Replies

1. 
   uncommontree | Nov 27, 2003 07:04am | #1

   Jim,

   Back in the days when I had time to fish,I would sharpen all my knives and now chisels with a fine Arkansas stone( and other stones) using a honing oil, when I was finished I would wipe the stone with a rag or paper towel then wash it in a de-greasing dishwashing liquid like Dawn. soak if it is real bad. also I would use a green scrubby .This seem's to work for me, some of my stones are 25 years old and are still working great. There may be better thoughts on this and I to am open to them. Have a great Turkey Day. Rick.

1. 
   twotowers | Nov 29, 2003 12:14am | #6

   Thanks - never washed the stones after I used them - just wiped them off with paper towel. They gog clogged and I couldn't clean them nomatter what I did. I recently threw them out in frustration. What a waste.  I will follow your advice in the future!

   Jim

2. 
   BobSmalser | Nov 27, 2003 07:34am | #2

   All of my Arkansas stones are at least 30 years old and I don't do squat to them except clean with WD40 and a rag occasionally.

3. 
   DonStephan | Nov 28, 2003 06:42am | #3

   Im memory still OK, in his bible on sharpening Leonard Lee mentions flattening oil stones using coarse powder. 120 or so wet/dry paper probably would work also. I had same problem with oil stones, even though they were reputable brands. After flattening, would cut very well for a time but rather quickly glazed over again. Tried sandpaper sharpening but the grit quickly dulls, and tired of replacing the paper constantly. Switched to water stones from Japan Woodworker catalog and very happy. If I had to do again, would look very hard for what English call a "linisher" - a narrow belt sander (about 1-1.5" wide) with flat supporting surface behind and spring loaded top wheel. Professional wood carver down the street has one, changes the belts without turning off the machine. He touches up chisels lickety split. I've made token effort to find such a machine with no luck.

1. 
   rod | Dec 02, 2003 06:04am | #12

   Don,

     I got one from Lee Valley.  It is $54.50 and you supply the motor.

   Rod

4. 
   mlbfreestyle | Nov 28, 2003 06:53am | #4

   The problem may be that the stone is dressed to finely.  I  use an EZE-Lap coarse diamond plate to periodically dress my stones about once a year or so.  It is possible to make the stone too smooth.  It ust be dressed with something that "busts open" the surface to expose sharp edges.  This is common practice in the industrial grinding world.  A hard feed on the diamond dresser will make the wheel cut like a coarse grade.  A slow fine feed on the dresser will make it cut like a fine wheel.

1. 
   twotowers | Nov 29, 2003 12:16am | #7

   What is  an EZE-Lap coarse diamond plate? jim

1. 
   mlbfreestyle | Dec 01, 2003 08:11pm | #10

   EZE LAP is a company name.  They make a variety of diamond coated plates for sharpening.  I bought one of there 8x2 coarse diamond plates and use it for a variety of things besides flattening my oil stones. 

5. 
   jazzdogg | Nov 28, 2003 07:39pm | #5

   Jim,

   For very fine honing, you might want to try an 8,000-grit ceramic stone. Although I still have my oil stones, I can't remember the last time I used one: it's largely diamond and ceramics for me now.

   You can use a coarse diamond stone to quickly flatten an oil stone and "open the pores."

   Paul

   Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right.
6. 
   UncleDunc | Nov 29, 2003 01:50am | #8

   What kind of stone is it? I've had Arkansas stones get glazed if I didn't use enough oil, but not clogged up. In the closeups I've seen of Arkansas stones, there weren't any pores to clog up. The particles all nested together very closely, kind of like the effect you'd get if you filled up a container with hard boiled eggs and then compressed them until all the space between them was gone. I've had good success deglazing and flattening my Arkansas stones with a 600 grit DMT diamond stone.

   In the manmade stones, grey carborundum or brown/red India stones, there is pore space between the particles that can get clogged up. In my experience, the most effective way to deal with that is to fill the stone with melted Vaseline before using it. Just melt the Vaseline over low heat, submerge the stone in it, and let it cool. (You might want to reserve the excess for future stone filling. Vaseline with stray silicon carbide grains floating around in it just wouldn't be appropriate for some applications.) You could probably do it in the microwave in a glass container, but I've never tried that.

   The Vaseline is so soft it doesn't keep the abrasive grains from wearing away as you use the stone, which you want, but solid enough that it keeps the shavings and abrasive dust from getting into the pores, which you don't want. A big plus is that it also keeps the oil on the surface of the stone where you put it, instead of sinking in like water on dry sand.

   Of course now that I've learned all this wisdom, I don't use manmade oilstones anymore. For chisels and plane irons it's all diamond, water stones, and chromium dioxide. For knives, diamond and Arkansas stones.

1. 
   twotowers | Dec 01, 2003 03:50am | #9

   That is very insightful, you know your craft!

   Jim

7. 
   ChasStanford | Dec 02, 2003 05:00am | #11

   I keep mine submersed in lamp oil.  Glazing has not been a problem since.