Water Or Oil With A Whetstone?

[DoubleC]

I finally got two whetstones to hone some of these tools I have. I was watching videos on Youtube about sharpening them, and finally came across CS Osborne's Leather Tools Sharpening. All the others showed things like knives and chisels being sharpened by putting water on the stones. But not CS, oh no, that video showed him using mineral oil. I don't HAVE any mineral oil of course Can I use water on the stone for my strap end punch and oblong punch?

[Chief31794]

Most stones use honing oil (mineral oil), diamond stones use lightly soapy water, and there are some water stones I have seen but if you purchased "Whet Stones" they should be coated with mineral oil.

Chief

[DoubleC]

You know Chief? I think I knew the answer to this before I posted it:) I'm not sure it's truly a whetstone which makes it even worse. It's a sharpening stone set made of silicon carbide. Is it even a whetstone set? I just know it has a coarse and fine piece in the set. Thanks for your help because I'm not going to waste my time and the set just because I don't have mineral oil. I'll get some. Cheryl

[Northmount]

I have seen people use either oil or water on carborundum stones. Most use oil. Which ever you use, don't swap back and forth between oil and water.

Waterstones are a soft stone (usually) and use only water. They need to be soaked first before being used. They also need to be flattened periodically.

Carborundum can be used dry. But you will get a smoother more polished surface on your blade with oil. Sort of makes a thin grinding compound.

Tom

[electrathon]

Oil is about the best way there is to plug up a good stone. Virtually every stone I see that someone oils is loaded/plugged up so bad that they are way finer than they are supposed to be. If you really want to use oil I would recomend transmission fluid. It has enough detergent to keep the ston from plugging.

A far better recomendation is to use a detergent. I always use simple green. Works great, does not make a mess. Smells good.

[katsass]

FWIW from the grump; I only use WET (carborundum) stones for my tools. I do have an assortment of hard stones for gunsmithing that use only oil. I do have a set of Lansky's that are used dry, but come with oil for cleaning the stones. So - it kind of depends on the stone IMO. Mike

P.S. For old oil impregnated stones, hot water, a good liquid dish soap, and a stiff brush, cleans them up pretty damned well. Takes a bit of work though - - and a thorough drying.

Edited October 12, 2012 by katsass

[Glendon]

I remmember using my grandfathers arkansas stones to sharpen chisels when I was a younger. Personally I consider oil stones too messy to be worth the trouble. I use the Naniwa brand Japanese waterstones. Their combination set is pretty cheap. You do have to keep them soaking in water to be usable on short notice, but I prefer that to cleaning up the oil aftter a sharpening seassion. I would absolutely love a set of Shapton ceramic waterstones, but those things are insanely expensive, and really only practical if you make a living full time off your tools.

[RuneMaster]

(My first post here )

The point of lubricating a whetstone is twofold - to carry away the metal particles taken off the blade, and to ensure to process does not generate too much heat from friction, which could de-temper the edge.

Honing oil is the best, but any light oil (even sunflower oil) will do, if you want an oil-based stone, OR water, but never mix after the first use.

I like Arkansas stones for fine finishing, and use water for the best cut.

[DoubleC]

Are my silicon carbide and carborundum the same thing? And Mike I always thought they were 'whet' (like sharpening your appetite) but of course 'wet' makes as much sense. Since I'm trying to figure out what to wet them with. Things didn't come with any instructions. Going to see if I can google carborundum and find out if mine are the same.

OK that was easy. Same thing. Can use water or oil I guess from the responses here. Thanks folks, Cheryl

[Tree Reaper]

Have a look at this link Cheryl.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharpening_stone

[RoosterShooter]

http://www.danswhetstone.com/

He makes the absolute BEST Arkansas Whetstones in the business. There are actually several large companies that remarket his products. His brand of honing oil will clean your stones while they are being used, and never 'load up'!

I have used both water and oil on different types of stones for the past 20 years! To make it even more confusing ... there is a 'Best Way' to sharpen any tool, and they aren't always the same!

For instance, on all of my woodworking tools, axes, and Ulu blades, for either hide prep or kitchen use, I use my Jet Wet Sharpener. If I'm sharpening a kitchen cutting utensil or my pocket knives I use an Arkansas Whetstone with oil. I start with a Hard Fine and end with a Translucent (Ultra Fine). This results in a blade that will slice a ripe tomato with very little effort.

Hope that helps.

