I have an unused India combination IB8 oil stone. It says 'pre-oiled precision surfaced' on the package. Would anyone know if you can use water as a lubricant or do I have to use oil.
TIA.
lythande1,
Feb 9, 7:59pm
You do not use oil at all. Oil stone is not an indication of the substance used. You use water. takes a bit of practice but you'll get the hang of it, plenty of videos around if you need a guide.
zak410,
Feb 9, 8:20pm
I only use water if I have no oil, even cooking oil is better then water; you can 'feel' how smoother it is to run the blade on the stone with oil rather than water.
krames,
Feb 9, 9:58pm
oil holds the chips of steel from the knife and other slag on the stone and this prevents a smooth edge being created. Use water and "flush"it clean when you have a build up of waste.
ebygum1,
Feb 9, 10:07pm
I have never used water,always 3 in 1 oil.There are no "chips " on my stone.
krames,
Feb 9, 10:14pm
the sharpest knife you can get is by flat stoning first,this removes a lot of material and leaves small bits of metal if this is not removed before the edge is put on it will not give you a perfect knife. That's why you use water to keep the stone clean. But if you only want a half job hack knife then use oil.
ebygum1,
Feb 9, 10:22pm
Well,bugger me,I have spent the last 50 odd years sharpenjng my knives ,chisels and planes all wrong!
krames,
Feb 9, 11:00pm
no you have not.Your chisels and planes will be fine but a hand held knife needs to be flat stoned first if it is to be truly sharp.It ends up like a ^ not a /\
ebygum1,
Feb 9, 11:03pm
The reality is that a knife is best sharpened on a wet stone running through a water bath.But you very rarely see them today.
krames,
Feb 9, 11:13pm
yea the last time I saw one of those was in the mid 90s,old technology.They have been replaced by the likes of http://sharpeningmadeeasy.com/dick.htm ( the 3 stage one)and they followed by putting an edge on with a knife setter which gives you a uniform edge or using a stone with water.
lilyfield,
Feb 9, 11:26pm
we have a fell on our saturday market that sharpens tools his wheel/ stone comes all the way from Sweden, costs mega bucks, and runs continuously through water.He is a professional. Did my dress making scissors for me, a ten times better job than the knife sharpening person at the shoe repair shop did . Rotorua people take note- he is in Kuirau Park on Saturdays.
mark_g,
Feb 10, 1:19am
The stone you have is a Norton pre-oiled stone. It HAS been pre oiled. I would offer the following advice: 1) Use of oil or water is a battle for another day 2) NEVER mix oil/water on the same stone - so never use water on a stone that has seen oil, and vice-versa.
Since your stone has been pre-oiled, I would never use water with it. Regardless of arguments over oil vs. water, if your stone has seen oil, keep using oil. If you want to use water, get another stone (not pre-pre-oiled).
bluefrog2,
Feb 10, 3:19am
I've only ever seen these stones used with water, personally. But some of the youtube videos use oil. And it's not that easy to get the angle right - I've tried it before. Given the choice of this kind of sharpening stone, and a pull through knife sharpener, I'd take the pull through any day.
ebygum1,
Feb 10, 1:16pm
They are called oil stones for a reason! If you have a problem keeping the correct angle there is a small jig made by Stanley to help with this,I don't know if they still make them but I often see them at markets for only a couple of dollars.
mechnificent,
Feb 10, 1:39pm
Water cuts faster and leaves a matt finish on the blade, oil cut's slower, (particularly thick oil), and it polishes the blade better. The matt finish is slightly jaggered and works better on a slicing action, but a smooth finish is better for things lkike chisels that have to slide through without the sawing effect.
I sharpen/polish swords and use a variety of stones. I swap between water and oil on them without trouble by using another stone to flatten and clean the stone. I dress the stone up with which ever lubricant I'm switching to.
Which ever lubricant you ues it is better after a few moments when you have built up a slurry of oil/water and the stone material. Once you have the slurry built up it's best not to wash it all away, just add a little more oil or water as needed.
mouse265,
Feb 10, 1:46pm
Yep Ebygum you are right having spent 37 years as a butcher keeping my knives sharp only practice will help to do it right and I still have a water wheel and it didn't cost me very much and I used to use a mix of kerosene and oil but now use water with a little dishwashing detergent
mechnificent,
Feb 10, 1:52pm
Water with baking soda is good too. it stops non-stainless blades from rusting.
peter148,
Feb 10, 3:02pm
My father taught me to use water with dishwashing detergent as an extra lubricant. It makes cleaning up afterwards easier than using oil.
oh_hunnihunni,
Feb 10, 3:15pm
Mine too, only we swiped the stone with yellow soap lol, and he called his (now mine) stones - water stones.
bluefrog2,
Feb 10, 4:51pm
*LOL* Good point. These kind of sharpening stones are used all over South East Asia, and they're hard enough to use correctly that some of my aunts used to wait for a particularly skilled relative to come round and sharpen their kitchen knives for them in exchange for dinner.
mechnificent,
Feb 10, 5:26pm
It's all about the pressure you put on the blade.
toymit,
Feb 10, 8:22pm
I want to use water as its not as messy and cheaper but it seems most people I've seen use this exact stone use oil.
zak410,
Feb 10, 8:49pm
Norton 'culinary' sharpening stones are supplied with oil.
Water or oil are fine. it's the pressure and the speed you apply that make stones work well or not.
laser51,
May 31, 3:53pm
I seem to remember seeing my granddad using spit on his stone when sharpening anything but that would have been 45 years ago at least
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