Best lubrication for 'Scary Sharp'

[Rosewood]

Hello,

I've very new to woodworking and have been putting quite a bit of time into sharpening my newly acquired tools. The sharpening system I chose was 'Scary Sharp' using the 3M lapping films. I've got Honerite and camellia oil but was wondering if just water would be a suitable lubricating medium when I come to replace my strips.

I'd be grateful to hear from anyone who has tried different lubricating mediums and what you thought worked best.

Thanks,

RW

 

[Harbo]

Water, Camellia oil, WD40, paraffin oil,baby oil.
They all wo

 

[AndyT]

There was quite a long discussion on this question here.

 

[studders]

If your 3M film is PSA then use any of the options, if it's stuck down with spray mount then water is best as it doesn't dissolve the bond.

 

[Jacob]

Water, spit, white spirit, 3in1, wd40, they all work, name your fluid :roll: .
Some are ridiculously expensive (Honerite, camellia oil) so should be avoided as they convey no advantage.
If you use paper backed wet n dry on a nice flat planer table (or glass/granite though I've never tried it) it will stick down enough with white spirit alone* which also does as the honing fluid. Very convenient. Plenty of old rags needed.
NB top tip - the above works best if the paper is nice n flat i.e. stored between two boards. Cloth backed paper doesn't stay down so well.
top tip no 2 - a rare earth magnet will remove swarf from your sharpening fluid or stone, which will save on oil and paper.

*PS Water will do just as well but I don't want rust on my planer.

 

[Rosewood]

Thank you, you've all been really helpful... and sorry I didn't think to do a search first

Many thanks,

RW

 

[woodbloke]

I just use a mixture of engine oil and paraffin, around 25/75% so it's a nice thin mix, but just use whatever you fancy and see if it works for you - Rob

 

[Peter Sefton]

We tend to use water mainly because we have Diamond stones and Japanese stones on the same sharpening bench so no expensive mistakes can be made, and it works on the all and it free’ ish
But as Jacob said all sorts work

Cheers Peter

 

[jimi43]

I tend to use the blood from the fingers of people who hone by hand... :twisted:

Mine usually.....

Jim

 

[Jacob]

I keep meaning to try diesel. Bloody cheap at £1.40 a litre, compared to most other oils e.g. Honerite snake oil at about £60! Pricier than a very good malt whisky. Whiskey would work OK but I'd stick to Bells to save money (£15ish per litre). Not sure about cheaper whisky (Co-op, Prince Consort etc) but they would probably be OK.
Camellia oil come out at £22.50ish so still about 15 times overpriced - the price of very good booze.

 

[Tom K]

I keep meaning to try diesel. Bloody cheap at £1.40 a litre.

Ideal as long as you don't mind dermatitis or the smell and of course that you don't contaminate anything that requires glue or paint :roll:

 

[jimi43]

I keep meaning to try diesel. Bloody cheap at £1.40 a litre.

Ideal as long as you don't mind dermatitis or the smell and of course that you don't contaminate anything that requires glue or paint :roll:

Jacob gets 2000 miles to the gallon out of most of the chisels though Tom with zero emission...mind you...it's nothing like the mileage from the moaning. :wink:

Jim

 

[condeesteso]

I think it was Studders who pointed me to baby oil, thinned with some white spirit. Excellent indeed: smells nice and gets a finish smooth as a babies. Honing oil is not an area I seek to economise hugely on as I don't use it by the litre / gallon etc. but Camelia is a bit posh I feel. So baby oil for me... and sometimes spit (comes in a handy dispenser). Did we know by the way spit is used in the cleaning of antique ivory... it has properties (don't recall what they are) - but it definitely ticks the 'cheap' box.

 

[Jacob]

... don't contaminate anything that requires glue or paint :roll:

Is that what you do? It's avoidable if you have lot of old rags on hand to keep everything clean. Stick to water if you are going to splash the stuff all over the place and on your hands.
I'm going to try tomato sauce next.

 

[Tom K]

... don't contaminate anything that requires glue or paint :roll:

Is that what you do? It's avoidable if you have lot of old rags on hand to keep everything clean. Stick to water if you are going to splash the stuff all over the place and on your hands.
I'm going to try tomato sauce next.

Diesel is just filth thats why they provide gloves in service stations to avoid being sued.
Tomato sauce is that your way of trying to ketchup with modern practises and thinking.
Seriously Jacob its full of sugar and causes awful staining.

 

[Jacob]

...
Diesel is just filth thats why they provide gloves in service stations to avoid being sued.
Tomato sauce is that your way of trying to ketchup

:lol: :roll:

.... causes awful staining.

Yes I know, I get it all down my shirt front.

 

[Tom K]

Plenty of clean rag Mr G its trad

 

[studders]

I think it was Studders who pointed me to baby oil, thinned with some white spirit.

Guilty as charged Yer 'onour, though I have to confess to seeing it mentioned somewhere else, can't remember where. Does work good though don't it, and so cheap too.

 

[bugbear]

I think it was Studders who pointed me to baby oil, thinned with some white spirit.

Guilty as charged Yer 'onour, though I have to confess to seeing it mentioned somewhere else, can't remember where.

American forums, I imagine - it's commonly mentioned.

BugBear

 

[woodbloke]

I guess also that as Baby Oil/white spirit combo is meant to be applied to the skin (clearly not the ws), it's going to be better in the long term if it's used instead of an engine oil/paraffin mix...thinking here of the cleaning up process afterwards where the remnants of the honing fluid can get onto the hands. Could be wrong though :duno: ...enlightenment? - Rob