Thread: Chemically/physically speaking, why does oil/glycerin make for a closer honing?

Originally Posted by Hirlau

More water, makes water wetter.

Surely the water would be equally wet just bigger. Whateever the water was on would be wetter though

I have heard the term used in a way that refers to breaking the surface tension of the water to it doesn't bead, therefore making it "wetter"

Originally Posted by edhewitt

Surely the water would be equally wet just bigger. Whateever the water was on would be wetter though

I'm guessing but I would think some substances act as a surfactant and cut surface tension. Water will try to bead up on many hard polished stones, so I add a drop or two of Jet Dry to a 12 oz bottle,of honing water.

Cheers, Steve

I just want to know if it is wetter under water if you are there when it rains?

Bob

Of course, more water means, more wet.

Originally Posted by Hirlau

Of course, more water means, more wet.

OK, I got a few more questions for you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ye_fZocBAMI

Bob

I can relate to that.

Originally Posted by Hirlau

Of course, more water means, more wet.

I think that temperature has a lot to do with it. I can go walk out on the frozen lake behind my house today and not get a drop on me. If I tried that in the summer I would be soaking wet.

Thanks for the informative (and funny) posts. I didn't even think about the possibility that the 'finer' hone that comes from using glycerin or oil would actually be due to the fact that it forces the steel and stone farther apart, rather than closer together; very interesting.

As an aside relating to glycerin, in the tattoo biz we used to mix our own colors with dry pigment, listerine, alcohol, and distilled water. The 45% alcohol would disperse the pigment. I used to mix my 1/2 pound packs of red, orange, green, what have you, in half gallon jugs and fill 4oz bottles as needed.

Three drops of glycerin in a 1/2 gallon made the ink 'slick' and it would go into the skin more easily, wouldn't clump up as it would if you didn't know to add the glycerin. Twenty or thirty years ago I would have never publicly stated that 'trade secret', but now the cow is so far out of the barn there is no sense trying to close the doors.