Stone identification / Arkansas (Hard, Surgical Black)

I think the name "Surgical Black" originated with a single manufacturer to distinguish it between their "Black Arkansas" stone that was originally known as the "Dunstan Black" which is not a novaculite.
 
Mr.Wizard said:
David Martin David Martin Best Sharpening Stones testing showed Translucent as finer than Black. I know Dan's lists it the other way, but since Best provided their results I used that for my chart. Do you know of other test data for these?
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Best sells a Black and a Surgical Black. So which one is it that they are listing as coarser than the translucent and is their Black the old Dunstan?
I think that is exactly it but I'm not buying their cheap black to find out.
 
Eli Chaps said:
I think the quality of surface finish is often overlooked with these stones.
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That and how level the stones come. Hall had issues with their stones not being level, IIRC. They got better for the couple years before they closed shop.
But yeah, especially when explaining to people new to novaculite, it's not mentioned much how that affects the final product.

For current new stones, I'd rather have Case's soft Arkansas over Dan's or consider refinishing the Dan's stone myself. Not really the way I want to spend my afternoon the way my wrists have been feeling.
I think Dan has the best finish for fine stones and they've always been flat.
 
garry3 said:
Best sells a Black and a Surgical Black. So which one is it that they are listing as coarser than the translucent and is their Black the old Dunstan?
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Well, as far as I know, not every company uses the term "Surgical Black". Dan's rather speak of Hard and True Hard.
As you grade them as "Soft, Hard, Hard Black, Surgical Black and Translucent", a Translucent should be the finest Arkansas. That means - theoretically - a Black and a Surgical Black both should be coarser.
But we have learned so far, that with Arkansas stones nothing is for sure.
 
I guess by the time I started doing business with them, they'd entered the final years. I'd never heard of the "Dunstan Black" until now. :(
 
Eli Chaps said:
I guess by the time I started doing business with them, they'd entered the final years. I'd never heard of the "Dunstan Black" until now. :(
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Good stones are good stones. I'm not that big on who manufactured them but it just helps to be informed about what you are actually getting.
 
Woodcraft used the term 'surgical black Arkansas' on some of their Arkansas stones. And the color and refinement looks a lot like the one in garry3's photo, I got
from them when I ordered. I had to resurface it and it was a hard stone. Once I did that the stone was better. Still, the color was more grey. DM
 
20200224_224903.jpg I have a best surgical black. It is black with slight blue tent and always has a light grey dust on it. I only use it on a couple whittling knives more like a strop with edge trailing passes with water as my lubricant. Just a few passes any the.edge turns slightly shiney.
 
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Tjs, your Arkansas looks to be a better stone (by color) than these we are finding that are solid grey. DM
 
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Sounds right. The surface should be smooth and not porous, oil pools not soaking in. They could almost pass for obsidian if you are familiar with that stone, volcanic glass.
 
Tjstampa said:
I have a best surgical black. It is black with slight blue tent and always has a light grey dust on it. I only use it on a couple whittling knives more like a strop with edge trailing passes with water as my lubricant. Just a few passes any the.edge turns slightly shiney.
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That's what I am talking about. When I ordered a Surgical Black that is how I thought they have to look.
 
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