Edit: I forgot to mention that he will also do custom cuts! He has several 'Stone Files' that I use for various gunsmithing projects listed in his 'Stone Files' section. Norton actually buys his 'inferior' or 'factory second' stones and remarkets them as their own! He will also do custom cuts to your specs. He owns and operates on top of one of the last Novaculite quarries in the US.

Arkansas stones aren't cheap, but it's like everything else. You get what you pay for. With a carborundum or Aluminum stone you get a cheap stone that the masses use to sharpen tools, but with Arkansas stones you get an heirloom quality stone that will outlast you if it is treated properly.

Edited October 13, 2012 by RoosterShooter

[DoubleC]

Have a look at this link Cheryl.

http://en.wikipedia....harpening_stone

I read the information Kevin, I'm learning more about whetstones than I thought I would ever know :-) That article says I can use water, oil, or nothing. Which is about what's been said here. I have a man made carborundum stone. So I guess it will be water since I happen to actually live in a house with plumbing but no mineral oil. Thanks Kev. Cheryl

[lwm803]

I don't know what is "right" or "wrong" but I have been using whet stones for over 50 years. As a honing fluid I have used spit, burnt motor oil, machine oil, honing oil whatever is handy. In spite of the fact that I may not have ever used an "acceptable" honing fluid I have always managed to have a shaving sharp blade on my pocket knives. There is no need to over think it, if the stone loads up a bit of dish washing detergent will clean it just fine, and the type of stone or fluid used has much less to do with the outcome than the experience and skill of the operator. Honing guides such as the Lansky system, etc. are tailor made for those who do not care to develop those skills, just as a digital camera comes to the rescue of those of us who are totally useless with a canvas, brush and paint...

[DoubleC]

http://www.danswhetstone.com/

He makes the absolute BEST Arkansas Whetstones in the business. There are actually several large companies that remarket his products. His brand of honing oil will clean your stones while they are being used, and never 'load up'!

I have used both water and oil on different types of stones for the past 20 years! To make it even more confusing ... there is a 'Best Way' to sharpen any tool, and they aren't always the same!

For instance, on all of my woodworking tools, axes, and Ulu blades, for either hide prep or kitchen use, I use my Jet Wet Sharpener. If I'm sharpening a kitchen cutting utensil or my pocket knives I use an Arkansas Whetstone with oil. I start with a Hard Fine and end with a Translucent (Ultra Fine). This results in a blade that will slice a ripe tomato with very little effort.

Hope that helps.

Edit: I forgot to mention that he will also do custom cuts! He has several 'Stone Files' that I use for various gunsmithing projects listed in his 'Stone Files' section. Norton actually buys his 'inferior' or 'factory second' stones and remarkets them as their own! He will also do custom cuts to your specs. He owns and operates on top of one of the last Novaculite quarries in the US.

Arkansas stones aren't cheap, but it's like everything else. You get what you pay for. With a carborundum or Aluminum stone you get a cheap stone that the masses use to sharpen tools, but with Arkansas stones you get an heirloom quality stone that will outlast you if it is treated properly.

At this point my man made whetstone will probably outlast me Rooster. I'd rather have a few heirloom quality tools before I have a stone but I did read about the superiority of using natural stones. But I just bought a man made set so I'm going to give it a try. thanks for the info though. Cheryl

[DoubleC]

Thanks LWM, I'll admit I have no experience using these at all. I'd like to learn how though because I honestly like learning new things. I just hope I don't destroy all my tools learning! Cheryl

[RoosterShooter]

At this point my man made whetstone will probably outlast me Rooster. I'd rather have a few heirloom quality tools before I have a stone but I did read about the superiority of using natural stones. But I just bought a man made set so I'm going to give it a try. thanks for the info though. Cheryl

Sorry, I didn't notice that. It was before my first morning coffee.

At any rate ... you want to use some sort of honing oil. If not, the stone will 'load up' with material. Better explained, you will get all of the pores clogged with metal debris, and it will inhibit the stones ability to sharpen.

However, even with oil you will need to 'clean' your stone from time to time. The easiest way to do this on carb (man made) stones is to use soap, warm water, and a good stiff kitchen scrub brush. I've found the green or dark blue scrub brushes work best. The white bristles are only good for lightly cleaning kitchenware.

When you clean the stone ... work the soap and water in a circular motion while running under warm tap water. This helps dislodge most of the debris. After you are finished let the stone air dry, and reapply oil. Always keep a stone oiled or it will both deteriorate the life of the stone and lose it's sharpening ability.

