Thread: Honing oil, does anyone make their own?

Originally Posted by Not enough!!

Just brought a small lot of oil stones, intend to clean them up and use them.

Question is, does anyone make their own honing/sharpening oil, l realise you can buy it, but l wanted something that l knew was food-grade safe?

There was mention of using mineral oil but l would have thought that was not food-grade (non the wiser).

Medicinal grade paraffin oil is a mineral oil but it is just refined mineral oil.
Although it is able to be taken by mouth it is a mild laxative and taken on a regular basis can cause problems.

I don't know why you are worried about it being food safe.
Even if you were to turn eating bowls or make cutting boards the effective amount that would remain in the wood would be minuscule compared to the raft of natural toxins in wood.
If you are that worried bout it you could easily remove the oil from a tool by washing it with meths.

Own Brand unperfumed baby oil $2 - $2.50 a bottle

It's just high grade mineral oil in a convenient bottle and if safe enough for babies I think it will handle anything else

Neil

Thank you both for replying, it wasn't so much l was worried, but there seems to be some conjecture about "food safe" oils etc, so l thought I'd add food safe, in case someone said "nitro glycerine"

Plus other folk might want to know about the above.

Off to get some - Own Brand un-perfumed baby oil

Cheers
Stevo

You might like to try Mineral Spirits (White Spirits) for the oil stones (and diamond plates for that matter), thinner than Mineral Oil

I get neatsfoot oil from the horse shop.
It was the main component in the honing oil I got 25 years ago, but have not been able to find honing oil in ages.

So now I use the neatsfoot oil.

Originally Posted by _fly_

I get neatsfoot oil from the horse shop.
It was the main component in the honing oil I got 25 years ago, but have not been able to find honing oil in ages.

So now I use the neatsfoot oil.

My understanding is that the main reason old oil stones are so gunked up is that Neatsfoot oil was used on them. Now in the 19th century Neatsfoot oil may have been something different to what is available for the last 70 years or so. Too thick for honing, and I understand can be bad for leather, especially stitching.

Can't say I have ever had a problem with neatsfoot oil and leather/stitching. Been using it for years...only good results so far.. You never know where people's opinions come from (mine included).

Neats foot oil on stones...maybe thinning it with turps. Probably no point as mineral oil is cheap and easy to get. I soak and scrub my oil stones in turps to unclog them from time to time.

To any machinist, the oil is no more than a carrier to remove the swarf from the abrasive surface. No more, no less.
There's no magic, just flush away the smashed abrasive particles and metal particles so the abrasive cuts clean
at whatever nominated grit size it is supposed to be. Water on water stones = same thing.
Anything else is bogus hocus pocus smoke.

Power cutting tools are washed with power cutting tool oil/water emulsions for both cooling and flushing.

The best thing to do is get an ice cream container and half fill with Kero, mix in about 500ml of motor oil new not old. Mix wel,l after a while (couple of weeks the mixture goes a little thicker, the best way to keep a stone good is to leave it in the mixture all the time this means the stone will absorb the mixture and it will make it easier to work with and the stone seems to not wear as quickly.

Just wash in warm soapy water when finished.

I use wd40 for all my stones. Soak them in it when they are new and give them a couple of squirts now and again to refresh them.Doesn't goo up like oil. Brilliant stuff !

I used whatever was laying around but I found automatic transmission fluid pretty good and having plenty it got the nod most times. My dad used ordinary engine oil and kero mixed together, the fluid is only a swarf carrier so anything goes.

We use a WD40 and kero mix when honing engine cylinders. Wash thoroughly with hot soapy water. Use the same mix when honing my chisels.

I brought up the no-name baby oil a bit back in the thread, This is my eventual replacement for - in the 50's 60's and 70,s kero with a splash of distillate in it - many complaints about the stink after I got married in the mid 70's, then unscented lamp oil - great stuff but seems to have disappeared and then the same complaints about the lavender and the mozzie killing one - I have a set of waterstones I really have to give a serious try out - advice please should I use Vichy water or Hepburn spa and will the carbonated waters help with clearing swarf

Neil

Try "water" for water stones. Quite a novel idea. Otherwise, they should have been called Vishy or Hepburn or Schwepp's. Yes?
Any fluid for any stone to clear swarf to keep the stone cutting at the nominated grit size. There is simply nothing else to it.