oilstone query

[Mikey D]

Being an ocassional woodworker having bought some cheap chinese forge steel screwfix nasty wood chiesels ,
They now need sharpening ,having bought a nasty cheap rollson oilstone .
simple question are you supposed to soak the oilstone before use ? im assuming so as it lapped up 3 in 1 quicker than a sponge

im thinking engine oil would be ok , or shall i buy a set of marple chiesels and a nice' india ' oilstone and some special snake oil


cheers Mike

 

[rtbcomp]

I think they work better with thin oil, I've always used 3-in-1.

 

[Shox Dr]

A new stone will soak a lot of oil up. I have set of Record Marples they are very nice, holding an edge for a lot longer.

 

[cumbriasteve]

I find a new oilstone does soak oil up fast, I am a million miles from being a carpenter so my advice may be totally wrong but I used paraffin once and it was great, car engine oil also worked fine for me....carpenters probably shuddering with horror now

 

[Shox Dr]

I don't believe it matters what type of oil you use, I've used everything from tea to spit, when there was no oil, after all it's only acting as a lubricant

 

[mike os]

anything will do, lube not coolant.

even water at a push (better on waterstones tho)

 

[brightspark]

the best oil stones to buy are old worn ones from the car boot sales tell the seller there crap and get them for a quid then rub it over a 3x2foot paving slab and it will come up as good as new flat as a pancake the best stones are arkansas natural stones if u have a fat wallet or are lucky to get a second hand one cheap

 

[Robotstar5]

I converted to diamond stones a few years ago, particularly for router bits.

 

[brightspark]

I converted to diamond stones a few years ago, particularly for router bits.

the 75 quid up over ones in price are good but the cheaper ones are crap car bootsale tat

 

[Sean]

wood botherinng!

throw the chisels away ( or use them for splitting spot welds) and use a grinder on the wood- blue Inox flap wheels work just as well on wood and dont have to be saved for Stainless.

+1 for the diamond whetstones

 

[invicta]

If you use the chisels occasionally they will be fine. However they may not keep their edges as long as a Marples chisel say. I always found a general purpose machine oil worked well on the india oil stone. 3 in 1 oil is much thinner hence the reason a lot soaks into the stone.
Leaving the edge guards off when in storage will lead to blunting and damage to the edges of the chisels, so store them carefully. The golden rule is keep the edges sharp and they will work effortlessly.