What oil/non lube should I use on whetstone

R

RKH

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Oct 29, 2005
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I was trying to figure what fluid works best on a Norton medium crystolon/fine India stone. I had read one knifemaker recommended Kerosene and someone else has mentioned mineral oil and another WD40. I read on the forums about using Windex. I also heard dish washing soap diluted with water on diamond stones. Any preference on brand on diamond stones? At times I will finish with Spyderco sharpmaker and some light stropping on my leather strop. Any help is appreciated.
RKH
 
I only use diamonds for like serious reprofiling because they tend to bring on a quick burr. I do like the really extra fine ones and on some steels I'll use the 225 grit DMT but I use each and everyone of them dry.

I've never once used a liguid on any diamond pads. However, of the ones you mentioned I'd use mineral oil particularly if you use your folder for any food prep like slicing apples or stuff like that.

STR
 
On the DMT stones what grit or coarseness for shaping and reprofiling and what to finish on. and what to maintain the edge for a quick touch up? I have a extra fine EZ Lap but that is it on diamond stones. I am ignorant when it comes to diamond stones.
RKH
 
BreakFree works well on lifting gunk off my DMT hones. Usually I just wipe them off with a soft cloth, but once in a while they need a more thorough cleaning. That seems to restore the hones. (I use the DMT hones dry, as recommended.)
 
DMT seems to last a little longer but for what its worth my most frequently used one is an EZELapp. I have a med/fine one that has been used so much over the years that its basically a fine/super fine now and its seen a lot of use on all of my knives over many years.

There are many like commercial fisherman that use the 225 grit DMT and only that for cutting up their fish and I have found that it will make short work of D2 but I like the 300 series grit finish fine for that because D2 does seem to do better with a more aggressive saw tooth edge vs finer.

About the only time we ever made frequent use of diamonds Ron was at the deer camp when anything else was just too inconvenient and time consuming. At home I prefer the Edge Pro followed up by a few swipes with the Sharpmaker rod. For that blade you have from me I like the edge I get with the Medium rods for the Sharpmaker if its my carry knife but for the carving knives for wood I have them polished up pretty high from using the Edge Pro to take it down with the milar strips to finish them and then stropping from then on. These are lethal push cutters but they don't really slice anything but wood that well.

Generally I would recommend using whatever you are most comfortable with and paying attention to when you get a burr on the apex of the cutting edge. Once you have a burr any further sharpening is just oversharpening it at that point. So I'd stop then, and then move to a ceramic rod either from the Sharpmaker white or the Edge Pro 1200 grit one and see if you can knock that burr off. Then using something like 220 grit Edge Pro water stone, or maybe one of the Razor Edge Dry hones I'd continue to make the edge a bit finer and finish it up again on the ceramic. This works for me for most steels. Every now and again I'll get one with a very stubborn burr but if you can knock off the burr to a large extent with the ceramic rod the rest seems to get removed from simply using it if there is any minor parts of it left. I've found on those really stubborn burr blades that its best to just take it off best you can and if you can't remove it all just use it for a while. Later check it and if it seems gone you can then go back to a ceramic and bring the edge back up and each time it seems that the burr shows its ugly face less and less until the next reprofile of the bevel.

At other times I've actually used the blade after the ceramic swipes and cut straight down into a bar of polish compound or one of those rust erasers that are fairly course and that has taken some or all of the burr and knocked it down as well when I'd saw it back and forth on the top not letting the blade sink deeper than the edge bevel. This way they don't scratch up or remove a black finish or marr it all up on the blade. This gentle sawing motion on that little rust eraser Smokey Mountain Knifeworks or A.G. Russel sells is a good burr remover or at least it has been for me. You just have to realize it can and will put scratches on the blade finish if it sinks too deep.

STR
 
Thanks STR for the information. As usual you have the definitive answer. And thanks Aberta Edge for your suggestions. The more comments from everyone the more I learn.
RKH
 
STR, speakin of lubes, ever try a product called Ballistol?? Seems to be priced bout the same as breakfree, but non carcinogenic. I'm thinking of tryin it for pistols also.
 
Oh, with EZE laps, I can't seem to find em in coarser grits. The coarsest I find is the medium stone. Do they make em?
 
Well they used to. And no I have not heard of that product you mentioned.

I have one older 150 grit course EZELapp but maybe they discontinued them.

If so I was not aware of it.

Nope I found it. Here ya go. http://www.ezelap.com/honestone.htm

STR
 
With a diamond hone I want to get rid of the honing debris quickly. Some of that debris is dislodged diamonds and I figure that gives you a rougher edge finish and can also speed up the breakdown of the hone. Mostly I use diamond hones dry and wipe them off with a terry cloth rag frequently. Sometimes I hone over the kitchen sink and run tap water over the hone as I work. That immediately removes the swarf as it is generated. I particularly like to do that with my extra-fine hone. I can do this since I am using a 12-inch hone and can hold the hone in one hand without it getting in the way of the knife. Normally you should NOT use a diamond hone wet since it will maximize swarf accumulation on the surface.

For ordinary whetstones I often do the same trick of honing under running water. I hate working with oil and often use water or some other fluid on the hone. One thing I like is rubbing alcohol. As long as your knife handle can take some alcohol exposure this is clean and gives some of the feel of an extremely light oil. You might want to wear rubber gloves if you try this.

I don't use ordinary whetstones much any more. In their place I tend to use waterstones. These are designed to break down slightly as you hone to constantly expose fresh grit. Oil stones do this as well, but not as fast. The waterstones work the best if you don't hone at a high angle edge-forwards. This tends to gouge into the hone surface. I mostly do my final microbevel on ceramic hones.
 
RKH, on your Norton whetstone (like the ones I used for decades) any light oil should work just fine. WD-40, kerosene, mineral spirits, 3-in-1 oil, gun oil, etc. will all be OK for that use. Now I use a DMT diamond "stone" instead of a Norton, and all I use on it is plain water, after which I wipe it off with a paper towel. I'll wash it with a drop or two of dish detergent if and when it needs it. I really like these DMT sharpeners.
 
Thanks, gentlemen for all your responses. I am thinking about Diamond stones and try them. Chugokujin, I have used Ballistol and it is an excellent lube and rust preventive and yes, it is non-carcinogenic and it works good on handles as well and emulsifies with water instead of separating.
RKH
 
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