Thread: Which oil to use for chisel blades?

Try to avoid WD40. I don't get much rust here but most of my metal tools get a small amount of Camellia oil.
Try a search on 'Camellia Oil' or 'Preventing rust on hand tools'. Plenty of discussions here.

first off, dont use something that isnt readily available to you, easy to obtain or something you can't afford, your stuck with it for the rest of your life , or at least the stones life (if you have to send away for it then i suggest its not a good option either). fancy oils such as camellia etc are very nice oils but practically speaking are worthless imo (building a rod for your own back) due to their insane cost and availability...truth is you can get away with a good gobfull of spit, done it a thousand times when working in situations i was bereft of options and it works just fine but not as good as a decent oil, better than WD40 i think...light machine oil is good, find what is readily available near you and do some comparisons, sometimes watering down with Kero is good but only worthwhile if you can repeat it over and over again (kero isnt as easy to get as it was years ago here), you can get away with using water on an oil stone too but it wont do quite as well as oil, but it will do kinda ok so long as the oil stone has only been used with water from the start, natural oil stones will work as i said with a variety of things even water but they dont like different to be used with one thing one day and another the next, best to keep them used with same oil all along from the start of the stones life...that was the rule taught to me at least and i'd say it has mostly worked out correct, but truth is i have broken the rule many times, well maybe only a thousand when i was bereft of something ideal



cheers
chippy

Originally Posted by Russell Cook

Hi all,

My DK woodworking book suggests that I use camellia oil or similar to oil a sharpened chisel blade. Would WD40 be OK?

Cheers.

RC

Are you asking about an oil to prevent rust on your chisel while it is in storage or otherwise idle or are you looking for the lubricant oil to put on a sharpening stone?

I agree with NC with just some reservation on cost. I suspect most oils will prevent rusting whilever they retain an unbroken oil film on the tool, but some are more messy than others when you come to use them. The WD40 type oils are more for penetrating than long term oiling to my mind as they tend to evaporate too quickly.

If you were looking at oil for oil stones, Chippy is speaking from practical experience, not all during ideal situations .

Regards
Paul

I’ve always used motor oil, which ever type I find sitting unused on a shelf that was for a car or lawn mower, and I thin it down with mineral turps. About 15 % oil the rest turps.
I’ve used WD40 as well, while out camping, and it worked the same as my other mix. I wouldn't be going out of my way to buy WD 40 for it though.
My first mix is the cheapest way I can think of supplying my and up to two or three other people with oil for stones, plus it's used for cutting back and cleaning up old plane bodies found at markets, chisels and saws. Or tipping over the cast iron top of a machine to cut back the mark left by a tea cup or glue spots "Who left the Coffee cup on the XXXX Wadkin" type of thing .

Then there is always the other need for a stone in a box which the WD wont do for you. That's only if the stone is not in a box. The cabinet maker secret stash of oil stain found under the stone that only he knows of. When fitting locks, and you need the precise location of where to chisel out the hole for the bolt, the already fitted lock has the key turned and the bolt end is coated in this oil stain, the key is turned back, the door or drawer closed, and the key turned so the bolt end leaves a stain where it's hole should be.
You can’t just walk over and ask a polisher for a bit of stain, you can’t rely on them, for you may not be on talking terms with them. Arguments being a frequent thing between work men in a crowded workshop. And the last thing you want to let the men on the other side know is that you need them to help you do your job.

Rob

Sorry for the confusion, I was looking for oil to put on the sharpened blades after sharpening. It seems camellia oil is a suitable choice.

ah rust preventative...yeah, dont bother with WD40, it does very little to protect against rust, practically invites it sometimes i think, camellia oil is good but still an expensive choice

Hi Russell

To help resist rust on chisel blades, wipe down with Camillia Oil. Most light machine oils also work. Wax does not keep out moisture. WD40 is actually designed to remove moisture (water), but it not a barrier against water and does not prevent rust.

Keep the tools in a dry place. Temperature changes are the enemy as they lead to condensation. If the temperature drops appreciably where you live, even a low wattage light bulb can warm a small area enough to prevent condensation.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Condensation from temperature changes is my biggest problem in storing tools. The low wattage light bulb is a good idea to put inside a tool cabinet; I note that Lee Valley also sell tiny heater elements for precisely this purpose (wattages are based on 110V supply though):

GoldenRod Dehumidifier™ - Lee Valley Tools

I also get good service from the vapour-based rust preventatives (VCI), which are great for reasonably enclosed spaces like tool cabinets or drawers. These are available from Lee Valley, or Carbatec also keep a similar item:

Anti-Corrosion Emitters - Lee Valley Tools
Zerust® ICT® Vapour Capsules : CARBA-TEC

If I need a general purpose spray-on rust preventative, then G15 is the best I've found so far. Available from Jim Davey, Chris Vesper, and all the usual suspects. I still have a spray container of camellia oil which I bought about 10 years ago, but has been gathering dust on the shelf ever since ! I certainly wouldn't bother using WD40 on tools or machines.

Hi, cheers for replies.

I have a small tube of oil that came with my hair clippers. The packaging says that it's mineral oil. Is this likely to be light mineral oil? It's quite runny.

I've had it 5 years and only used a tiny bit, it'd be nice to use it with my tools as well if that's possible

Mineral oil is fine. Yours is indeed mineral oil.

I know a guy who uses olive oil. I would think that it would go rancid but he says not...

Apparently the oil in human saliva works too... Um....

Point is, choice of oil isn't terribly important, provided it is light (runny) and cheap.

I wouldn't recommend WD40 because it is largely used for displacing moisture and as a solvent. It does actually contain something like 10% mineral oil, so will protect your tools, but you would be better off spending the money on mineral oil itself rather than the additional propellants and fancy hydrocarbons. I will say that WD40 is great for cleaning your tools and freeing stuck parts, because it penetrates better than regular oil, but with the cautionary note that it won't play nice with other oils until all the solvents totally evaporate.

To my mind, the first consideration when choosing an oil for wiping down tools is that it smell nice. That's because the best way to wipe tools after sharpening is with a small rag or piece of cloth (the Japanese use a sort of sponge thing) that's been impregnated with oil of some kind. And you'll be handling that rag or whatever very often.

I would rather have my hands covered in baby oil (which is mineral oil plus scent) or camellia oil than thinned motor oil or WD40. SWMBO would no doubt agree.

If you want to get more involved in the question than that, then apparently camellia oil is the bees knees because, basically, it doesn't evaporate quite as quickly. Although it costs a lot, when applied to a rag in the way I've described (rather than directly on to the tool and wiped off) it goes a long, long way.

But is it at all necessary? Nope.

Check out this thread.

It's a couple of years old and I'm not sure if Coles still sells Camellia oil, but I got some at the time and have been happy with it.