"surgical black" Arkansas stone... NOT

buckman110 said:
Simple green may, i have never used it. But ive seen Arkansas stones ruined "experimenting" my only argument is. Old timers have used oil for 100 years or so.. And its produced great results. Why do any different? Also i use lots of very old Arkansas stones that have been used with oil. And once an arkie has been used with oil, its difficult to get them to be used with water.
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Because it works better than oil, which is something else to sell to you. Many old times would use Kerosene when I was younger. It, like simple green will float the grit out of the stone instead of plugging it up.

Simple green won't damage your stone, it will let it cut better.
 
I have one good Akansas stone; a Smith's 8" x 2" or 3" x 1" Washita Stone in a nice Cedar box that I have had for many years. Remember the Washita Stones? No longer available as I believe the vein ran out. They were a softer quicker cutting Arkie Stone but actually work quite well.
 
buckman110 said:
And oil wont plug it up if you will properly maintain it :)
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Just wipe it off with a rag when finished :)

I have heard good report of Simple Green and Windex, both from folks whose opinion I respect. That said - mineral oil has yet to fail me, doesn't smell funny or dry my hands out, keeps the stones like new. In the past I've had issues with soapy water failing to keep stones from glazing with moderate to heavy use, so am very leery of water-based lube. I also reclaim the grit from all my stones that have friable abrasive or wearable binders, for stropping on paper with a Washboard - water isn't very compatible with paper .
 
I'd tried Simple Green briefly with my Norton Economy SiC stone, which I wetted in water and then 'spritzed' with the SG in use. Initially, I liked the feedback felt while using it; however, I later noticed how aggressive it's 'degreasing' properties are on my own hands. It REALLY dried out my fingertips, after being constantly wetted with the stuff during a sharpening session. It's also somewhat caustic (alkaline pH of ~9.5 +/- 0.5), which seems to exacerbate the formation of rust spots on non-stainless blades (seen on one of my knives a few minutes after sharpening). Simple Green is itself water-based (78% water, according to the MSDS), so the combination of non-stainless steel + water + caustic + air exposure yields an unsurprising result (rust), in retrospect.

I still think Simple Green should work great to CLEAN the stone afterward, but keeping the stone and hands constantly wet with the stuff seemed to create more unwanted issues than it solves, for me.

(Also tried Windex, but it evaporates very quickly in my arid environment, and also dries out my hands.)


David
 
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For thoes who ise oil on there stones, try 3 and 1 and coon p. Ive used 3 and 1 for years. No complaints. Coon p is just an all around great oil.
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
I'd tried Simple Green briefly with my Norton Economy SiC stone, which I wetted in water and then 'spritzed' with the SG in use. Initially, I liked the feedback felt while using it; however, I later noticed how aggressive it's 'degreasing' properties are on my own hands. It REALLY dried out my fingertips, after being constantly wetted with the stuff during a sharpening session. It's also somewhat caustic (alkaline pH of ~9.5 +/- 0.5), which seems to exacerbate the formation of rust spots on non-stainless blades (seen on one of my knives a few minutes after sharpening). Simple Green is itself water-based (78% water, according to the MSDS), so the combination of non-stainless steel + water + caustic + air exposure yields an unsurprising result (rust), in retrospect.

I still think Simple Green should work great to CLEAN the stone afterward, but keeping the stone and hands constantly wet with the stuff seemed to create more unwanted issues than it solves, for me. For the most part now, I just use my SiC stone dry, and make sure to clean it after each session. Keeps it looking and working like new.

(Also tried Windex, but it evaporates very quickly in my arid environment, and also dries out my hands.)


David
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I use just a very slight spray while sharpening, then more to float the grit to wipe it off. If you are getting to much degreasing of your skin you are probably using to much SG. Just a very light spray to barely moisten the stone.

You may still not care for it? Each to his own!
 
So just an update, been messing with this second pinnacle stone a long time now... it got better but STILL SUCKS!
I recently purchased direct from Dan's. I bought a hard black pocket stone just to try it out....
OMG!!!!!!!!!!!! THIS IS A BLACK ARK! waaay better than what I have, and its fresh out of the box with no lapping or burnishing/use. This stone even has slight translucent properties.
It's official, my stone is either of low quality, or not novaculite! This Dan's stone has completely changed my mind about black arks all together. I plan to buy a big ol black ark from Dan's this weekend.
It's official, SCREW PINNACLE!
-Max
 
I think I am allergic to honing oil, every time I get a whiff of it, and start to use it my head starts pounding. I have not found anything online about people having allergic reaction to mineral oil though. It is really weird. I just tried to do a youtube video on some but the head ache made me turn the camera off!
 
