Knife sharpening...Is it bad for your knives to sharpen with a stone and water, as opposed to using a stone and oil?

[rserwe44]

Knife sharpening...Is it bad for your knives to sharpen with a stone and water, as opposed to using a stone and oil?

[jay]

Old timers will tell you to use oil but its really not a good choice. Oil traps in dirt and shavings. Also makes the stone less abrasive and therefore less effective at sharpening. Use water to clean the stone after sharpening.

[99explorer]

Japanese waterstones must be lubricated only with water, and never with oil, so I guess it depends on the type of stone.

[FirstBubba]

You hit it 99. There are oil stones and water stones. Arkansas stones are oil stones. Carborundum stones are water stones. I ruined a very nice Norton carborundum stone by soaking it in oil! It would still work on my old Case and Schrade pocket knives, but I had to wash it in hot soapy water between knives!

Bubba