Thread: Can Arkansas stones be waterstones?

Originally Posted by hi_bud_gl

i know example charnley forest stone will make a lot differences with oil or just water. edge comes out from oil a lot smoother and sharper.

I couldn't bring myself to use oil on my CF stone so I tried a couple of drops of dish soap and it worked quite well.

Forty years ago I used to sharpen pocket knives on a Wash*ta and a Hard Arkansas. I used Smith's honing oil and they worked very well. Those stones are long gone now. IIRC I never had any trouble with the stones loading up. I used to wipe the oil and swarf off with a paper towel and that was sufficient.

I use sewing machine oil for my turkish oil stone.
It never smells or turns rancid, doesn't dry or build a resin and it is widely available.

I think that you can use water or oil

but once you use oil you cannot use water after

water then oil is ok

Try lather instead of water. Arkansas stones are not all that great though, they seem rather slow for their grit.

I too think your better off with some other stone. Unless you want to double or triple your honing time.

Originally Posted by turbine712

I have a set of 3 stones, 1- coarse, 1- medium and 1- Wa****a. No idea of grits on any of them. I had used them years ago for knife sharpening and used oil on them.
Question: If I wash them real well with soap and water, can they then be used as waterstones? I am not looking at using them for razors but for another sharpening project.
Thanks,
Bill W

I should have read your original question better...sorry.
If your Arkansas have been used with oil, you can boil them in water and detergent...approx. 30-60 minutes (prefered) and/or use oven cleaner...that will remove surface oils for ya. Ive done this to many stones and they accept water afterwards.
This will not, however, remove oils in the core of the stone...ive learned that after cutting a few.

Thanks,

Mac

Bill
I have used “Simple Green” to wash of Stones and “Krud Kutter” both available at Home Depot. “Krud Kutter” is a great cleaner will remove dried paint from cement. Spray on scrub with a brush and rinse with water. No gloves needed. “Simple Green” is a good degreaser and the best on degreasing plastic for automotive use.
For years I have used Arkansas stones, Black & Translucent with water & a drop or 2 of Antibacterial soap in a ½ pint of water in a plastic squeeze bottle. The antibacterial soap keeps it from getting funky for months and causes the water to sheet on the stone.
I also use “Buck Honing Oil” on some stones, it smells like kerosene to me. Works well with easy clean up. I’m going to try some mineral oil and see if there is a difference.
Marty

Personally with my sets of Arkansas stones, I have used water, water with detergent, Olive Oil, Canola Oil, Smith's Honing Oil, 3-in-1 Oil, Gun Oil, Motor Oil, Coconut Oil, Kerosene, and Lather on various stones at different times....

My personal preference is to use the 3-in-1 Oil, which is the same as the sewing machine oil and honing oil....I have found no difference in the actual edge I get from using water, lather, or an oil...however, I found Lather to be faster than water at getting the edge and Oil to be faster than the Lather to get the same edge....I also like the feedback better when using oil on an Arkansas stone, it almost makes the stone feel softer to me.

If your stones have been used with oil and you wish to use them with either lather or water, I would recommend putting them into your dishwasher....the dishwasher soap that you use in there will remove the oils and clean it up just like it was a ceramic mixing bowl....I have cleaned all sorts of mistreated stones in there, although if it is really foul, you might want to run it through twice to get it really clean.

I've read about using lather on stones before. When I tried this the lather just seemed to get in the way. The blade just skimmed along on the lather and never touched the stone surface. What is the correct way to use lather on a hone?

I can't say for "correct way", but I can tell you that when I use lather, I use a runny lather that is much the same way as I use it on my face. I haven't had much problem with the blade riding up on the lather probably because I make it so thin.......maybe one of the more experienced members will chime in?

To me the main purpose trying the lather over plain water is to make the water a bit thicker and slicker, but to tell you the truth I've not found a stone that I prefer lather over either water mostly or sometimes oil.