Re: Honing Oil?

Ruth wrote: (clip) I truly thought oil was oil but have been enlightened. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Ruth, oil IS oil, but not all oils are created equal. Honing oil does two things on the surface of the stone: 1.) It floats the debris out of the intersteces, so the stone does not glaze over--it continues to cut. 2.) The higher the viscosity of the oil, the more it slows down the cutting action of the stone. So, if you want to speed up the cutting action, you need to use a thin oil (like the 3-in-1 you are using.) If you want to keep the pores of the stone flushed out, you need to used a fairly thin oil (like the 3-in-1 you are using.) If you are trying to keep from removing too much metal from the edge, at the cost of slower sharening action, a thicker oil will do it.

If these things were not true, I wouldn't say them. :-)

Yes Ruth it must be "Official Honing Oil" from the Official Honing Oil" company of Honing Arkansas. But only if you are using a Official Arkansas hard stone.

As the others have said use a thin oil. In the shop i use 3 in 1 or kerosine. In the Kitchen I use Canola Oil. I have never liked the taste of kerosine. If you are using a man made stone use a thicker oil.

Buy a can of Honing oil and keep it on hand to make your cabinet maker happy.

Henry

I don't know how inportant "honing oil" is, but in the Del Stubbs turning video he uses water with a little dish soap mixed in. The question I have is if you are useing a slip stone in your hand not a stone on the bench, dosn't the light weight oit run off the stone when you tilt it to meet the bevel on the stone you are useing???

Bruce asked: "...if you are useing a slip stone in your hand not a stone on the bench, dosn't the light weight oit run off the stone when you tilt it to meet the bevel on the stone you are useing???"

I only use a few drops and the tool spreads it before it has a chance to drip off the stone.

Ruth

Woodturners Logo My shop and Turnings at

Here's another application for LDD, Ruth. As well as sharpening and turning greed and dry wood, it will keep your hands smooth and young looking, help soften the nails for manicuring. Just ask Madge. She said it and I believe it! *G*

Leif

Leif added: "...help soften the nails for manicuring. "

Leif, Sounds good but I do my nails on the belt sander; when holding a small piece of wood I can do all 5 fingernails at once! : O ; )

Ruth

Woodturners Logo My shop and Turnings at

But they can crack your nails when they are dry and hard! Also, mine tend to get slanted using that technique. Try soaking them in a bit of LDD before you use the beltsander. Madge would agree and I believe her!*G*

Leif

Ruth,

As all and sundry have said, you can use pretty much any oil (I've used vegetable oil, mineral oil, baby oil and plain water) but you can't have too much of it on the stone. You'll want to use a little more than a few drops, since the purpose of the oil is not really to lubricate (exactly what you *don't* need, actually) but to float away the metal filings. It's okay to have a bit flowing down the side of the stone, and in fact, you can purchase an oil bath to use with your sharpening stones, for this very reason.

-- Chuck *#:^) chaz3913(AT)yahoo(DOT)com Anti-spam sig: please remove "NO SPAM" from e-mail address to reply. <

September 11, 2001 - Never Forget

Hmm, I wonder what it does to his hands and nails. But maybe it is Palmolive, so he can relax. :)

Regards Dave Kassover Troy, NY