What Is Honing Oil

Honing oil is used in the process of sharpening kitchen, hunting, pocket knives, and other cutting objects on abrasive stones. It plays the role of a cooling liquid and allows you to restore the sharpness of the blade without damaging the metal and the sharpening bar, extend the service life of tools, and avoid overheating.

The masters choose different coolants for their work depending on the type of stone and the type of work ahead. Below we will describe the most popular options in more detail.

Why you should use honing oil

The oil-based coolant can be used when you are sharpening a knife on a sharpening stone made of natural or artificial abrasive materials. It assists in the formation of a slurry on the stone surface, protects the material from clogging with metal residue, and removes debris.

Apart from that, the oil is used in production processes when honing various tools and parts. In this application, the coolant maintains temperature control and avoids overheating when the tool is operated at high speeds.

The use of oil protects the abrasive from clogging with metal and facilitates easier movement of the blade over the surface. But when sharpening, you need to follow several important rules:

• the oil layer on the abrasive should be minimal so as not to interfere with the contact of the blade with the grits;
• the less grits the bar has, the less oil you need to apply when using it;
• ensure that a hard layer does not form on the surface, which would prevent the sharpening tool from being used for its intended purpose;
• after use, the abrasive material should be cleaned according to the manufacturer's recommendations.

Remember that each type of bar has its own suitable honing oil type. It cannot be replaced with conventional lubricants or self-prepared coolants. This will affect both the quality of sharpening and the durability of the tool.

Honing coolant types

Coolants for honing knives and metal parts are divided into several groups depending on their composition:

• Pure oils — they are made on the basis of petroleum or petroleum products, as well as insoluble mineral components. Such coolant was invented a long time ago and is now used for high-speed processing. In most cases, it was replaced by more efficient synthetic materials.
• Soluble coolant is a water based emulsion substance, which includes from 50 to 80% of the oil and additional additives.
• Synthetic substances are liquids obtained as a result of various chemical reactions. They lack natural oils. They do a great job of lubricating the surface, protect against contamination, and do not get washed away with metal swarf.

When choosing a stone for sharpening a blade, keep in mind that all abrasive bars are divided into three types:

1. Water stones. They must be soaked in water and occasionally moistened with it during sharpening. Using oil with these stones is prohibited.
2. Combined stones. You can sharpen the knife with them using water or oil at your discretion.
3. Oil stones. These are abrasive tools that can only be used in combination with special oil.

The coolant must always be selected for the specific stone, taking into account the type of abrasive and its bonding agent.

Types of coolants

Here are the main types of oils that sharpeners choose for processing knife blades with manual hand sharpening on stones or with special devices.

Special oils for sharpening knives

The best choice for sharpening and straightening the blade cutting edge will be special liquids designed for use with abrasive bars. This oil type does not burn, significantly increases the service life of sharpening tools, improves the quality and purity of processing. Although it is more expensive than other options, economical consumption allows you to avoid large expenses for the purchase of supplies.

This is the optimal solution, especially for expensive Arkansas stones or other premium products.

Oil selection according to the abrasive material

Now let us figure out which type of coolant is suitable for a bar, depending on its type and origin:

• Most stones made of aluminum oxide or silicon carbide, including Japanese bars of natural and artificial origin are "water" stones that can only be used with water. No oil is required for them.
• Resin (bakelite) bonded diamond bars do not need to be pre-soaked, but they can be moistened with water or soap solution. The WD-40 anti-corrosion compound is also suitable for them.
• Ceramic bars can work with any kind of oils, they can also be sprayed with WD-40 to maintain surface cleanliness.
• It is best to use the OSB bonded diamond bars with mineral oils or oleic acid. The coolant allows you to avoid defects that occur due to the aggressive effects of solid spraying.
• Galvanic diamond coated bars can be used without any lubricating fluids. But if you are sharpening a “soft” knife, you can put any kind of oil on it. It will prevent the diamonds from dislodging from the bond, which will increase the life of the bar.
• Natural “oil” stones can only be used with specialized cooling liquids that protect them from damage and clogging.
• Copper and tin-bonded sharpening stones are used with any oils, but not with water.

Conclusions

Only people with the necessary experience and skills can perform a high quality knife sharpening with an oil stone. Lack of knowledge leads to damage to the knife or stone, changes in the sharpening angle of the blade and other frustrations.

We recommend using precision guided fixed angle knife sharpening systems from TSPROF for both professionals and beginners. These devices allow you to firmly fix the knife and sharpen it while maintaining the desired angle without much effort. The need to use honing oil in this case depends on the selected bars, but the standard diamond coated stones that come with the sharpening kit do not require the use of a cooling liquid.