Thread: oil on Jnat

If someone has used oil on a Jnat, is it ruined? Or is the stone OK?

Once the oil is in there it aint gettingnout.

Theoreticaly oil is a better medium then water...reducing friction...providing better cushioning and swarf removal....preventing rust at the apex and eliminating the acidity due to acid formation with water in JNATs

On the other hand it's ireversible...it aint readily available....its messy...

People prefer water due to the lack of disadvantages....more then any extra benefits...it works...its cheap and available...it is not messy...it makes nice hamons due to acjdity of the slurry.

Two things that perform like oil are glycerine (aka glycerol) and Smith's Honing Solution. Both can be diluted with water, which allows for the ability to vary the viscosity and for easy removal from the stone.

You would most likely be damaging a stone.
There are the ones that CAN be used with oil, and the ones that SHOULDN'T. Like Thuringians and the classic Japanese. And some in-between, like, say, coticules which I have seen be used with oil; I wouldn't again recommend it, but to each his own. Or many UK stones, that can be used with one or the other. Even Arkansas stones can be used with water, although most prefer oil.
You can. But do you have to, and, will there be consequences for the stone? For your case, yes, most likely.
As Utopian said, you can use glycerin, water/glycerin mix or Smith's solution which I do use frequently, that don't "permanently" damage the stone.

I've used regular rubbing alcohol to 'degrease' jnats that have been used with oil/honing solution. It works but may take several soaks changing the alcohol depending what was used, and it doesn't hurt the stone. I think that most razor-hard jnats are only slightly permeable - mikawas seem to be different, oil will penetrate much deeper. Alcohol has also never harmed the stamps on any with stamps that I have used it on.

Cheers, Steve

I'm smiling when i write this so dont take it the wrong way....

With all due respect this oil and water dont mix thing is a bit taboo.

I have had thuringians and even Eschers that were used by the old guys at the sharpening shops with oil...when asked, they replied it make the stone cut faster and finer... at that time i thaught that was just plain stupid.

I have also recieved jnats that were used with oil or petrol...somwhere @ 50 years ago...stone was in great shape...actualy beeing impregnated with oil prevented it from cracking.

Cracking in jnats is due to oxidation of metalic substrate in the presence of air and WATER...no Water...no oxidation....no pressure effect (oxides ocupy a larger volume then the metal substrate) along the metal mineral lines and no cracking...or anyway much less of it...some cracking is due to contraction/dilatation of the stone when subjected to temperature changes...like honing with warm water.

So yess...oil is messy...it's not readyily available...if you run out you cant just go to the sink for more....but it has it's specific advantages that have to be put in balance.

NO, i am not an oil fan, i like water for the reasons mentioned above....but i think you are not damaging a stone by converting it to an oilstone...you are just repurposing it )..some woodworkers love oilstones and they have reasons to.

i did my own experiments a while back when i found out about this...at first i felt angry like "what's this loonatic saying here use oil on my precious whetstones"...but guess what ... i tested a few stones i could dispose of and indeed they worked diffrent then on water...
for instance the 3 hone set sold by AJ...those english Slates...they cut way faster on oil....so did a slab of thuringian...coticules/BBW cut faster and finer in many cases...and jnats cut faster ...sinthetics dont get clogged with metal swarf so much....

But i guess we all have to do our own experimenting...

I like when people use arguments, scientific arguments or personal arguments from experience and testing to suport their ideas.

in short my personal opinion from what i have tested is you should use dedicated whetstones with water and oilstones with oil, but if you want to experiment, you can, the results are interesting...

Now i'm not saying pour honing oil on your Nakayama Maruka ) or your Labled Escher...but there are cheaper stones you can experiment with.

My 2 cents, luv you guys!

@ Steve 56 .... Alcohool should not harm water soluble inks like the ones used in jnats...but it's nice to know someone tried and tested this, thanks for the info.

Wow. Thanks for the information. Lots of good stuff there.

Originally Posted by ovidiucotiga

...but i think you are not damaging a stone by converting it to an oilstone...you are just repurposing it ).

Sounds like some other things I have heard of for example your Labrador mixes with a poodle . It isn't a mistake and the puppies are not mutts . They become "Labor doodles" And those mud-slate stones with oil in them are not Exxon oil spills . They are oil field mud now . Just messing with you. I don't own any so I don't know anything about them .

W8... so your poodle messed up with a Labradore and now you're confused about doodle spills and oil...and upset you dont own any of the puppyes....
That's messed up dude...

Just kidding m8. I like a good one once in a while.