Oil Stones for bushcraft??

[HHazeldean]

So I bought a huge box of tools for next to nothing at an auction yesterday and among the piles of tools were a couple of well used yet still in pretty good nick oil stones. Are these suitable for sharpening bushcraft knifes, carving knifes etc.. or are they only really suitable for things like chisels.
Sorry if this may come across as stupid, I just don't want to damage my knives!

Cheers

 

[ozzy1977]

They will be fine as long as they are flat, if they arnt they can be flattened like jap water stones

 

[HHazeldean]

Ah ok awesome thanks, they are anything but flat but I was planning on flattening them.. Also, what oil do you use on them?

Cheers

 

[Fat ferret]

WD 40 works a treat and keeps them clean.

 

[Big Stu 12]

if they are well clogged you could try cleaning them with a good soak in paraffin..... for a few days.. this sometimes cleans the grit out..

 

[ozzy1977]

O just use 3 in 1 on my oils tones as lube

 

[HHazeldean]

Awesome cheers for the responses all..so I'm going to grind them back down, soak in paraffin, and oil up!

How do they compare to Japanese waterstones? Better or worse in any way?

 

[Limaed]

I got some oilstones from a boot sale all in wooden boxes. One has a corse and fine grit, it performs equally as well as my whetstones in getting an edge. The finish after using the fine side isn't as clean as the whetstone polish using the nagura stone but the edge is as serviceable. At the end of the day a sharp knife is more important than a shiny one! I use the oilstones as much as the water stones as they are a lot less faff for a touch up.

 

[ozzy1977]

If you flatten them off they wont need cleaning in parafin, thats only to clean the surface when in use and it gets dirty. They wear a lot better than waterstones being less friable, the grit particles in waterstones are held together weaker to expose fresh grit, the down side is faster wear

 

[salad]

There just as good as Jap stones, the trick is all in your technique and how good you are at sharpening .

As others have said a flat stone is key to good sharpening, a good cheap way of flattening an old stone is to use a flat bit of glass with some wet an dry paper on it and if you like you can add some Silicon Carbide Powder (on the paper)which you can get pretty cheap if you search the web. Then just rub your stones on this until they are flat .
A good way to test how flat they are is to draw wiggly lines on them and the rub them on your bit of glass if all the lines come off them they are flat ,if you still have some of the bits of lines left then you have more work to do

 

[HHazeldean]

@Limaed: Thanks mate, as long as they still sharpen as well then, all sounds good.

@Tagnut: Oh ok, so scrap the paraffin then! And thats a good sign if they'll last longer then.

@salad: Oh I hadn't realised that, I thought you could do it by just rubbing it on a paving tile until they're flat? Or does that not work as well? Thanks for the advice, will crack on with that then!

Cheers for the help all

 

[ozzy1977]

a paving stone will do the job but not very well, course wet dry lubed with oil or parafin on a sheet of thick glass or mdf is the best

 

[HHazeldean]

Ah ok hadn't realised that at all! Awesome thanks for the info and help

 

[santaman2000]

I can't compare them to water stones as I've never used a water stone. I have however used oil stones (otherwise known as "whet rocks" all my life. I use them nn every thing I sharpen by hand except axes and saws. Both the artificial carborundum ones and the natural Arkansas Quachita stones. There might be something better out there but I don't think I'd really want to try any thing else. If it works (and they do) don't fix it.

 

[Bladeophile]

HHazeldean - re the tool haul - lucky you! Reminded me of me prowling around Bridport market for second hand planes and chisels. May I be so nosy and ask what was in the box besides oilstones?

 

[Bladeophile]

Sorry - I meant to add the old carpenters oilstone trick - which perhaps you already know. Once you have a thin layer of oil covering the stone, plonk your primary bevel flat on the stone, slowly steepen the angle a tad more till you see the oil squeezed out from under the edge, then you have your correct secondary bevel angle. Low tech but it works! I don't have a waterstone so can't say if you can pull the same trick on one.

 

[HHazeldean]

Yeah it was a pretty lucky find! Well in the three boxes there were countless old files, with and without handles, of all different types, most of them pretty buggered. Loads of old chisels, several different hand powered drills (bit and brace etc) - hammers, bits of guttering, spanners galore! I haven't had a chance to look through them all properly an go thorough and clean up the more batterer ones, seems like a mammoth sharpening job is in order for all the chisels!

Oh thanks for that, I seem to remember reading that somewhere a while back, thanks for reminding me about it! Seems like the kind of thing that could come in very handy. I'm now pretty excited to sort these stones out and give them a go as I've never used anything like them before.

Cheers

 

[Samon]

Once you've flattened them and picked the grit/s you like then you'll be set mate. Oil stones are tougher and last alot longer than water stones (from experience I've found this).

I don't use oil on mine either! bit of water will do just fine and is farl ess grubby to put back in your bag/box etc. I hear some people put them in the dishwasher to lift out the old metal form the pores!

I have a piece of oil stone on my pocket knife pouch, I cut it from an old English one I had laying about unused.