............. but he lives 
here....... hahahaha

  So anyway, a two-fer. Smoother cement, flat stone at the same time.

yours scott
with no diamonds on the soles of his tools

-- 
*******************************
    Scott Grandstaff
    Box 409 Happy Camp, Ca  96039
    scottg@s...
    http://www.snowcrest.net/kitty/sgrandstaff/
    http://www.snowcrest.net/kitty/hpages/index.html
265695 Kirk Eppler <eppler.kirk@g...> 2018‑04‑09 Re: flattening Black Hard Arkansas
On Mon, Apr 9, 2018 at 5:05 AM, John Ruth  wrote:

>
> Maybe coarsely flatten your stone on smooth concrete with water and then
> use the expensive diamond stones to put the finishing touches on it?
>

I have been using the gutter in front of the house to reshape a hatchet
head with a huge nick in it.  A few minutes every so often, and I have
greatly reduced the nick.  No where near flat, but as John says, coarsely.

-- 
Kirk Eppler in Half Moon Bay, CA, who sorta sorted out a bonanza of re
sharpened files from Boggs yesterday. They are no longer in boxes, but
securely wrapped up in drawers right now.
265696 Ed Minch <ruby1638@a...> 2018‑04‑09 Re: flattening Black Hard Arkansas
About 1995 we were cruising on our sailboat in the Exumas - below Nassau - and
stopped at the Bahamas National Land and Sea Park.  Amazing amazing  place with
200 pound grouper and big big crabs, and great reef snorkeling as everything is
less than about 12 feet deep.  The park office was out of commission for a
couple of years and they were putting it back together with volunteers.  There
was a blue 1960’s Stanley #4 that they were trying to use and it had a bit of
rust and would have been great for cutting that room temperature butter - the
room temperature was in the 90’s.

The whole area is limestone and they had limestone pathways.  I found a flat one
and sharped her up, then honed her on a local hardwood plank.  Worked OK for
construction.  The park office is in the row of pictures first down:

http://exumapark.org

Ed Minch
265697 Cliff <rohrabacher@e...> 2018‑04‑09 Re: flattening Black Hard Arkansas
Nuthin' brings da galoots out like a discussion about making a rock flatter

Don't ya love it?
265698 Don Schwartz <dks@t...> 2018‑04‑10 Re: flattening Black Hard Arkansas
On 2018-04-09 2:57 PM, scott grandstaff wrote:
>
> Pick a decently smooth patch of cement.
> Last time I did some stones, I chose my back porch step.
> There was a small part of it that the trowel man didn't get quite as 
> smooth. I'd like to fire that cement guy,............. but he lives 
> here....... hahahaha
>
>  So anyway, a two-fer. Smoother cement, flat stone at the same time.


Becep fo my cement is currently buried under cold white stuff!

Don

-- 
I have decided to leave my past behind. So, if I owe you money...I am sorry, but
I’ve moved on.

The harder they come, the bigger they fall." Ry Cooder
265699 Don Schwartz <dks@t...> 2018‑04‑10 Re: flattening Black Hard Arkansas
On 2018-04-09 4:51 PM, Cliff wrote:
> Nuthin' brings da galoots out like a discussion about making a rock 
> flatter
>
> Don't ya love it? 

Well, the 325X diamond is quicker than the coarse Norton Crystolon, but 
it's still bloody slow!

Don

-- 
I have decided to leave my past behind. So, if I owe you money...I am sorry, but
I’ve moved on.

The harder they come, the bigger they fall." Ry Cooder
265705 Don Schwartz <dks@t...> 2018‑04‑11 Re: flattening Black Hard Arkansas
On 2018-04-09 10:55 PM, Brent Beach wrote:
> Don
>
> Perhaps a bit of diamond on the crystolon to break up any glazing?
>
> Brent
>
> On 2018-04-09 18:19, Don Schwartz wrote:
>> On 2018-04-09 4:51 PM, Cliff wrote:
>>> Nuthin' brings da galoots out like a discussion about making a rock 
>>> flatter
>>>
>>> Don't ya love it? 
>>
>> Well, the 325X diamond is quicker than the coarse Norton Crystolon, 
>> but it's still bloody slow!
>>
>> Don
>>
>
Thanks Brent, I tried that, but it was still slow. A little faster 
maybe, but not quick enough. And I was reluctant to rub the BHA on the 
exposed foundation down the basement. So I let the thing sit until this 
afternoon, when I recalled having a couple of Eze-lap diamond paddles, 
which our daughter gave me some time ago - and for which I'd found 
little use - until now.

http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=70638&cat=1,43072,43077

I have the black (Coarse, 250X) and the green (Extra Coarse, 150X). I 
generally err on the fine side, so I put the 250X paddle to work on the 
high spots, and it cut the BHA just as nice - and quick - as can be, a 
lot quicker than the 325X ( which may be worn). The white dust that 
accumulated on the low spots and on the paddle was so fine, it reminded 
me of the floury silt that washes down from the mountains in glacier-fed 
streams. Finer than flour, so fine it gets into your pores. And as pure 
a white as you wouldn't believe coming off a black stone.  I kept a 
spray bottle of water handy, set to give a stream, and cleaned the 
paddle off with it as the dust accumulated, drying the paddle as best I 
could between sessions. As Kurt suggested, the high spots just spread 
out to the edges and disappeared there. And low spots which I hadn't 
noticed before accumulated enough of the white rock dust to make 
themselves visible. So there it is, a thoroughly satisfying discovery. 
The right combination of hardness and coarseness, and at an affordable 
price point! Now that the high spots are cut back, I'll finish and 
maintain the BHA on the Norton Crystalon. Those paddles are worth their 
weight in, um industrial diamonds?

Don

-- 
I have decided to leave my past behind. So, if I owe you money...I am sorry, but
I’ve moved on.

The harder they come, the bigger they fall." Ry Cooder

Recent Bios FAQ