I have a very nice slate I have had for a while. I got it at the same time I got my Hindostan over in Indiana. What do you all recommend as a lube?
Slawmeister!
I have a very nice slate I have had for a while. I got it at the same time I got my Hindostan over in Indiana. What do you all recommend as a lube?
Slawmeister!
Normally i use only water on slate, but some slates do profit from a type of lubrication. This means soapy water, water glyzerine or probably oil.....
These are the slates i use without water:
- french La Lune (Purple) used with water glyzerine
- Special Stone only for Good Razors (blue metallic variant) i use oil
- vintage Yellow Lake with oil
I also heard that AJs purple Slate profits from the use of oil...
You only have to be careful because a lot of slates do soak in the oil. After that you cant use them as you did with water before.
I no longer use honing oil at all
I found Smith's Honing Solution which is water soluble, I haven't looked back since,, What I really love is the ability to adjust viscosity with one product and a few drops of water...
Plus I never have to worry about getting oil on an expensive Nakayama
I also use Smith's with just a little Ballistol added.:beer1:
I prefer ballistol with water 40/60 mix. I think smiths honing solution is a good option too. Working primarily with Arkansas stones these past couple years, I found that ballistol kept my stones cleaner than smiths but never had a problem on my slate Hones with either one.
My slate is very hard and does not seem to absorb anything. I flattened it yesterday & my oh my what a smooth edge on a 5/8" Torrey 1/2 hollow with barbers notch. This seems to be a earlier Torrey. Need to clean & polish some more but this baby is now smooth & sharp! Can't wait for my Shapton 16K. to get here in the next few days.
Does anyone know when Torrey started making razors here in the US?
Slawmeister
A interesting thing I found when adding Ballistol to Smith's is that the Ballistol made the Smith's turn white showing the Smith's has water in it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Steel
It's crazy how good of a product Ballistol is for so many use's. Just used it on the zipper of my wife's fall coat & it works better than new. I use Ballistol with my wet / dry sandpaper with good results. If you don't have or never have had Ballistol get a can, it does not take very much to do great things.
Slawman
I just used it on my leather dress shoes. It is a great product. Far from magical as other products will do the same but it has so many properties (like water soluble) that it is a very versatile product. I also use it all over from wood handle knives In The kitchen, cutting boards, cleaning guns and blades, leather shoes, honing solution, lubricant on truck, and doors. Being water soluble itis indeed a unique product that can be used to build and dilute a slurry.
I use oil or water, depending on the type of slate and its porosity--non-porous, oil, porous, water. You seem to be happy with the results as used, so stick with that. Is a high-grit synth really needed afterwards?Quote:
Originally Posted by Slawman
I like options & the Shapton will be another option. I have a Coti that is a good stone also. I am thinking of starting to do some razor honing & fine knife sharpening in the near future. I have a neighbor who teaches in a culinary school & is also opening a fine dining type restaurant here in town. The guy who was doing his & the schools knives has retired. Rather than sending their knives out we have been talking & I hope to get his business. I like having tools to do the work I have. Plus I like having "STUFF". I tell my wife & kids the He who dies with the most stuff wins. I want to win! ROFLOL ;-)Quote:
Originally Posted by Brontosaurus
Slawman
I only use water with my slate hones, I know the edge would be keener with Smiths honing solution (which I use on other stones) but I use other stones after the slate so, for that reason I am happy to keep with water
Okay, I thought your were going to use the Shapton 16k after the slate finisher. My experience has been that certain slates, particularly those used with oil, can up the ante off a coticule. The only trick is not to go too far with them so as to create an overly harsh edge. Any idea of the locale where your piece comes from?Quote:
Originally Posted by Slawman
No guess where it came from. It was bought at a flea market in Indiana from the same place I got my hindostan hone. Think I paid around $5.00 for it. To be honest I had misplaced it for a couple of years & just found it.
Slawman
Same here, I only use oil on the hones I use for my kitchen knives (synthetics and Arkansas)Quote:
Originally Posted by gssixgun
If I were in East Central Illinois, I'd be pretty excited about a Hindostan stone, if only to keep things somewhat close by, regionally-speaking. Might be interesting to do a little research on slates in Indiana and a little further afield to see if they were historically used for honing there. There was a guy on the forums a while back using some black slate he'd dug up in Kentucky, claiming that it was a decent finisher, etc., etc.Quote:
Originally Posted by Slawman
When you first purchased it, where there any indications that it was used with oil? And beyond the seller, was it from the same source as the Hindostan? If so, it might be interesting to try a Hindostan > slate progression to see what that yields.
The guy I bought both stones from had no clue about them. Said he got them at an auction near Bloomington Indiana. There is a lot of slate in Indiana & also shale. There is a lot of coal mined there so you see shale & slate in the tailings pile at times.