I have recently ran out of honing oil and was wondering if I could use 3&1 oil in it's place. Does anyone know what the major difference might be and could it possibly damage my sharpening stones?
3-in-1 is waaay to thick. If you've been using honing oil, keep using it. Have a look on KME's website. Ron will sell you some more there.
If you switch to a thicker oil, you'll end up gumming up your stones.
Kerosene or Diesel fuel . . maybe with a couple drops of 3&1. I'd go with Kerosene myself.
As Rob said above, the oil is more to keep the stone clean than it is to lubricate anything.
Larry
I use vegetable oil on my stones and never had a problem
Kerosene works fine, but stinks up the whole area. Pick up a bottle of lamp oil at your local big box store. That's what I use for my knife sharpening. Works as good as kerosene, doesn't let the pores of the stone fill up and smells as good as a pretty girl.
Ron
Olive Oil
wd-40
I read a note from a company that sharpens knives for meat processing plants and they say that you get a sharper edge when you dont use oil . They clean the stones between use with hot water and soap .
Larry is right. Oil is only needed to "float" the metal particles so they don't get into the pores of your stone. It's not for lubrication.
You can use just about ant lightweight oil- Gun oil, 3in1, even vegetable oil. My personal favorites are CRC Screwloose or Liquid Wrench. These are both water-thin and make excellent honing oils. One note- do Not use WD-40. It's great for guns because it drys like varnish creating a barrier between the steel and any water/moisture. When used on a sharpening stone however, after the WD drys and hardens it locks the metal filings into the pores of the stone, making cleaning them a nightmare!
Ron
WD 40 works the best for me, it dont load up your stone as most honing oil, veg., 3-1 etc. will do .
:dunno: :dunno:
I use mineral oil on my stone, and it does a wondeful job. Any type of cooking oil has the ability to go rancid on you, and therefor I would not use it. I use mineral oil for all the cutting boards I make also. I usually make close to a dozen a year as gifts.
MINERAL SPIRITS YOU CAN GET THE ODORLESS BUT IT STILL HAS A SMELL
I'm with Grapes. Been using plain old mineral oil for a long time. Works great. Doesn't cog your stone & it's cheap. Non toxic too. 3&1 & motor oil are made to protect metal. Kind of defeats the purpose when using it to remove metal.
dawn liquid dish soap works great, and cleans your stone too.
I sharpen dry and wash the stones when they get too dirty. If I was looking for an oil I would use Marvel Mystery oil or auto transmission fluid. Frank
Thanks for all the info guys. I'll try a few different ways and see what works best.
The food-safe honing oils are all a highly refined light mineral oil.
Well, Ron, you've likely forgotten more about sharpening than I know, so I'll back off on the WD-40. I've always wiped it off when done so maybe that is why I never had it set up on the stone.
Even brake fluid works well, but it will eat the paint off your Zwickeys. :eek: