Simple Sharpening

**Bill Harsey** · 03-07-2006, 09:05

One of the most knife savvy guys I know was in the shop lately and handed me a pump spray bottle of Simple Green cleaner to use on the sharpening stone.

This stuff seems to work very well and there is no oil mess to clean up.

Can someone else try this and see how it works?

**The Reaper** · 03-07-2006, 09:17

Let's see, expert knife designer and maker recommends a sharpening technique, asks for our opinion.

I do not need to research it too thoroughly, I believe that your word that it works is good enough for me.

TR

**Bill Harsey** · 03-07-2006, 10:01

Reaper,
Yes, Simple Green works good here.

I don't know how it works on oil and grit loaded stones because I try to keep mine clean enough to work or they go away.

A down and dirty trick to get oil and grit out of a sharpening stone is to "power wash" the stone with WD-40 using the small diameter red tube the goes in the spray nozzle. Do this outdoors away from open flame.

WD-40 works for sharpening stones too but when used at the bench there is always overspray on something and then the knife has to be cleaned off with a cleaner when your done.

The purpose of liquids on the surface of a sharpening stone is to keep the removed steel particles from imbedding in the stones surface that in turn keeps the stone from cutting steel like we want it to.

***edited to add*** I don't use any liquid on the diamond stones because, I think, there is more space between the points on the surface and they don't plug up like other stones. diamond doesn't care if there is a lubricating oil on the surface or not for hand held stone uses.

Lubricating/cooling oils are critical for making diamond grinding wheels last when production grinding of carbide tooling.
I do wash off my fine diamond stones after hard use with the WD-40 spray method. Soap and water would float the grit out to.

mugwump · 03-07-2006, 10:37

Simple Green is a great, non-toxic, water soluble degreaser. Back in the day when I used to dive deep, I used it all the time to O2 clean scuba tanks/manifilds/regulators. I used it in tanks that held up to 100% oxygen and I never blew up once.

**Razor** · 03-07-2006, 22:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill Harsey

Do this outdoors away from open flame.

Killjoy.

Bob1984 · 03-08-2006, 16:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill Harsey

I don't use any liquid on the diamond stones because, I think, there is more space between the points on the surface and they don't plug up like other stones. diamond doesn't care if there is a lubricating oil on the surface or not for hand held stone uses.

Lubricating/cooling oils are critical for making diamond grinding wheels last when production grinding of carbide tooling.
I do wash off my fine diamond stones after hard use with the WD-40 spray method. Soap and water would float the grit out to.

The instructions that came with my DMT diamond stone said specifically to use it dry and only use soap/water for cleanup. I've done exactly this and the stone is still going strong after two years of use.

**Bill Harsey** · 03-08-2006, 16:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob1984

The instructions that came with my DMT diamond stone said specifically to use it dry and only use soap/water for cleanup. I've done exactly this and the stone is still going strong after two years of use.

Bob1984, Thank you.

I never did read the instructions that came with those things, comments based only on this users" trial with lots of error" experience.

Bob1984 · 03-08-2006, 17:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill Harsey

Bob1984, Thank you.

I never did read the instructions that came with those things, comments based only on this users" trial with lots of error" experience.

My apologies if I came across as being rude or trying to be smart

my intention was to simply share my own limited experience, for what it's worth.

**Bill Harsey** · 03-08-2006, 18:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob1984

My apologies if I came across as being rude or trying to be smart

my intention was to simply share my own limited experience, for what it's worth.

You never did come across that way, I HONESTLY never read the instructions and was lucky that you did and concurred. This doesn't happen very often to me. Thank you.