Thread: Lube for American Slate Hones?

Water. If you want to see how much you wish you didn't oil it, put oil on it.

Originally Posted by Euclid440

Soap works, but I like Smith’s Honing solution, it is water soluble. .

+1 Found it and I have never looked back




There are tons of ways to "fake make" this but it is so cheap and works so well I don't bother

Oil comes right out of slate, just soak in 50 percent Simple Green and water. Depending on how much oil has seeped into the stone, will determine how long of a soak you need. Oil or Simple Green does not affect the stone.

I have used mineral oil on clean slates and then just washed them with Dawn dish liquid after and it will remove the oil easily.

But Smith’s is the way to go. Works well and inexpensive, about 6 buck, a bottle will last years, you only need 2-3 drops on a wet stone.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

+1 Found it and I have never looked back




There are tons of ways to "fake make" this but it is so cheap and works so well I don't bother

Sorry a bit off topic but...

You ever wonder what the buying/selling spikes are like after informative posts like this cause. Yep went right out and got me some.

Thanks for sharing the insider tricks of the trade.

The nice thing about Smith's honing solution is that it is water soluble and so can be diluted with water, and so you can can vary its viscosity by altering the ratio of the "oil" and the water.

I have some of that Smith's solution also, according to the MSDS it contains triethanolamine, which means that it may contain oil. All the other ingredients are unlisted, apparently they are considered trade secret. However, that one ingredient is a common one used to help certain oils emulsify/dissolve in water, so it may well contain oil. That would likely put it in the camp of soluble oils such as those used in machining, so one might also try some of those if looking to experiment. My former workplace (machine shop) uses a synthetic soluble oil that might make a good candidate.

Yea, that is probably what it is, but at 6 buck a bottle, easy to find, works and last a long time, my original bottle is at least 2 years old and have not used half of it…

Do put some in a small squeeze bottle, I use an old ½ oz makeup sample bottle, my bride had. The original bottle does not deliver a drop, more of a dribble. the makeup bottle releases, one drop at a time.

Post a photo of your stone, I have one that is stamped “American Hone” is a green slate and easily releases a thick pea green slurry. I have never found out any information on it. Finishes like a Thüringen.

I have some photos some where I will look or take some more.

Right, I am buying in to this post, I have read all I can about the oil for the last two weeks and used some Lansky last weekend on my Welsh slate from AJ. The edge went that little bit further and was great straight off the hone after wiping off the excess. I was a little concerned with the afore mentioned issues but will have to wait and see how the hone turns out. I read that you can just turn the slate over, lap it and use both sides one for oil one for water, so figured what the heck. Can someone confirm or deny this for me please.

That is possible on certain slates. It really is a very individual thing when it comes to the type of slate. For instance the Thuringian slates all come with instructions never to use oil. Depending on the composition of the "cement" holding the stone together, some slates will not give up the oil even when soaked in Simple Green or similar solution. Some will soften and become useless and some will be just fine. There's really no way to tell without trying. That's why I steer clear of oil on my slate stones nowadays. I have cut and lapped plenty of found slates and a few have almost dissolved when I tried oil. Certain others actually have oil already in them naturally.

I have some of those stone and they are good and will give you a decent edge, especially if you slurry the stone and dilute it out.

You do want to use water with those stones to take advantage of the slurry.

Wash it with Dawn dish soap and a scrub brush and it should come out, if not soak in 50 percent Simple Green and water over night.

Start with a medium slurry and add drops until you are using clear water.

The larger you stone the easier it is to get a good edge, they are medium grit 6-8k but will give a nice edge if you take your time with the dilution.