Thread: Charnley Forest/Charnwood Hone - water, oil, soap?

I've got a Charnley Forest on the way to me. I read through a lot of old threads here and on B&B and elsewhere, and there seems to be quite a range of thoughts on whether to use them with water, oil, soap, simple green &c.

CF users - what have you found works well. Other advice?

Very shortly...oil worked the best for me. I mostly use a thin oil to do quite a lot of laps in the finishing stage.

Originally Posted by doorsch

Very shortly...oil worked the best for me. I mostly use a thin oil to do quite a lot of laps in the finishing stage.

Any particular oil? I saw a recommendation of Ballistol since it seems it can be mixed with water to thin out.

Originally Posted by benhunt

Any particular oil? I saw a recommendation of Ballistol since it seems it can be mixed with water to thin out.

I mostly use WD40, just because its a thinner then Ballistol. Never thinnned ballistol with water...

On the other hand ballistol really smells very bad so i prefer the WD40.

I use Smith's Honing Solution, which also can be thinned with water.

I know a lot of people say oil. I don't agree or disagree with this. I think it will depend on your particular stone. There is a range for these stones not all are equal. Some may need oil to get you where you want and some may not. Personal preference may come into play here too. I don't like oil. I got a charnwood that I don't think was used with oil and seems very fine and glassy. I use water, but I like to add some hand soap in with the water for an extra bump that may not have even been needed, but I love the edge from mine.

from Grinding and honing pt.3
Some CFs can provide a very sharp edge. They can be used for grinding or polishing of a cut with a light oil, but preferably with water.

I think the softer ones may need the oil more, and the very hard ones not so much. I am not an expert on these stone. I do love them though so I read a lot online when I got my first one. Not really that much info on them compared to a lot of other stones.

I would give it a soak in simple green wash with soap and water. Then try it on a good shaving edge with water as a finisher and see if you like it or if it improves the edge. If not try with hand soap and work your way to an oil and decide for yourself. This is all part of the fun. Each stone and person is different so it can be a lot of trial never an error.
Enjoy. Oh and once you get it show us some pics.

Originally Posted by Utopian

I use Smith's Honing Solution, which also can be thinned with water.

Yep ^^^^ That

Have pretty much switched all my oil stones to Smith's now, I like that it can be so easily adjusted in viscosity and I do NOT have to worry about cross-contamination with my expensive Water Stones