[David D]

Hi: I have a question I have been wondering about for awhile. I have a sharpening stone I bought at the hardware store. Coarse on one side fine on the other. Should I use water or oil on the stone when sharpening? I have no idea what type of stone it is . It didn't come with directions. Does it matter what I use or can I use it dry? I have been using cutting fluid that I use on my drill press when boring metal. Is that goo? Sorry for the ignorance but I have never been able to get an answer on the oil/water issue. Thanks for the help

 

[IOAN]

Oil is better, but it also works with water, to clean the chips, not to be a loaded stone, to cut. The stone you have is for a sharp razor, it has two sides of different granulations.

 

[David D]

Oil is better, but it also works with water, to clean the chips, not to be a loaded stone, to cut. The stone you have is for a sharp razor, it has two sides of different granulations.

Thanks for the answer IOAN. Should I get something else for knives or should I keep on using it?

 

[urbanshooter]

One or the other... and once you use one, generally you should stick with it. Oil and water doesn't mix and it messes up the cutting properties of the stone when we mix for honing (though that can be fixed somewhat with a dressing stone). A splash here and there to rinse or wash is okay though.

There are pros and cons with using water or oil but they relate more to field use/availability and climate considerations... In a shop or home. It really doesn't matter. The role of water or oil is to provide a little lubrication while also carrying off any swarf on the surface. Using a stone dry will clog it up very quickly and marr performance (again, can be fixed with a dressing stone).

Silicone Carbide, Aluminium Oxide and Arkansas stones can be used with oil. Waterstones should only be used with water. There are synthetic waterstones and natural ones (which can be super expensive especially Japanese Naturals). Enthusiasts will pay the price for a JNat because they covet a certain feedback and edge refinement that can only be achieved with it.

You can also consider diamond plates but those can also be costly as you'd want to buy the ones with electroplated/embedded particles rather than cheap ones with glued on particles - those come off very quickly.

As for your knives, it all depends on the knives you are using and what level of edge you want to put on it. Good stones can cost more than a knife so it's up to you how you value your knives. And if we are serious about sharpening we typically need a small collection of stone grits to work through. Typically 400 or 600 to fix a really dull or damaged edge. 1000 to put on an edge and further grits to refine and polish. 3000 is a general good enough level of refinement for most uses. Most people get a combination 1000 with 3000 or 4000 stone and stop there. And that's good enough TBH.

If you want to go further - 4000 gets you a milky mirror finish, 6000 onwards takes you into a mirror shine... How far to go depends on the cutting characteristic you want. Most knives I take to 3000 for toothiness, a few (my Japanese knives) I take to 8000 for push-cut sharpness.

If you are not ready to build a stone collection, a simple way to get a great edge after any stone is to use a leather strop loaded with a compound. The strop will refine and polish the edge. If I feel lazy or rushed to get an edge I just strop after 1000 rather than take it through the stone grits. I strop all my wood working cutting tools. Stropping regularly also prolongs the interval between sharpening cycles. You can easily make your own strop with a piece of leather mounted on a piece of wood.

Enjoy... be warned though... it's a rabbithole!

 

[IOAN]

Oil is better, but it also works with water, to clean the chips, not to be a loaded stone, to cut. The stone you have is for a sharp razor, it has two sides of different granulations.

Thanks for the answer IOAN. Should I get something else for knives or should I keep on using it?

Uses

 

[THWACK!]

Oil is better, but it also works with water, to clean the chips, not to be a loaded stone, to cut. The stone you have is for a sharp razor, it has two sides of different granulations.

Thanks for the answer IOAN. Should I get something else for knives or should I keep on using it?

Hi: I have a question I have been wondering about for awhile. I have a sharpening stone I bought at the hardware store. Coarse on one side fine on the other. Should I use water or oil on the stone when sharpening? I have no idea what type of stone it is . It didn't come with directions. Does it matter what I use or can I use it dry? I have been using cutting fluid that I use on my drill press when boring metal. Is that goo? Sorry for the ignorance but I have never been able to get an answer on the oil/water issue. Thanks for the help

Whenever, if ever, you can afford it, get DMT diamond sharpening system - no oil or water needed.

In any case, once you get your edge sharp enough to easily slice through paper, don't re--sharpen the edge if you didn't damage it - just glide the knife edges over a flat surface (could be as simple as a piece of cardboard from a cereal box) which has rubbed into it polishing compound (green = chromium oxide + aluminum; white = aluminum oxide - take your choice). The process is called "Honing", and the surface upon which you will have rubbed the polishing compound is called a "Strop".

