I got a coarse silicon carbide stone a few days ago and heard that kerosene makes a good honing oil but the stone just soaks it up every time I put some on. Then I just decided to soak the stone in kerosene overnight but when I took it out it just soaked into the stone again. Is there some trick to get the oil to stay on the surface of the stone?
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Oil absorption
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I inherited one that had been used with oil. I stuck it in the dishwasher a couple of times and then lapped it on the side walk outside of my house. Now I use it with water sometimes and dry sometimes with no problems.
I have noticed that when I use it dry to sharpen something with a large flat surface, like the heel plate of a wood chisel, it glazes fast. If I sharpen a knife on it for a few minutes, it freshens up the surface and I can avoid lapping again. I don't know if this is because it used to be filled with oil, or just the nature of the stone.
I have noticed that when I use it dry to sharpen something with a large flat surface, like the heel plate of a wood chisel, it glazes fast. If I sharpen a knife on it for a few minutes, it freshens up the surface and I can avoid lapping again. I don't know if this is because it used to be filled with oil, or just the nature of the stone.
That is normal for such a stone. That is really why they work best with lots of water. The stone and metal dust simply fills up the pores of the stone. The water will help to float up and carry away the swarf which will reduce the glazing. If you sharpen a knife on the glazed stone the knife will scrape off the dust and "unglaze" it, but the stone will not perform at its best. Good to hear that you got it to work again.
I have only used kerosene for cleaning an oil stone which has become loaded. I would have thought kerosene--which isn't oil--was too volatile and would just evaporate away.
While I never thought to use a dishwasher, long soaking of a stone in water with a little soap seems to have cleared the surface of a stone I oiled. Since you've got a coarse stone and kerosene isn't viscous the same might work if there's any kerosene in it still. Leaving it somewhere warm ought to encourage the kerosene to evaporate faster as well.
While I never thought to use a dishwasher, long soaking of a stone in water with a little soap seems to have cleared the surface of a stone I oiled. Since you've got a coarse stone and kerosene isn't viscous the same might work if there's any kerosene in it still. Leaving it somewhere warm ought to encourage the kerosene to evaporate faster as well.