Glytch5 said:
I think I am allergic to honing oil, every time I get a whiff of it, and start to use it my head starts pounding. I have not found anything online about people having allergic reaction to mineral oil though. It is really weird. I just tried to do a youtube video on some but the head ache made me turn the camera off!
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What brand of oil are you using?


David
 
Mineral oil has no odor, but some honing oils have plenty (he did say honing oil gives him the headaches, not mineral oil - though he may have meant mineral oil). Also - I never use water on oil stones. For very light finishing it's OK, but for heavier cutting water will rapidly glaze and slow the stone's cutting action compared to oil. I use oil for all oilstones though, even finishing.
 
Yes, I use mineral oil for all my sharpening. He could be using anything from kerosene to baby oil.? Apparently, it's something that has a odor which is disagreeable for him. DM
 
eKretz said:
Mineral oil has no odor, but some honing oils have plenty (he did say honing oil gives him the headaches, not mineral oil - though he may have meant mineral oil). Also - I never use water on oil stones. For very light finishing it's OK, but for heavier cutting water will rapidly glaze and slow the stone's cutting action compared to oil. I use oil for all oilstones though, even finishing.
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This is why I asked what brand of oil he's using, as he might be able to find something better. All of the designated 'honing oils' I've used (from Lansky, Gatco & Norton) are just plain mineral oil, and are completely odorless. In particular, Norton's honing oil is specifically listed in the MSDS as 100% mineral oil, and meeting FDA requirements. On the can itself, it even states "SAFE FOR KITCHEN USE" and "Meets U.S. Pharmacopoeia standards for mineral oil purity" (that's the 'USP' designation as food-safe).

Shouldn't be any need for additives like scents, solvents, detergents, rust-protection, etc in true 'honing oils'; especially those designated for use on culinary knives or any other blade that might be used in the kitchen. Simpler, but pure, is definitely better for a honing oil.


David
 
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The oil i'm using is kwik sharp honing oil, and lansky honing oil. Both stink the same amount, and both give me a head ache almost instantly!
I was wondering if I bought Mineral oil instead, or basically non petroleum based oil if it would fix it.
I guess I need to get one of those "SAFE FOR KITCHEN USE" oils.
 
Glytch5 said:
The oil i'm using is kwik sharp honing oil, and lansky honing oil. Both stink the same amount, and both give me a head ache almost instantly!
I was wondering if I bought Mineral oil instead, or basically non petroleum based oil if it would fix it.
I guess I need to get one of those "SAFE FOR KITCHEN USE" oils.
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If they stink that noticeably, something's not right with those. Definitely look for the kitchen/food-safe mineral oil. The Norton-branded stuff I mentioned can be found at Home Depot, usually right alongside the Norton 'Economy' stone they also carry.

How old are the oils you're using? Interesting you mentioned the Kwik-Sharp brand; I have an old ceramic V-crock sharpener under that brand, purchased back in the early '90s. I don't think they're even in business any more.

Lansky labels their current honing oil as 'Nathan's Natural Honing Oil', which is supposed to be safe as well. The stuff I have (included in one of my Lansky kits) is completely odorless. Depending on how old your Lansky oil is, it might be a different formulation.


David
 
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Yes haha the kwik sharp kit came with a small soft and hard arkansas stone (very good quality ones) and the box I believe was from 1984, older than me!
I apologize, I for some reason get Lanky and Smith's confused! It is Smith's honing oil, it is coming in a white container. It smells almost identical to the huge bottle of kwik sharp I have.
I figured the smell was simply the petroleum base/kerosene they put in the oil.
Perhaps I will try the lansky "Nathan's" stuff. I think kwik sharp was bought by smiths or lansky during the 90s.

Just as an interesting side note, since I have found very little about it, I have decided this weekend to order up a translucent black stone from www.naturawhetstone.com
Their a little expensive, but not too bad. They give a 100% garuntee, i'm ganna buy a 6x2, and if I absolutely love it i'll send it back and order a larger one, or get my cash back if I hate it! haha.
 
That^ might make some sense to me, about it being a Smith's product. The 'Honing Solution' they're currently marketing (pic below) indicates on the label that there are 'stone cleaning agents' and 'rust/corrosion inhibitor' in the mix. No idea what that implies, other than they've added some stuff other than pure mineral oil. That might also explain why they call it 'Honing Solution' instead of just 'honing oil'.

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David
 
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