Oilstones - containing the mess

Ian Gillis

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Nova Scotia's beautiful south shore
Hi

I've been a Japanese water stone user since the early 80's. I plan to keep using them for certain certain situations (fast removal of metal), but I've switched to oilstones for the most part.

What I'd like is to see is how oilstone users set up a honing station (pics very welcome), and how you deal with the dirty oil produced.

I have a 3 stone setup and I'm thinking along the lines of a cookie sheet screwed to a melamine shelf. Then a cleat on the bottom of the whole setup to secure it in my bench vise.

I thought I'd tap your brains before heading off to re-invent the wheel ;)
 
Me Too

I do the same as Frank. I find water stones more of a mess myself. That could be the operator though:D. I have my oilstones on a piece of plywood with "U" shaped pieces of wood around each end. The stones are loose enough so I can turn them around or over easily to even out the wear. I also have a cleat on one bottom edge to hook onto my bench. Sorry, no pics though.
 
Thanks Guys

Yup, I agree, it doesn't have to be a big soupy mess. I'm still leaning toward my cookie sheet idea -- it's not like I bake very often ;) It might be gilding the lily a bit, but it'll be pretty much the same as mounting them on plywood, but with a bit of sheet metal in the sandwich. I'll add wooden cleats to anchor the stones in place.

Cookie sheet number 2 might become the permanent home for the lapping plate I bought from LV. That sucker needs a fair bit of oil, as it collects in the slots and seeps out continuously.

And yes, water stones are very messy. That and the fact they need truing up so often is why I made the switch to oilstones. And oil/iron makes a friendlier combination than water/iron.

Please, don't anyone turn this into a debate about sharpening methods. Really, we've all seen that movie often enough :) (and I don't mean you, Frank or Don)
 
I use a Half sheet pan. It's got a lip of about an inch all around with a rolled top edge.

It works pretty good, whether I'm using oil or water stones, or most often, my diamond stones.
 
boy ian those camra's are either broke or out of film(old days) or memory cards are full.. still no pics,, come on folks inquirru minds need pics we cant read well:rofl:
 
Oh, and as far as oil stones go, I bought one of those 'Tri cornered' stones that comes with a plastic box.

Just wipe it, oil it, sharpen, turn 60 degrees, repeat, put the lid back on and your done....

Triple Stone

Mine is something like this, but I've had it so long I can't remember where I got it. Mine is all plastic.
 
No pics, didn't happen :(

Hey Larry

If I posted any pics right now they'd just have a cookie sheet in them! And a fella like you probably knows what one of those looks like ;)

Ok, lemme get my tea and I'll come back later with "The Cookie Sheet: A Photo Essay".

Thanks for the replies, Brent. I figure I have about enough stones now to hold me for this lifetime, but one of those 3 sided things would be a good idea for anyone starting fresh. A real space saver. Can you flip a stone over on a rig like that? To use the other face, I mean.

No, Frank, I didn't think you'd start a debate, but you can never tell when one might break out ;) I don't want to be responsible for setting off one of those in my first week back! Which way to the dust collection forum fellas?:bonkers:
 
one of those 3 sided things would be a good idea for anyone starting fresh. A real space saver. Can you flip a stone over on a rig like that? To use the other face, I mean.

I think you can, at least on mine. It's really a pretty simple affair, with some screws holding a plate that holds the stones to a triangle. If you have a number of similar sized stones, It'd be pretty easy to put together something similar, I'd guess.

Like many, I find sharpening to be an elusive skill to master and in my quest I've acquired quite a few stones and gadgets to help me attain that skill.

I think it's just one of those things that can probably be taught, but many of us just plug along until we find what works for us.
 
one of those 'Tri cornered' stones that comes with a plastic box.

Just wipe it, oil it, sharpen, turn 60 degrees, repeat, put the lid back on and your done....

Geometric "tangent": Wouldn't that be 120 degrees? :rolleyes:

I've only just begun the journey to figure out sharpening, but it has been a pleasure to finally have a decently sharp chisel to use lately. :thumb:
 
Geometric "tangent": Wouldn't that be 120 degrees? :rolleyes:

I've only just begun the journey to figure out sharpening, but it has been a pleasure to finally have a decently sharp chisel to use lately. :thumb:

Doh! Tried to do the math but messed it up! :dunno: :rofl:

I've gotten my turning chisel sharpening down, At least to my satisfaction.

