Thread: DMT use oil or water?

I was just curious do you hone on a DMT dry or do you use some type of lubricant on it like water or oil when honing?

Water. That is what DMT recommends.
I wouldn't use oil because it sticks to the surface and you'd have a hard time rinsing it off.

Also, Depending on what you do with it, your DMT might get all sorts of colors. Don't worry about it. this is normal. As long as you don't use a lot of force when you use it, there is virtually nothing you can do to damage it.

you can use either, but the oil is a huge mess and harder to clean. with water, you just pop it in the dishwasher when it gets nasty. anymore, i will only use oil on arkansas stones, and that's only because they don't take water well.

I know this is heretical but I've always used mine dry, with no ill effects at all.

(When lapping stones on the 320, of course, I use running water.)

The dry thing does work just fine. I tend to do that with my knives. You get dusty metal particles on your hands.

Oil would work fine, but I recommend water. The DMT cuts so quickly that you'll quickly build up a metal swarf, and cleaning that off will be much easier with water. Just wipe, rewet, and continue honing. You'd probably use a fair bit of oil just to hone one razor.

Josh

The main reason I use mine dry is that I sometimes spend an hour or so setting a bevel on the DMT (if it's a problem razor) and I don't really like having a razor wet for that long.
I have one of those stiff bristly brushes for cleaning pots and pans and it's dedicated to the DMTs (so no grease or anything). I give the DMT a good dry brushing over the sink every 50 laps or so or whenever I sense any buildup.

I have a hard time picturing what using water adds. With a natural stone it makes the surface slicker and (I think) lowers the pressure by creating a "cushion." It doesn't seem to do anything of the sort with a DMT. And unless you're using running water the water doesn't seem to really bear away the swarf; when I've tried it I just end up with wet swarf that needs to cleaned as opposed to dry dust that needs to be brushed.

The fact that there seems to be a consensus here about water and the fact that the DMT company itself recommends it makes me think I'm missing something, but I've always wondered what it is.

I find after extended use you end up scrubbing DMT's that you have wet. I have used them with oil, water, and dry. Though certainly easier to clean dry, I find it is necessary to do this more often or lose all efficacy in sharpening. Also, when wet, I don't end up with embedded swarf in my fingers.

Yes you're right Shotwell. I should have been clearer – I always wash them with hot water and detergent when I'm finished. I only meant that I use the scrubby thing dry when cleaning off excess swarf in the middle of a honing session.

I use it with water and just a little dish detergent, to help the water spread evenly over the full surface of the DMT.

use a little dawn dishwashing liquid in the water for more lubrication just a little