Arkansas stones

[HotFlash]

Well, I put in an order today for a set of Novaculite stones from Hall's - one soft, one hard, and one black Arkansas stone. While shopping on the [link:www.hallsproedge.com/index.html|Hall's site], I read through their instructions on use and care of the stones. They recommend that the stones be cleaned after each use with soapy water and put away dry, lest the metal particles dry on the surface and clog the pores of the stone. This seems to conflict with what I've seen in practice and read about.

So here's my question - what is the "right" way to use and maintain these stones? It looks like most commercial honing oils are primarily mineral oil, but are there differences between any of these compounds? Are there other oils that work as well or better? I seem to recall reading somewhere that the physical properties of kerosene make it the best cutting oil, but I don't remember why.

Does anybody have an answer?

Thanks,

Erin

"How wrong it is for a woman to expect the man to build the world she wants, rather than to create it herself."
- Anais Nin (1903-1977)

[Keystone]

Erin, I've been using mineral oil for a long time. I don't know if other oil(s) are better, but I am sure that the MO works just fine. I keep the two stones I have in a plastic container with MO in it.

[Sawduster]

Kerosene, like diesel, while being thinner than oils, does have an oil residue. The "lubricant" used on oil stones, as well as the water used on water stones, is to help carry the metal particles from the things being sharpened out of the pores (for lack of a better word) and off of the stones so they don't get clogged. Since sharpening is the use of friction and abrasives to increase the friction between the stone and the thing being sharpened, thicker oils, if used in excess, inhibit the friction between the two and can decrease the efficiency of the sharpening. Kerosene, being thinner, does not create as thick of a protective coating on the stone and therefore functions to float the metal particles out of the stone while not interfering with sharpening. If I remember Hall's recommendation, it was to clean the stones periodically with soap and water, or after a long sharpening session, and otherwise to just rub on some oil after use and to wipe the oil off of the surface before storing. A drop or so of oil on the stone at the beginning of the sharpening, but no too much as this would slow down the process by actually preventing the friction needed to remove metal.

When I was stationed in the desert in the military we used diesel rather than another solvent and the thick lube provided to clean and lightly oil our weapons. The diesel acted as an excellent solvent and left just enough oil on the metal to protect it from rust while not attracting a ton of dust.

[Dario]

Erin,

I have Arkansas Stone (fine and medium grit) and used them for final honing of my carving tools before. I tried sharpening oil and water but both was not satisfactory to me.

The best I've tried is dishwashing liquid and water. Of course you will have to oil the blade afterwards but your stone will always be clean and sharp!!! It even cleans the build up from previous use :D.

After trying this, I never used oil again.

I need to get new ones too (for the plane blades ;)) because mine dished on some areas from sharpening carving chisels/gouge.

Dario :)
Innovate or Stagnate
"I count my blessings more than my misfortunes"

[Sawduster]

You can flatten those with a diamond hone, or even against themselves, though I've heard that you need three seperate stone to work against each other to insure flatness.

[HotFlash]

Well, I guess there really isn't any wrong way when it comes to care and feeding of oil stones. I checked back on the Hall's website to read some more, what I found was pretty amusing.

You can use water as a lubricant for sharpening, but then you should clean your stone with oil after drying it. Or, you can use oil as a lubricant, but then rinse it with water when finished. You can even put your stones in the dishwasher. (Don't know if I want to go that far!)

I think I'll go with the mineral oil. That's what I've been using anyway. I'm not sure how much better the kerosene would be, but I'm just a bit reluctant to be playing around with flammable materials in the shop.

Thanks for the responses, it's always interesting to hear the various ways that people accomplish a task!

Erin

"How wrong it is for a woman to expect the man to build the world she wants, rather than to create it herself."
- Anais Nin (1903-1977)

[gunnut]

Another trick for flattening stones is to use a piece of plate glass as a flat, and automotive valve grinding compound as an abrasive. You could also use a 1x2x8 inch hunk of cold rolled steel as a flat. mill tollerance on crs is .002 for flatness and it could be surface ground for not a lot of money. In either case, the valve grinding compound ts spread on the flat, and the stone is rubbed against it until it is resurfaced.
Yes , either surface will show wear, but will last for several ''reworks" befor needing attention.

[Sawduster]

I think the big benefit of kerosine is that you could store your stones in it and not worry about oil overload.