Does Arkansas Stone ever get clogged?

F

FishingHook

Joined
Jun 27, 2015
Messages
18
I want to buy an Arkansas stone to sharpen my knife.
I know usually they give you an oil when you buy an Arkansas stone.
But vegetable oil is what I have and it is whats most abundant in my home so I want to use vegetable oil when using the stone.
Does Arkansas Stone ever get clogged? If so what do I need to do clean the clogged pores?

Thanks
 
Don't use vegetable oil's like cooking or olive on a sharpening stone. They can turn rancid and yes it will plug up your stone. They can plug up anyway from the grit. I use simple Green soap or windex to float the grit out and wipe off with an old t-shirt.

I don't use oil at all on a stone. Just the Simple Green or windex. Some use Kerosene but I wouldn't bring that into the house.
 
I use USP (edible) mineral oil on most of my sharpening stones. It won't go rancid. I wipe the dirty oil and swarf off the stone back into the oil bath with a rubber kitchen spatula.
 
Yes, don't use vegetable oil or olive oil. Use mineral oil. I use this during sharpening and it works well. Not clogging the stone. DM
 
Yes, a Arkansas stone can get clogged. You can use comet, WD40 or mineral spirits with a metal brush to clean it out. DM
 
Yes, as others have said, they clog. Also, as stated - mineral oil.

I have heard of a variety of ways to unclog and clean a stone and most of them seem to work though some methods (kerosene and solvents) can banish the stone out of the house forever.
 
Vegetable oil (olive oil, canola, etc) gets very sticky when old & exposed to air, so it'd make a mess of an oil stone eventually, making clogging issues even worse. It'll also get acidic as it goes rancid, and that can contribute to rusting of collected swarf in the stone. If using oil on the stone at all, stick with mineral oil.


David
 
I use water. Much less mess. I find Arkansas stones clog a lot faster than most people think. I usually sharpen at the sink and rinse every 10 or so swipes.
 
Mineral oil, light pressure, no problem. If they need lapping, a loose grit and plenty of soapy water.

You could probably use veg oil, just wash it off with soapy water when you're done... every time.
 
Thank you everyone for all your replies!
So now I gave up on the idea of using vegetable oil, and considering using either mineral oil or using water for it.
Thanks!
 
It's pretty difficult to remove the oil from a stone if it has been used with oil for very long. I have seen guys boil stones to remove it. I have bought new Arkansas stones and used only water on them and it seems to work pretty well. Really the biggest issue is keeping them flat - they will get dished out after a lot of use. For that I use big scraps from a Zircon belt on a flat surface.
 
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