Type of Oil for an Oil Stone

[Patrick Chase]

Patrick; have you read the following;http://consumables.alliedhightech.co...ing-s/1827.htm

No, I hadn't.

It contradicts most credible sources, as well as basic scientific principles. The assertion that polycrystalline "has no cleavage planes" is absurd on its face, as the word literally translates to "multiple crystals". Given that the bonds can't possibly be harder than diamond, the boundaries between those crystals are most certainly weak planes along which the particle can and does cleave. For that matter it contradicts itself, because in one sentence it claims that polycrystalline diamonds "cannot splinter", but in another claims that "as [polycrystalline diamond] cuts it breaks down in its original shape, allowing for finer finishes", which sounds suspiciously like splintering (because it is). I take the words "finer finishes" in particular as acknowledging that as the particles break down the effective grit increases, which was my main point.

With that said there is truth to the bit about it initially cutting faster due to having more edges. The problem is that if you're grinding hard steels then that "initial" phase won't last very long, and you're better off with single diamond crystals instead of bonded clumps. There are applications for which poly diamonds are a good fit, but I don't think woodworking tools are one of them.

[Kees Heiden]

Stanley is right - pressure matters a lot. Adding pressure beyond a certain point doesn't speed up cutting much, but it certainly speeds up dishing.

Workflow/setup is also a big deal. While this may trigger snickers, the Veritas pond and a couple or Norton IM83s proved to be useful investments for me. I do a fair bit of my honing in a "dry" carpeted home office these days and the mess is a nonissue. I just replace the water in the pond/cases every so often and that's about it.



This is another big hint that you're using grossly excessive pressure. I sharpen gouges/skews/etc and haven't gouged a waterstone in years. For a long time [*] my concave and slip waterstones were the ubiquitous Matsunagas (aka King), which are notoriously soft in the higher grits, and I didn't gouge those.

One related thought: The fact that waterstones continuously expose fresh/sharp grit means that they don't need as much pressure to cut as a well-used oilstone, all else being equal. It sounds to me as though oilstones work well for you at least in part because your sharpening technique is optimized for oilstones.
[*] I finally cut up and shaped a nearly-used-up set of Besters and a Sigma "hard" 1K to replace the Matsunagas. Slips are one place where "dishing" can be an epic pain because you eventually have to reshape instead of just flattening, and harder stones are preferable. I also have Ark slips for that reason.

Too much pressure is certainly a possibility. I usually move at a fairly brisk pace when sharpening, it's very well possible that includes more pressure then absolutely neccessary. I did have the problem only on my finishing stone though, a Naniwa ss 8000. That is a very soft stone and easilly gouged. It was not really a problem on a 1000 Sigma or a 4000 Bester.

The oilstones are completely resistant against all that and they suit me perfectly these days.

[Brian Deakin]

I am a pharmacist in the Uk I suggest you ask your pharmacist to explain the what is the difference between mineral oils available in the USA

[Glen Canaday]

Please see link below Norton SHARPENING STONE OIL

http://msdsreport.com/msds/BZZTP

Ingredients

MINERAL OIL, WHITE; (WHITE MINERAL OIL)CAS: 64742-18-3RTECS: PY8032000OSHA PEL300 PPMACGIH TLV: 300 PPM

I'll just say that I find this hilarious. The reason why I went to mineral oil in the first place was the difference in cost between that and the commercial stone oils. Turns out I unwittingly did a smart thing. I won't count on doing it ever again, but I can cross it off my bucket list!

As to the crystolon stone mentioned before, I use it for exactly the same thing..flattening, pretty much exclusively. To be honest, I hate the thing even though it works well. The grit gets everywhere. I will think about changing off of mineral oil for it after reading a few of the previous posts. One question, though...what should I do to switch to another fluid? Buying another stone is not an option. I have *stuff* coming in the mail soon and I think it will eat through any karma I may be earning by working overtime.