In using the oil you are, in essence, creating a tiny barrier so that the material being removed will wick away from the stone instead of settle into the pores. You want a good synthetic oil like 'Dan's Honing Oil'. You can find it here .... http://www.sharpenin...Oil-P289C2.aspx or at Dan's Whetstones.

The only reason I preach Dan's products is because they are the best I've found. I am in no way affiliated with his company, but am a long time, and very satisfied customer.

Hope that helps.

Edited October 13, 2012 by RoosterShooter

[DoubleC]

Yes it does, it helps a lot. Thanks Rooster. Cheryl

[lwm803]

When I was 6 or 7 years old my grandfather gave me a pocket knife and a small whet stone (which he called an "oil stone") for my birthday. When my next birthday came around he presented me with a box of band aids. I reckon my sharpening skills had advanced more quickly than my knife handling skills....LOL In showing me how to sharpen my knife he walked over to the tractor removed the oil dipstick from the engine, dripped a bit of the oil on the hinge pin of the pocket knife, and wiped the rest of the oil off of the dipstick onto his finger then smeared it on that brand spanking new stone. Until I joined the Air Force and left home I used oil from the tractor's dipstick when sharpening my knife. Had to find an alternative after that as the USAF did not keep many tractors around in the 60's. I'm not recommending anything here, just passing on a fond memory which this thread brought to mind.

[DoubleC]

Up until the year my uncle died, he came around to all the family once a year with his whetstone and sharpened everyone's knives. This has brought back some fond memories for me to LWM. Thanks for reminding me of that. Cheryl

[Tree Reaper]

I have a man made carborundum stone.

Contact Carborundum

Inquiries about Carborundum Products

We look forward to servicing your abrasives needs. The email address for our Internet Sales and Marketing Representative is ContactCarbo@saint-gobain.com. If you find it more convenient to telephone, Customer Service can be reached at 1-800-231-4154 from 8:00am - 4:30pm Eastern Standard Time. We will respond as quickly as possible.

If you have a specific technical question, please be prepared to provide your abrasives application, the tool or machine you will be using and the material you will be working on so that he can forward this information to a local salesperson, who will then be better prepared to quickly respond to your needs.

Edited October 13, 2012 by Tree Reaper

[DoubleC]

Thanks Kevin. I'll email them although I'm not sure I can explain any of that. One is rough one is fine, LOL. No instructions came with them, they just came in a plastic package and on the top right corner it says finest quality silicon carbide. Perfect for general sharpening of hand tools and cutlery. It doesn't have a grit or any kind of instructions with them. Maybe I should call Kevin at SLC or any of those folks and ask them what to do with the daggone things. It's made by Sterling. I'm not sure another company would look so forward to servicing my abrasive needs if it's not their stones. But I'll try SLC and this company both on Monday.

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

Use whatever you have on hand to lubricate the stone. The main purpose to to keep the stone from plugging up. With a Carborundum stone a thick oil will probably work best, as they are pretty porous. My friend leaves his stones in a tray full of lamp oil. I use cutting oil from the machines on my stones at work (I am a tool maker). When I get done with the stone I wipe it off to get most of the particles off of it. When I am using one on the lathe I keep the stone flushed with oil. As I see it getting too dark, or loading up I scrub it down in one of the solvent tanks. You are grinding off small metal particles with a porous surface, so you need something to keep the particles in suspension instead of just getting pushed into the stone. Vegetable oil, olive oil, liquid soap, spit, ,,, pretty much any liquid will work.

Edited October 13, 2012 by BIGGUNDOCTOR

[DoubleC]

Thanks Big, I think I'm starting to get the idea here of what you need the liquid for and that it needs to stay in the same 'family.' Either use oils all the time or use water based liquid. actually from reading this I'm not sure even that's what's been said, that as long as you keep it clean you can pretty much use anything. Cheryl

[Art]

Hi Cheryl,

There's Mineral Oil at the Drug Store, Transmission or Hydraulic Fluid at Auto Zone, NAPA, etc., Soapy Water in the kitchen; they all work. Oil your tools after using water. This skill is not a hard one to learn, and there are a few videos out there. In a short time you become very good at it.

Art

[DoubleC]

I saw a CS Osborne video where he used a whetstone to sharpen an oblong punch and strap end punch which is what I'm going to sharpen. I'm also going to try to sharpen the two punches I use from my set that I use for the end holes. I just walked in from the drugstore and never thought about looking for oil. I'm on my was back to get some to oil the tools after. Thanks Art. Cheryl