What oil to use on an oilstone

[ClintO]

My father has given me his oilstone so I can finally sharpen my chisels.
What sort of oil should I be using as a lubricant and does it need to be cleaned, if so, how?

I have done a search and realise that there are many different sharpening methods many of which are probably better, but for the time being I am going to use the oilstone until my technique gets better.

[Iain]

Good question, one I have never really thought about, I just use light machine oil (3 in 1 etc) but now I will find out if am wrong.
Never thought about cleaning either as most of the stone residue seems to wind up on the blade and is removed with a wipe when finished.

[ubeaut]

Neatsfoot oil - also sold as honing oil at about 20 - 30 times the right price. Buy it from horse land or any good pet shop. The best neatsfoot should look amber in colour and should not be cloudy.

There is no better oil for your oilstones.

Warning: If you leave it in an open tin with your slip stones in (as I used to do) expect to find the odd mouse or two dead in it at some time. They love eating the stuff and will often drown in it when trying to get a feed. Cover your tin.

Cheers - Neil

[Mick C.]

Hi all,
The tag on my Oil Stone holder says to use thin oil for sharpening then to wash with Kerosene when becomes clogged!
Have just been trying to find a grade for it so can get another stone, oil or water??? for a keener edge, lots of info out there to wade through, so much to learn!!!

[derekcohen]

Clint

I use waterstones myself, but have been told that kero is used with oil stones.

What grit is the stone? Generally one is not enough to sharpen blades (planes and chisels). You need a graduation from 1000 to around 6000 grit.

Don't forget to flatten the stones first. An old diamond stone works well in this regard.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[sinjin]

I have also changed over to waterstones.
But as for your oil stones. Use the thinest oil like sewing maching is oil which you can buy from your local Super market but to me i would use kero. Keeps the stone clean more easily.
Oil even thin oil tends to clog the stone and so you need to make sure it is dead flat and clean before you use it. And to clean it you use kero also.
To flaten off your stone incase its not use a coarse grit wet and dry paper with plenty of kero to keep the surface well wetted.
Find something nice and flat like a sheet of glass and just go for it till its flat.
For water stones you have to flatten them off quite often depending on the grit of your stones. Oil stones tend to stay flat for quite awhile. But don't be frightened to keep your stones nice and clean and dead flat.

[sinjin]

Just something to think about. I love using waterstones as they are fast and not as messey as oil stones which means you use water as the wetting agent. But it is a curious idea that you put oil in your car engine to reduce friction hence reduce wear.
So to try and sharpen something by wearing away at the surface you use oil???
I have never quite understood this so when i did have Oil stones i only ever used kero. But there are stacks of people successfully using oil and very happy.

[derekcohen]

I have never quite understood this so to try and sharpen something by wearing away at the surface you use oil???

Sinjin

The use of water, oil, kero, etc all have the sole purpose of carrying away the swarf (filings) so that the stone does not get clogged. They are not designed as lubricants, per se.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[outback]

As has already been noted, the use of oil on oulstones is used to keep it"clean", however as also pointed out they do in fact act as a lubricant. By using Kero much of this problem is avoided.
I have always used and thought you only ever use neatsfoot oil as suggested by Neil. This is not a mineral or synthetic oil but made from the foots of neats, (cattle actually).

[journeyman Mick]

Just a bit of trivia: "neat" is an old English (Saxon?) word for cattle. And yes, it's made from cow hoofs. I've always used it for sharpening as that's what my old high school WW teacher (joiner by trade) taught us.


Mick

[pmcgee]

Neatsfoot oil - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neatsfoot_oil)

"Sperm Oil" is the thing apparently :)

"Our Workshop
The Art of Carpentry and Joinery
George Routledge and Sons, 1866" (http://www.evenfallstudios.com/woodworks_library/our_workshop.pdf)​

245584

[seanz]

Sperm oil was used to quench plane irons. I was wondering why a very old Mathieson wooden jointer plane I have has very little corrosion on the iron. Apparently sperm oil is the reason.

As for oil for oilstones, I use a mix of kerosene and light mineral oil.........the light mineral oil is available for a very reasonable price from supermarkets. ;)

[fineboxes]

Kerosene, has worked for me over the past 30 years, still have the original stone but used heaps of kero.

