Thread: Hone Oil

Where can i get hone oil for a arkansas black from? Can i use a cooking oil such as grape seed oil?

In general oil hones are not recommended for straights however if you use one I would stay away from any oil like that which is apt to become rancid over time. use mineral oil or hone oil or camila oil.

I got an arkansas black and it says to use oil. Can i use water or is that just not a good razor hone?

You can get mineral oil at any semi-decent pharmacy. They usually keep it close to alcohol/peroxide/iodine to be used as a laxative. It's also good for protecting razors in transit.

A few of the guys here use an Arkansas and like them. But... they can vary in quality and they are so very slow. The trick is to know at what stage of the honing process to use the hone that you have. A lot of the guys here use the Norton 4/8 combination grit waterstone.

Use any honing oil that contains good-quality mineral oil...like Nathan's, Case, Smith or other. Don't use water with an Arkansas stone.

For someone starting out is a slow stone better because of the slower cutting and not every stroke counting as much?

Just checked with a friend who has used them for 40 years. He says water is ok. He uses sewing machine oil or baby oil.

Generally speaking, a black is a finishing hone.

Water works fine with arkansas stones, as does lather, or something like kerosene. You just need something to keep the swarf from clogging the hone. I've been playing with Kano Kroil lately and prefer it for honing. Arkansas stones get better with use as the surface abrasives wear, so if this is your first time using it your results won't be indicative of the stone's true potential.