I take care not to damage my knife/axe/machete edges, so I use the polishing compound many times before I need to put an edge to any abrasive stone for re-sharpening.

Plenty of YouTube videos on the subject of "Honing" and "Strop-making".

There is nothing complicated about edge sharpening - just set the edge at the correct angle, apply the appropriate pressure as you draw the edge on the abrasive, and practice on poorer quality knives before the better knives.

THWACK!

 

[THWACK!]

One or the other... and once you use one, generally you should stick with it. Oil and water doesn't mix and it messes up the cutting properties of the stone when we mix for honing (though that can be fixed somewhat with a dressing stone). A splash here and there to rinse or wash is okay though.

There are pros and cons with using water or oil but they relate more to field use/availability and climate considerations... In a shop or home. It really doesn't matter. The role of water or oil is to provide a little lubrication while also carrying off any swarf on the surface. Using a stone dry will clog it up very quickly and marr performance (again, can be fixed with a dressing stone).

Silicone Carbide, Aluminium Oxide and Arkansas stones can be used with oil. Waterstones should only be used with water. There are synthetic waterstones and natural ones (which can be super expensive especially Japanese Naturals). Enthusiasts will pay the price for a JNat because they covet a certain feedback and edge refinement that can only be achieved with it.

You can also consider diamond plates but those can also be costly as you'd want to buy the ones with electroplated/embedded particles rather than cheap ones with glued on particles - those come off very quickly.

As for your knives, it all depends on the knives you are using and what level of edge you want to put on it. Good stones can cost more than a knife so it's up to you how you value your knives. And if we are serious about sharpening we typically need a small collection of stone grits to work through. Typically 400 or 600 to fix a really dull or damaged edge. 1000 to put on an edge and further grits to refine and polish. 3000 is a general good enough level of refinement for most uses. Most people get a combination 1000 with 3000 or 4000 stone and stop there. And that's good enough TBH.

If you want to go further - 4000 gets you a milky mirror finish, 6000 onwards takes you into a mirror shine... How far to go depends on the cutting characteristic you want. Most knives I take to 3000 for toothiness, a few (my Japanese knives) I take to 8000 for push-cut sharpness.

If you are not ready to build a stone collection, a simple way to get a great edge after any stone is to use a leather strop loaded with a compound. The strop will refine and polish the edge. If I feel lazy or rushed to get an edge I just strop after 1000 rather than take it through the stone grits. I strop all my wood working cutting tools. Stropping regularly also prolongs the interval between sharpening cycles. You can easily make your own strop with a piece of leather mounted on a piece of wood.

Enjoy... be warned though... it's a rabbithole!

Good info there, and there's just one more thing that the OP should consider: He can glue different grades of sandpaper to wooden paint stirrers and use THEM as the abrasive - really inexpensive and efficient compared to other means.

Reference: Everett Ellenwood, master carver and author of woodcarving books.

THWACK!

 

[David D]

One or the other... and once you use one, generally you should stick with it. Oil and water doesn't mix and it messes up the cutting properties of the stone when we mix for honing (though that can be fixed somewhat with a dressing stone). A splash here and there to rinse or wash is okay though.

There are pros and cons with using water or oil but they relate more to field use/availability and climate considerations... In a shop or home. It really doesn't matter. The role of water or oil is to provide a little lubrication while also carrying off any swarf on the surface. Using a stone dry will clog it up very quickly and marr performance (again, can be fixed with a dressing stone).

Silicone Carbide, Aluminium Oxide and Arkansas stones can be used with oil. Waterstones should only be used with water. There are synthetic waterstones and natural ones (which can be super expensive especially Japanese Naturals). Enthusiasts will pay the price for a JNat because they covet a certain feedback and edge refinement that can only be achieved with it.

You can also consider diamond plates but those can also be costly as you'd want to buy the ones with electroplated/embedded particles rather than cheap ones with glued on particles - those come off very quickly.

As for your knives, it all depends on the knives you are using and what level of edge you want to put on it. Good stones can cost more than a knife so it's up to you how you value your knives. And if we are serious about sharpening we typically need a small collection of stone grits to work through. Typically 400 or 600 to fix a really dull or damaged edge. 1000 to put on an edge and further grits to refine and polish. 3000 is a general good enough level of refinement for most uses. Most people get a combination 1000 with 3000 or 4000 stone and stop there. And that's good enough TBH.