Cheers

Steve

[orraloon]

A bit of an old thread this one but there is a lot of usless hooha put about when it comes to the right oil to use on a sharpening stone. It does not need to be squeesed from organic fed whales then danced counterclockwise around standing stone circles under a full moon. Any oil if it is the desired viscosity will do. If too thick then thin with some kerro.
I use what I can get my hands on. My favourite is singer sewing machine oil as it is right to go out of the bottle. (been working through some old discoloured stuff) I have even used cooking oil and when nothing else was to hand WD40 sprayed righ on the stone. It all works. As for cleaning stones soak them in kerro for a while then wipe off. I have heard of boiling them in water and washing soda if really bad but I have not tried it so cant say for sure it is safe. I have never had one so bad that kerro did not work and that is safe.
Regards
John

[seanz]

I've cleaned stones by soaking them in hot water. They seemed to have sump oil used on them and there was no 'grit' left to the stone. The heat and the water (there might have been some dishwashing detergent as well) cause the oil to separate. Makes a mess of the kitchen sink. Best wait till you're home alone.......

[jimbur]

I like John's approach. However, don't use linseed. As I found out many years ago it clogs and your Dad gives you a thick ear.

[orraloon]

Perhaps a go in the dishwasher. :wink: Just dont get sprung.
Regards
John

[Russell Cook]

Hi,

Interesting that you can clean oilstones by soaking them in hot water.

Could I ask whether people think this would help to remove smashed abrasive particles and steel shards, or whether it is only removing oil from the stone?

Cheers.

[cava]

Sperm oil was used to quench plane irons. I was wondering why a very old Mathieson wooden jointer plane I have has very little corrosion on the iron. Apparently sperm oil is the reason.

As for oil for oilstones, I use a mix of kerosene and light mineral oil.........the light mineral oil is available for a very reasonable price from supermarkets. ;)

Any idea if sperm oil is still available?

[Robson Valley]

The oil is simply the vehicle to carry away the swarf. I use 5W40 motor oil.
Sop up the mess with paper towel. More oil, just teaspoon-ful, then a gentle
brushing with a brass bristle BBQ brush. Then sop it up again. The deal is to keep the swarf moving and flush it all off. I maybe go 2x or 3x if I see that the stone isn't clear. It will clear off after scrubbing, much like a new stone, much to my surprise.

[msiemsen]

The goal of the oil is to carry away swarf and not to lubricate. I use lamp oil which is a modern replacement for sperm oil in lamps. Oil stones can be flattend with coarse sandpaper the same manner as plane soles. Calves (neatsfoot) and whales (sperm) do not need to die so you can sharpen.

[seanz]

Any idea if sperm oil is still available?

Be real quick the next time one washes up on the beach?
;)

We get Sperm Whales washed up dead here in NZ every now and then. Mostly the lower jaw gets cut off and the teeth are removed for carving. So there's a lot of waste.....

[Jack in Nepean]

As for cleaning oil stones, if you are single, squirt with dishwashing liquid and throw it in the dishwasher. If you have a wife, it's probably not such such a good idea.

Cheers

[Vann]

If you have a wife, it's probably not such such a good idea.
:U:U:U

Cheers, Vann,

[Colin62]

As for cleaning oil stones, if you are single, squirt with dishwashing liquid and throw it in the dishwasher. If you have a wife, it's probably not such such a good idea.

Cheers

That's why the wife had to go... :D

[stevebaby]

You can use ordinary dishwashing detergent as a lubricant for sharpening with oilstones. When it clogs just run it under a hot tap.

[lightwood]

I just read this thread and noticed where the posts on this page came from...
in reverse order...

Craggy Island -
South Africa -
Petone, NZ -
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada -
Mainland N.Z
Minnesota, USA
McBride BC Canada
Mornington Peninsula AU
Shangha
blue mountains AU
Victoria AU

I use a product I was given in a 20 l drum a few years ago, Castrol HONILO 430 RED, Metal Working Lubricant.
It works quite nicely. A search revealed it is mainly Mineral oil...my previous choice.

Regards,
Peter,
Also on the Mornington Peninsula...VIC, AU