I have a carborundum sharpening stone and have read to use oil or water (and not switch between the two) for sharpening knives. I have a few expensive kitchen knives but I give them a few passes with a steel before each use and have them sharpened professionally.

I want to use the stone for a beautifully made but pretty cheap knife from Burma, a couple of Opinels and a sailing knife.

When reading how to sharpen them, it says to use mineral oil; as in Shimano brake oil? Is oil better than water?

The sailing knife has a thick blade so while it can be very sharp (has been in the past), I’m also sure I can’t really eff it up. The Opinels and the other knife have much finer blades so, from what I’ve read, an acuter (more acute?) angle. Correct? I don’t have one of those guides for the angle so will be doing it by ever so slightly tipsy eye anyway…

Thanks

I do my kitchen and opinel knives by eye.

Opinels have very soft blades so they are pretty compliant, and easy to sharpen.

Big fat kitchen knives need a bit more consistency holding the angle right. Since I usually end up doing it in the kitchen with the radio on, I just use olive oil since it’s close at hand. If I can be bothered and am doing something really important like my Beardy McAxerson Axe, I might use 3-in-1 oil from the workshop. If Im reading the Guardian at the same time, I might get the Waitrose Three Chilli infused Indonesian Virgin Pressed Patchouli oil out.

In the grand STW tradition of recommend what you have/use…

I don’t think there’s much difference in performance between water and oil so I use water because it’s easier and less mess. This is on a diamond “stone” and Japanese waterstones.

Don’t really know about the angles but if you’re doing it by eye I’d just go with your instincts.

Cheers.

Slightly tipsy just progressed to ‘wonder if it’ll stick in the wooden floor and quiver if I drop it’* so I’ll use mineral oil but on another day. I do have some truffle infused, extra virgin that I bought on offer before remembering that black truffles taste of the morning after smoking cheap cigars. May well end up using that as Shimano mineral oil actually has a use.

For kitchen knives, like I said,, a few passes of a steel every use but I don’t want to mess them up and have them properly sharpened; Global cleaver, Henckels, Wusthof, a MAC and a Shun. Each bought when they were several days wages.

*it did but I’ll have to gently grind the bent tip off the blade. Olive oil got rid of the mark in the floor 😕

At screwfix and b&q you can get diamond stones for £3 which are loads better than oilstones. I bought one last month and after using it on knives and chisels I threw all my old banana-shaped oilstones away.

“diamond stones for £3 which are loads better than oilstones”

how so?

Also, isn’t there a difference between oilstones, whetstones and carbidiumbodiumhoodium-jobbies (yes, finished the beer and off to bed!)?

Japanese water stones all the way for me – I use a 1000 grit / 400 grit combi stone in the kitchen. Honing is the most important thing, whatever stone system you use – I have a honing paddle in the kitchen, about a foot long, which I made from a piece of old leather belt (furry side up) glued to a bit of ply wood. A honing paste ‘crayon’ is the least messy option.

The Diamond Sharpening stone is thin and flat and the same size as an oilstone.

It’s sharp, doesn’t go out of shape and is worth keeping in the kitchen drawer to give a good edge to your blunt knives before finishing off properly.

It’s great for chisels too.

This thread is so weird

Washing up liquid.
Doesn’t run off the stone like water, easily cleans up after use.

spit

Japanese whetstone for me too. I’ve got one right up to 8000 grit. Learn the proper technique too.

Diamond sharpeners don’t give the very best edges of you’re really into tool sharpening. Too course and not ‘accurate’ enough if that makes sense.

8000 grit? 😯 Is that instead of honing? I’ve always found anything over 4000 to be a bit academic.

If you want it as sharp as one of the two sharpest objects in existence:

Death (Bill Door) sharpens a scythe blade. First on a grindstone, then on an oilstone, then on a steel. It was too blunt. Miss Flitworth supplied, from her rag bag, satin, then silk, finest white silk, never worn (from her wedding dress). It was still blunt. Then it was sharpened on cobweb. Then on the breeze at dawn. Finally, on the light of the new day

Japanese water stones all the way for me – I use a 1000 grit / 400 grit combi stone in the kitchen.

Same here but now the knives have been properly sharpened I don’t use the 400. Thinking of getting a finer one to see if I can get them to the “shaving the hairs of your arm” level.

Nah, you go above 8000 grit did a real finish. Get some autoglym metal polish to give it a real shine an edge.

Note I was taught how to sharpen by a bloke who makes his own turning tools and is a master wood carver.

Fools. These stay sharp forever.

I’ve got some of these: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CT0823-4-5-3PC-Diamond-Sharpening-Stone-Set-Fine-Extra-Fine-Coarse-Whetstone-/201560281359?hash=item2eededd10f:g:SQ0AAOSwl9BWLlWc
They work just fine with water to get a perfectly good general working edge, but if you want a real hair-shaving edge then some blocks of MDF about the same size with wet’n’dry of increasingly finer grades glued to the top, going from 800 up to 4 or 6000, then a couple of strops, a piece of 5mm ply with leather glued to either side with coarse and fine compound used on either side will do the trick. Water stones are fine, but expensive, and wet’n’dry does the same job.
Anyone whose had a chance to handle a Nic Westermann knife or axe will know how incredibly sharp his blades are, and that’s his preferred method. The cutting edges are mirror polished, and literally razor sharp.

slimjim78 – Member
This thread is so weird

Why? Enquiring minds want to know.

I was going to say spit as well.
That’s what all the people who sharpen a knife for a living do. I don’t butchers as like me they work indoors and that’s not work. 😀 Not a lot of oil in the woods or fields. well there might be now but unless you are sitting by it spit is quicker)

Carborundum sharpening stone need oil rather than water. Waterstones are softer and porus so they need water.

Carborundum sharpening stone are slow to sharpen and messy, but they are cheap. Japanese waterstones are very fast to use but much more expensive and need more regular flatening. I got a good set from workshop heaven for about £90. Worth it if you want a very sharp edge. Or you just cannot be bothered spending 30 mins sharpening one blade!

You can achieve quite a lot using a big 2nd cut file, a set of those diamond stones and two grades of compound on leather, plus an angle-grinder to start off…

Original old axe found in shed, possibly around a century old, Eagle Edge Tool Co., Birmingham.

Edge really isn’t up to much, more finger crushing than severing!

Rough shaping and filing

Re-hung

Getting there…

That’s more like it, sharp enough to carve a spreader out of a chunk of Beech, just needs a tiny bit of finishing with a narrow knife blade.
Nothing fancy used, just what was listed above. Hair shaving sharp, just needs a little work and patience.