Using a guide, I can get my chisels super duper sharp.

Using a 'lansky' type sharpener with diamond blades, I can get my pocket and smaller knives sharp enough to shave with.

And I can even get my kitchen knives sharp enough to shave free hand.

It's taken a while and I'm sure others can do it better/faster than I can, but it's satisfying to just be able to have adequately sharp tools.
 
High Tech

boy ian those camra's are either broke or out of film(old days) or memory cards are full.. still no pics,, come on folks inquirru minds need pics we cant read well:rofl:

Larry,

Do you know if I die tomorrow, the only 2 projects I'll ever have posted on here will be a small wooden wedge and this cookie sheet? :eek:

Sorry it's blurry, I didn't charge the battery long enough for the flash to work.

The good news is that it seems to fit the bill. I have to move one or the other of the outside stones to lap the back of a chisel on the middle stone, but that's no biggie.

There's no way I'm posting this sucker in jigs and fixtures. Oh, and I calculate that I used .08 bf of Honduras Mahog out of the scrap box. Nothing but the finest ;)
 

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So it works well does it?

I don't know, I have a similar set up, with water stone (when in Japan....) and I found that with the stones right on the sheet, it was a bit awkward, by putting each stone on a pedestal, or just another stone, it was easier to work, not so close to the cookie sheet........... it that makes sense :huh:

second_stage_sharpening.jpg
Here,I'm using the large, coarse water stones to support and raise the finishing water stones.

Cheers!
 
Makes Sense

Hi Stu

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Instead of putting stone on stone, I think I'll set one stone in a 2x4 to get clearance. I'm going to reduce it to 2 stones, the Norton 250/1000 combo and the translucent Arkansas. If I can find a soft Washita (400-600 grit), that will go in the first slot. The translucent stone is graded as 1200+ grit - if I had to guess, I'd say mine is in the 1600-1800X range (based on comparison with water stones).

And I still have my 4000X gold waterstone if I want that mirror shine. This is less messy than the others because it doesn't require soaking, and doesn't need a lot.of water.

Sorry, I'm just thinkng "out loud" on the keyboard :)

Domo harigato
 
End of the cookie sheet saga

Hi

Just a brief follow-up to the oilstone story. I followed Stu's example and set the stones at different heights. This gives clearance for the chisel handle and fingers when I work on the back of the chisel.

The stones I'm using now are, from left to right: soft white Arkansas, Norton 250/1000 combo (1000 side up), translucent Arkansas, and an 8000 grit ceramic stone. This lineup might change, but that's another topic.

To keep the wooden blocks nice and snug, I cut rabbets on them so they fit on the little mahogany rails and don't touch the bottom of the cookie sheet.

I've been keeping the setup on my shop cart right next to my bench to save steps.

No biggie, but effective.
 

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You have a pretty good eye for oil! Yes, that's olive oil. I like the viscosity. Smells good too :)

Sorry to chime in, but any vegetal oil is not a good choice IMHO, as it is vegetal it dryes after a while, and clogs the stones with crud that makes the tools slide without grinding them, stones loose there eficiency.

A light mineral oil is a better choice, some people mix it with kerosene to make it lighter although the smell is disgusting (unless you use odorless kerosene).
Jim Krenov uses only kerosene.

I use hydraulic oil and works fine for me.

My two cents...
 
Hi Stu

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Instead of putting stone on stone, I think I'll set one stone in a 2x4 to get clearance. I'm going to reduce it to 2 stones, the Norton 250/1000 combo and the translucent Arkansas. If I can find a soft Washita (400-600 grit), that will go in the first slot. The translucent stone is graded as 1200+ grit - if I had to guess, I'd say mine is in the 1600-1800X range (based on comparison with water stones).

And I still have my 4000X gold waterstone if I want that mirror shine. This is less messy than the others because it doesn't require soaking, and doesn't need a lot.of water.

Sorry, I'm just thinkng "out loud" on the keyboard :)

Domo harigato

Do you know the color of the soft Washita you want? I may be able to help.
 
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