Do high end knives need high end hones?

Plain kerosene does stink. Go with the cleanest lamp oil you can find. This is smokeless, "odorless" kerosene, and can usually be had cheaply at KMart or similar stores. It works great and fast on India and Arkansas stones. You can slow it down as much or as little as you like by mixing it with mineral/baby oil.

John
 
Yes, it is all a tradeoff.

Some people find waterstones "messy." Not that water smells worse than kerosene, but you just wind up with a lot more of it all over the place using waterstones. And then there's the flattening regime when the stones dish/wear unevenly. And then there's the nagura stone slurry making thing in higher grits, etc.

Like blade shapes and blade steels, it pretty much comes down to personal preference. Neither one is objectively easier, cleaner, or anything else.

John
 
John Frankl,

The drier methods tend to be less messy than those using water or petrolates. And belt sanders throw off pretty sparks.
 
Hi Thom,

I agree. Heck, how could I not agree with that first sentence? :) But since you mentioned grinders--I have two KMGs and two discs--that gets us in to a different kind of mess, and additional health hazards with airborne steel and abrasive particles. So I stand by my original message--it all comes down to personal preference.

John
 
Well, I agree about reprofiling or making a new knife, but a few hits with a belt sander shouldn't completely collapse your lungs.
 
I now use water on my Arkansas and washita stones, and oil on the oilstones - India stones. If you don't mind a little smell, then I find that the best oil is made by Marvel Mystery Oil. They have a lubricant that is thin and doesn't stink as bad as kerosene. It won't gum up the stone as 3-in-one oil will.
If you want an oderless and less toxic lubricant, then I like Norton oil Regular mineral oil will work, but it is thicker and won't really clean the gunk out of the stone as well as the Norton oil will. The Norton oil costs more, and works better than the cheap mineral oil.

I find myself developing rashes from some oils, and so I use water whenever I can. If I need to use oil on some of my older stones, I will tend to use a mineral oil from the pharmacy.
 
I'm new to sharpening and I was thinking about picking up some stones locally. I went by Academy and they had Smiths brand stones. What do you guys think of these? Are they totally crap or will I be fine with them? No one seems to use them here so I wasn't sure if I should get them. They had a few Lansky kits as well. I was also wondering if the base Lansky shows on their website is necessary for using the Lansky system. Thanks.
 
Generally any hones will do, the benefit of higher quality stones are that they tend to be very flat initially, the cheaper stones often have hollows. Lower grade hones also tend to cut slower, load faster and often are more uneven in grit finish. If you are just starting to learn it is better to get a decent stone to start because it removes a bunch of variables that can complicate the process while you are learning the basics. Smith's make some interesting looking Diamond hones with multi-surface pads.

-Cliff
 
arty said:
My favorite "inexpensive" stones are the Norton India oilstones. A fine India will produce a shaving edge, even though a bit coarse.
A good India stone will last forever, as long as you don't use 3 in 1 oil on it.

Lately, I have been going to the use of stones that use water, or can be used with water. I use a Norton Lily wite washita, followed by Norton soft or hard Arkansas stones, depending on how fine an edge I want. If I want the sharpest edge I can get, then I finish on waterstones at the 8000 grit level.

I don't like waterstones for curved edges - as on gouges and carving tools, or for knives. They are just too soft. I have a couple of Shapton stones, and they are harder, I just don't like to have to flatten them. That is why I like the Norton stones.

Lately, I have tried some Spyderco ceramic stones - medium and fine. They won't produce an edge that compares with Norton Arkansas stones, and I just don't believe the comparisons with grit value. They are meaningless.

The least expensive, quality stone that I would use is a Norton fine India. It cuts pretty fast and leaves a good edge. If you need to plane hard maple, then you need to use a finer stone after the India, and perhaps a strop as well. If you are sharpening a kitchen or hunting knife, you don't need any more than a Norton soft Arkansas. Most people would be happy with the edge from a fine India stone for many purposes.
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Where do you buy your Norton stones?
 
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