Norton

Great thread. Wayne Goddard also turned me on to the Norton Fine India.

Last I checked, he was using lamp oil (smokeless, odorless kerosene?). Has he since begun recommending Simple Green?

Thanks.
 
I have one of his books about knifemaking. I looked back at it and he mentions kerosene for lubricating. Would he be using one for lubricant and the other for cleaning? Is that even necessary?
 
An old thread lives on. Thank you search function!

I have a Norton IB8(coarse/fine) india bench stone that's due to be delivered tomorrow. I had an IB8 years ago, but it was lost when I moved across town.

As I read over this discussion, I am still not clear on what Mr. Goddard recommends to use on the Norton bench stone when sharpening. Lamp oil, kerosene, and dry use have been mentioned for lubrication. What does Mr. Goddard recommend now for lubrication during sharpening?

I read that Mr. Goddard recommends Simple Green for cleaning a stone. I think that would be a good way, because that is less toxic than cleaning it with kerosene or mineral spirits. Norton, in past literature, has recommended cleaning dirty stones with kerosene and scrubbing with a stiff fiber brush, and then re-soaking the stone in oil. Kerosene, low odor or not, makes me sick to smell it. And the waste has to go some where.... It's just too messy to use.

Now what should I use for lubrication if anything at all? Some cheap baby oil from Dollar General just might do the trick since it's basically mineral oil with fragrance. If the stone clogs, I could clean it with Simple Green, and if that's not enough I could try Bar Keepers Friend and a scrubbing brush/pad.

I have a lot of knives to sharpen around the house, so I just want to make sure I am on the right track on the care and use of the Norton bench stone, and Mr. Goddard's recommendations are good enough for me.
 
Until fairly recently I used soapy water for lubrication and my stone never seemed to need cleaning. Now I use mineral oil from the grocery store, stone still seems to stay very clean. If it needs something extra, I'll just put a thicker film of oil on it and let it sit for an hour - always manages to pull a little extra out of the stone.
 
Wish I had something to contribute with good detail. All I can say is my Dad swore by Norton and used those stones when I was a kid in the 60's. I want to get some too now.
 
BigD, Have you had time to try out your Norton IB8 yet? Phy, I too have an old Norton IB8 coarse/fine India stone from the 70's. It's a sure bet they changed the grit over the years. Because the fine side of this stone is atleast 100 grit finer (420-450) than those mfg. today (320). It still puts a nice edge on any knife steel while offering very good economy and has not required resurfacing. I use mine dry or with H2O and soap. The later gets messy. On the coarse side (150 grit) you can rebevel with it, work up a burr and remove it on the fine side. Then with just a little stropping you have a nice edge, with no burr, thats capable of shaving arm hair. These are nice stone. DM
 
Norton india combo stone is very good! Puts shaving sharp toothy edge that Cuts way better than all this paper cutting nonsense!
 
David Martin said:
BigD, Have you had time to try out your Norton IB8 yet?
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Yes I broke it in the day I got it. Have sharpened about seven knives so far. A six inch stainless Sabatier chefs knife was the first victim, and it's my wife's favorite knife. I had to re-bevel it on the coarse side of the stone, and then finished it off on the fine side. It has a nasty toothy edge that easily shaves arm hair now. Also sharpened part of my set of Wusthof classic knives, and the edge on those turned out great too. Really satisfied with the performance of the stone.

I did use baby oil for lubricant since it's a lot cheaper than honing oil. Three dollars for 20 oz. of baby oil, or pay five to six dollars for four ounces of honing oil. It's easy to figure the math on that one. I considered buying the unscented mineral oil that's used for a laxative, but that type is usually a heavy mineral oil while the baby oil is a light mineral oil. I have even seen bottles of the laxative mineral oil marked extra heavy.

Do not have a strop yet, but I am going to go to A.C. Moore and check out the pack of tooling leather they sell and make one. I know what a strop loaded with green rouge is capable of doing to an edge.
 
Great, I'm glad your pleased. Your new strop will take knives up to a sharper level and help in burr removal. Yep, the baby oil is the way to go only for some reason when I smell it I think about changing diapers. ;) DM
 
Hi
Anyone has used Norton's sharpening stone solution (citrus scent)?
 
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I'm going to jump on this opportunity for a quick digression, too.

How are Norton India combination stones with S30v, D2, and the like? I have three 6" DMT stones(jumped straight to diamond from some super cheap pocket stones), and I have no problem sharpening those steels with the diamond, but I have a Norton on the way for some longer kitchen cutlery, and i was wondering how it would cut some of the harder steels.
 
I've sharpened S60V, S30V and D2 on my India stones and have gotten a nice sharp edge quickly. No problems. DM
 
David Martin said:
I've sharpened S60V, S30V and D2 on my India stones and have gotten a nice sharp edge quickly. No problems. DM
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Glad to hear that. I loved sharpening my cheap pocket knives on my godfather's Norton as a kid, but never ended up with one myself until now.

Thanks, DM. Searched a lot of old threads and didn't really find many references to the harder steels and Norton. A lot of threads about s30v and the harder steels OR Norton, but not much together. I'll be sharpening away, come next Saturday.
 
Ok, let us know how it goes. I start with the coarse first to set up the edge then go to the fine and finish on a strop with slurry. Your call. DM
 
As long as the stone can cut the metal, I'm good to go. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't in for hours of tedium while I ground a stone away while doing nothing to the blade. ;)

Not a super whiz at sharpening, but I have no problem getting a shaving edge. Still have to invest in some strop material, too. I use a heavy duty piece of cardboard right now. Does great for my d2 and less pricey knives, but doesn't seem to do a whole lot for the ones in s30v.
 
well one of the guys I work with would tell you to just take it over to the bench grinder (with what ever grit is on it) and go crazy on it . his knife has a edge that will not cut cardboard but will smash it to a pulp. Ha HA.It is painful to watch, I tell ya.
 
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