Norton Combo Oil Stone

[MCTWoodwork]

Howdy y'all...

Hope everyone is well.

I got taught to sharpen with Japaneee water stones and dry and wet grinding... but got myself a Norton Oil stone, getting tired of flattening them all the time and just wanted to use the oil stone to fettle/tickle/etc the edge quickly and at speed.

I noticed Paul Sellers uses glass cleaner? Is this as good as any posh lapping fluid?? Your thoughts before I use with on my (relatively expensive) oil stone. Cheers ladies and gents.

 

[JohnCee]

I think PS only uses the glass cleaner on diamond plates.

 

[Jacob]

I use a mixture of white spirit and 3 in 1 oil.
Keep it well flooded - never dry.
Keep the oil clean by passing a magnet over the stone to lift the swarf.
Occasionally clean the stone with a bit of abrasive - I use a 3m diapad, but if you keep it flooded and do vigorous freehand then you won't need to.
Keep and use it in a trad box - it catches the oil and if you put the lid on it stops it drying out.
Spread the load so it stays flat enough. I've never flattened an oil stone and they last for life
Norton IB8 stone is medium/coarse and good for most things.
Norton Combination "0" is fine and coarse and as fine as you need to go in terms of grit.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Any thin non-drying oil will do. 3-in-1 is one such, but quite pricy over the long term. Baby oil (any supermarket) is usually based on mineral oil, with sometimes a perfume additive. Another source is to google 'white mineral oil' sold for masseurs and aromatherapists, sometimes in 5 litre containers, which should make it very cost-effective over the longer term - for example;

Mystic Moments | White Mineral Oil Carrier Oil - 5 Litres - 100% Pure: Amazon.co.uk: Kitchen & Home

Don't use drying oils such as linseed - they'll clog the stone, or vegetable oils such as olive, which can go rancid over time in the pores of permeable man-made stones. Also avoid thicker oils such as motor oil, which creates a sort of barrier between tool and stone, slowing the cutting action quite a lot. (Olive oil is fine on natural (impermeable) oil stones as it can be entirely wiped off at the end of the day.)

 

[Jacob]

Any thin non-drying oil will do. 3-in-1 is one such, but quite pricy over the long term. ......

Not going to break the bank though - and I can oil my bike with it!
I just spotted this 5 litre GENERAL LUBRICATING OIL ALTERNATIVE TO 3 IN 1 OIL BOTTLE SUMMER SAVER 5081941867780 | eBay on Ebay abt same price as baby oil, which I've never tried.

PS just noticed reference to posh "lapping" fluid. Avoid! They cost a bomb and are no better than baby oil, 3in1, etc. One well known brand costs more by volume than a very good Scotch single malt, as I've been pointing out for years. I'd buy the whiskey in preference - it'll sharpen just as well and you can drink it too!

 

[Orraloon]

I have been using the same norton stone for over 40 years now. In the past I have used 3 in 1, sewing machine oil, baby oil and sometimes a squirt of WD40 if it was all I had. Now mostly mineral oil. A litre bottle will keep you sharpening for a long long time. Using an oilstone you are doing rust prevention and sharpening at the same time.
Glass cleaner is good with diamond plates as Mr Sellers does but only oil on oilstones. I do use diamond plates (with glass cleaner) to redo the primary bevel as its quicker than the oilstone for that part.
Better stop now as I am being drawn into a sharpening thread.
Regards
John

 

[shed9]

As above, 3in1 type light machine oil or a good mineral oil for oil stones. Pharmaceutical grade 100% mineral oil will generally be the better option if in doubt about the percentage claims. In reality, you don't actually use a lot so whatever is convenient. If you are using oil for sharpening measured in litres on a regular basis you probably need to reassess your situation.
Small point but relevant; when people point to glass cleaner as a lapping fluid alternative this isn't Windolene but the automotive stuff. Personally I'm on the fence when it comes to lapping fluid. The reason for using lapping fluids traditionally is the low viscosity and its ability to not interfere with the abrasive surface but to clean during that process, i.e. debris removal. If your fluid has a high viscosity it will render the abrasive element pointless. This was my take-away and understanding when using lapping fluids in a non edge tools sharpening capacity (albeit, a long time ago).
The Trend fluid is essentially Naptha and solvent but to be fair has an extremely low viscosity so its not a gimmick as such (it is nasty stuff to work with though). Ironically I think they would take flack however they sold it. When charging what they do at the moment it implies a value, not to everyone but enough to generate sales. If they sold it in 5 gallon tubs for a tenner people would still question its efficacy in it being so cheap. Just be aware that when it comes to lapping fluids not all liquids are simply replaced with other liquids - they have unique properties in the same way stones do.

That said, the bottom line is if you get the result you want and need then use whatever works for you.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

For fine stones IPA works well.

 

[MCTWoodwork]

Apologies for a rediculously (almost feel silly replying now) long time in replying. I have had loads of other stuff going on in my personal life. Thanks so much fo your replies, there's loads of oil i can use then Cheers fellow woodies