Oil? or Dry?

D

dalr753

Joined
Jan 5, 2012
Messages
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hey guys i just wanted your input for the whole dry vs oiled up arkansas stones. do you think it imparts a better edge dry? cut metal faster? maybe use oil on one grit but not the other? any recommendations welcome thanks!
 
dal, I'll chime in. I use soapy water when sharpening on my Arkansas stones and I like it better than dry. Plus, I think the edge comes off better. Oil may be the better method, I just don't care for it. Still, my thinking on it may change. DM
 
The problem with dry is that you get swarf embedded in the stone...of whatever material...which will reduce the cutting ability of the stone.
 
I like oiled stone better but it's a pain. Then again I'm spoiled by dmt and spyderco stones which I use dry
 
Just finished 'experimenting' a little bit with a hard Arkansas stone on an old (and inexpensive) 'Tri-hone' style sharpener. Used a little bit of laxative-grade mineral oil on the stone, while tuning up the sheepsfoot blades on a couple of stockman knives. I liked the feel of it; very glassy and slick, and good 'feel' for me usually translates to a better result (and it did). I'm noticing it seems to suit me well on other finishing & polishing stones as well. I've sometimes done this with fine/uf ceramic hones also. Haven't made up my mind yet if it suits my preference on coarser stones; more often than not, I use those dry. But I haven't ruled out the oil yet, for them.
 
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Toward that: I do use oil on my coarse stones and get good results. Have yet to make that jump on my finer stones. Plus, I don't use fine stones much, except on my razors. I will on a knife with a Special purpose in mind. DM
 
David Martin said:
Toward that: I do use oil on my coarse stones and get good results. Have yet to make that jump on my finer stones. Plus, I don't use fine stones much, except on my razors. I will on a knife with a Special purpose in mind. DM
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That's sort of what I had in mind with my sheepsfoot blades. I usually keep a fairly razor-ish edge on them, finished to around ~1000 grit or so (sort of 'hazy' mirror, most of the time). The whole 'experiment' started yesterday, after I inadvertently blunted the tip of a sheepsfoot (Scrade 8OT in 1095) on a ceramic tile countertop, while cutting a plastic food package. The rest of the edge was still in prime shape, so I didn't want to re-grind the whole thing, but just straighten out & re-sharpen the tip again. I thought the hard Arkansas might handle it pretty well, and it did. I initially did some of the straightening last night, with the stone dry. And that worked out better than I might've assumed. Today, feeling encouraged by the previous results, I just refined it some more with the stone oiled, which made everything all-the-more smooth & easy, as the edge became more refined. When finished, it turned out in better shape than it was before I 'dinged' it on the tile. That was enough incentive to make me pick up another stockman (Case 6375 in 'Tru-Sharp' stainless), and touch up the sheepsfoot on that one, with very similarly-encouraging results. :)
 
Yes, that happens. It happened to me cutting cardboard and hitting one of those heavy duty staples. Grrrr. Thats what Heavy Hands states, (hope he doesn't mind me not quoting him only stating) about using oil, that it really helps a stone give a fine edge. I'll use some oil on my next sharpening project (outdoors) and see how it goes. Wonder why we have differing opinions on this, even in John Juranitch's book.? I would think by this time a consistence, consensus would have been arrived at... DM
 
David Martin said:
Yes, that happens. It happened to me cutting cardboard and hitting one of those heavy duty staples. Grrrr. Thats what Heavy Hands states, (hope he doesn't mind me not quoting him only stating) about using oil, that it really helps a stone give a fine edge. I'll use some oil on my next sharpening project (outdoors) and see how it goes. Wonder why we have differing opinions on this, even in John Juranitch's book.? I would think by this time a consistence, consensus would have been arrived at... DM
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I still don't know for sure if the oil actually makes a significant difference on my edges. So many variables to account for, many of which depend on personal aspects like 'feel' and/or 'feedback' from the stones. I've sort of bounced back & forth for years, between using oil/water or using them dry, and on any given day, I have no idea (usually) which way it'll swing. An individual blade, on an individual stone, on a particular day will just feel better (or not), depending on which way I go. Seems to be a lot like swinging a golf club (not that I'm any good at that, but at least sometimes, it just feels 'right', and on other days, it feels like I'd do better just taking swipes at a rock with stick :D).
 
Yes, I know what you mean. Heavy Hands says, he enjoys the feedback he gets off the stone when using oil. I can understand what he's refering to within that. It does give a different 'feel' on the stone from water.
It is something slight but present. This in turn is used as an indicator, 'like I'm getting close' and can feel the apex moving on the stone. DM
 
David Martin said:
Yes, I know what you mean. Heavy Hands says, he enjoys the feedback he gets off the stone when using oil. I can understand what he's refering to within that. It does give a different 'feel' on the stone from water.
It is something slight but present. This in turn is used as an indicator, 'like I'm getting close' and can feel the apex moving on the stone. DM
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That's exactly the sense I had yesterday, when trying the oil on the hard Arkansas stone. There's a subtle 'something' there in the feel for getting the bevel flush, that made me think, "Ah, there it is!" I wasn't quite feeling that with the dry stone, but adding the oil did the trick. For me, that usually makes all the difference in how my edges turn out. :)

I've read from others also, that the oil can serve as a visual indicator of flush contact on the stone. If the bevel is making flush contact, the oil will tend to be swept ahead of the edge, instead of slipping underneath, much like a squeegee sweeps water/liquid from a hard surface like glass. I was watching for that too, yesterday, and I think there may be something in that as well.
 
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