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King Gimpicus

Joined
Jun 7, 2007
Messages
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Mineral oil may be cheap, but for someone on crutches, it isnt about the price. Seeing as i have a (albeit crappy) dull knife, i was wondering if peanut oil or even regular vegetable oil would be alright to lube up my grindstone for sharpening. I have recently aquired an old knife (I have no idea what it is, the only markings if have found on it are "Western", "Boulder Colo." and "Made in the USA". its about 9 inches long with a 4 and 1 eighth inch blade) that could use a honing and i dont want to destroy it ($35 from an old collectibles & antiques shop, the law does not require that particular shop to check for age).

Please advise!

- I hope for the day that <18 can buy a knife (so long as they are smart enough to not cut off a digit) -
 
mete said:
Stick with the mineral oil ! Use the veggie oils for cooking !
Click to expand...

The problem is i cant get out to get it :grumpy: ... and if i ask my grandmother to get me some, she will get suspicious (theres nothing in the house that really needs mineral oil except my knives). THAT is my dilema...
 
What type of stone do you have? My father taught me how to use a hand held stone when I was seven. You can use anything for lube. Spit was always a big favorite in my youth, as it was readily available. You can even use many stones dry. The stones and hones I use the most now are either diamond or glass/ceramic rods. I never use any lube unless I am using the wet grinder. The only stones I have never used are the Japanese water stones which have many positive reviews here. Whatever you choose to use clean the stone frequently if wet. A dry stone also requires cleaning, but not as much as a wet one.
 
Why don't you just have an 18 year old buy a knife for you (any siblings or parents, your grandmother's credit card)?

I'm not trying to be evasive of the law here, but I would imagine under 18 can own a knife in CA, just not purchase...
 
King Gimpicus,I understand the problem you have getting around, as I sometimes sign myself Gimpasaurus Rex. :D (Polio, 57 years ago.)

I'm going to guess you have a flat, rectangular whetstone of some sort, not a grindstone that turns. A grindstone or grinder is used when making a knife, but it shouldn't ever be needed after that. In fact, some ignorant people completely ruin a knife by using a grinder on it!

Your best bet might very well be to just use water from a faucet or a small cup to dribble a little on your stone frequently. You want it wet enough to "puddle" a little, so you'll need to add water frequently as it both soaks in and runs off. The purpose of using liquid on your stone is to "float" the steel particles as they are ground away so they don't clog the pores of your stone. If using water on your stone -- and that should work well for you -- you should rinse your stone off under running water after awhile or when you finish.

If you are seated at a your kitchen table maybe, put down a layer of newspaper because this will get a little messy. If you can stand for awhile at your kitchen sink by leaning against the counter, and if the sink has a faucet that swivels, try setting your stone where a small stream of water can run onto it while you sharpen your knife. If it's a divided or double sink, maybe lay your stone on the partition down the middle of it. That would get it up where you can effectively sharpen your knife on the stone, but it's kind of hard to hold it there. If you have a single sink, or even if you don't, you might try turning a large pot or pan upside down in the sink and working with your stone on top with the faucet trickling water on it.

Proceed slowly and carefully so you don't bleed all over the place, and make sure your stone is held securely so it doesn't move around. If you are sharpening with one hand while you hold your stone with the other hand, be extra careful not to cut the fingers holding the stone! Blood and Band-Aids tend to give your activities away.

When you are sharpening a fixed blade knife you will want to maintain an angle that will be achieved by raising the back of your blade about 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch off the stone. Smaller pocket knives will be at the correct angle with the back of the blade about 3/16 to 1/4 of an inch above the stone. You need to concentrate to hold the correct angle consistently, and the ability to do this only comes with practice. Be patient.

Depending on the condition of your stone (old, soaked with oil, and glazed over?) use warm running water, Ajax or Comet (abrasive powdered cleaner), and a stiff brush to clean it good before you start. That always worked for me. Good luck, hang in there, and you'll get old soon enough. :eek:

Gimpasaurus Rex
 
Some household cleansers work great for keeping a benchstone wet enough to sharpen and make cleaning the stone afterwards a breeze. I've used Windex, Simple Green, Fantastic and ordinary hand soap with tremendous results. A quik rinse under the faucet when your done and the stone is ready to go again.

NJ
 
The more time I spend lurking and reading from all of the many years of experience here on this forum, the more I learn, and some of what I learn gives me concern for the method I've been accustomed to using. For instance, I have used good old auto transmission fluid as a stone lubricator and cleanser after the sharpening session. I keep some in a either 3 or 4 oz hair oil bottle, with the small drilled orifice in a plug, and the two or three drops at a time is usually more than enough for my Lansky stones, or even my bench rocks. It also seems to work fairly well as a lubrication for the pivot point on folders, is certainly inexpensive, and so far, I'm unaware of any valid reason(s) not to continue using it. If I'm screwing up, please advise, as once again, I'm learning from here hourly.
 
Baby oil is mineral oil, and you can find it in most medicine cabinets.

Vegetable oil on your stones will do one of two things after it soaks in, oxidize and gum (bad) or go rancid and smell (not as bad but...)

Water will work on a stone, but if your stone is already oil soaked the water will bead and not be as effective, a little dish soap might help that (or any of the spray cleaners mentioned already). Other liquids that I've used on a hone include 3-in-1 oil, or any light lubricating oil (hydraulic oil or AFT included), kerosene or lamp oil, and rubbing alcohol

But seriously, you need to figure out a way for grandma to see your knife hobby in a positive light, because sooner or later she's gonna find out. It's just the way of the world. Maybe if you offer to sharpen the kitchen knives you can get the honing oil, and maybe a fine hone as well, to work with.
 
Yeah. Im using water most often now. I found a little baby oil and i think im going to switch to that. I had no idea what veggie oil would do. Thanks for all your help guys!

(P.S. I recently aquired a "survival knife", and i have no idea what kind of steel it is, but when i try to sharpen it like my other knives (i get alot of success, almost always hair popping) it doesnt do much... any suggestions?)
 
Get a magnifying glass and look at the edge before and after you sharpen it. That will give you an idea of what's going on. It may be very abrasion resistant steel, or it could be chipping out, keeping the burr, etc...
 
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