If you want to go further - 4000 gets you a milky mirror finish, 6000 onwards takes you into a mirror shine... How far to go depends on the cutting characteristic you want. Most knives I take to 3000 for toothiness, a few (my Japanese knives) I take to 8000 for push-cut sharpness.

If you are not ready to build a stone collection, a simple way to get a great edge after any stone is to use a leather strop loaded with a compound. The strop will refine and polish the edge. If I feel lazy or rushed to get an edge I just strop after 1000 rather than take it through the stone grits. I strop all my wood working cutting tools. Stropping regularly also prolongs the interval between sharpening cycles. You can easily make your own strop with a piece of leather mounted on a piece of wood.

Enjoy... be warned though... it's a rabbithole!

Oil is better, but it also works with water, to clean the chips, not to be a loaded stone, to cut. The stone you have is for a sharp razor, it has two sides of different granulations.

Thanks for the answer IOAN. Should I get something else for knives or should I keep on using it?

Hi: I have a question I have been wondering about for awhile. I have a sharpening stone I bought at the hardware store. Coarse on one side fine on the other. Should I use water or oil on the stone when sharpening? I have no idea what type of stone it is . It didn't come with directions. Does it matter what I use or can I use it dry? I have been using cutting fluid that I use on my drill press when boring metal. Is that goo? Sorry for the ignorance but I have never been able to get an answer on the oil/water issue. Thanks for the help

Whenever, if ever, you can afford it, get DMT diamond sharpening system - no oil or water needed.

In any case, once you get your edge sharp enough to easily slice through paper, don't re--sharpen the edge if you didn't damage it - just glide the knife edges over a flat surface (could be as simple as a piece of cardboard from a cereal box) which has rubbed into it polishing compound (green = chromium oxide + aluminum; white = aluminum oxide - take your choice). The process is called "Honing", and the surface upon which you will have rubbed the polishing compound is called a "Strop".

I take care not to damage my knife/axe/machete edges, so I use the polishing compound many times before I need to put an edge to any abrasive stone for re-sharpening.

Plenty of YouTube videos on the subject of "Honing" and "Strop-making".

There is nothing complicated about edge sharpening - just set the edge at the correct angle, apply the appropriate pressure as you draw the edge on the abrasive, and practice on poorer quality knives before the better knives.

THWACK!

Thanks Thwack. Now that I know what to use on my stone I will check out some videos. I have a bunch of pocket knives and some kitchen knives that need work

 

[David D]

Thanks to Urbanshooter too for your advice. I got mixed up with the multi-quotes and quoted in the wrong place. I like the idea off the paint stir stick with sand paper. Suits my budget. Thanks again to all.

 

[THWACK!]

Re: The "glue-sandpaper- on-paint-stirrer tip" which I suggested to you (which I added to someone else's quote):

Get yourself some adhesive spray (I like "Elmer's Craft Bond") from an arts and crafts store, WalMart or Amazon, and use it to very easily glue sticks and sandpaper.

If you had some buck$, you could buy rolls of sandpaper which has an adhesive backing - I think they're known as "PDA" if my memory is correct (don't count on that!) - but they are expensive and the rolls will probably outlive your needs. Just thought I'd throw that in for your "edumumcation".

BE SAFE!!!!

THWACK!

 

[SLING-N-SHOT]

Re: The "glue-sandpaper- on-paint-stirrer tip" which I suggested to you (which I added to someone else's quote):

Get yourself some adhesive spray (I like "Elmer's Craft Bond") from an arts and crafts store, WalMart or Amazon, and use it to very easily glue sticks and sandpaper.

If you had some buck$, you could buy rolls of sandpaper which has an adhesive backing - I think they're known as "PDA" if my memory is correct (don't count on that!) - but they are expensive and the rolls will probably outlive your needs. Just thought I'd throw that in for your "edumumcation".

BE SAFE!!!!

THWACK!

PSA…..pressure sensitive adhesive


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Darrell Allen

** SlingLyfe Band Up **

 

[HOE]

Oil Stone is basically aluminum oxide stone. I prefer it over waterstones for non-japanese knives. Water stones need maintenance with every use, tedious. You have to flatten the uneven surface. Great for single bevel Japanese knives

Depends on different situations, I may use it dry for minor touchups. I just wet it with soap water, oil never works for me, messy and contaminates kitchen knives! Soap will also clean it up!