Using Oil With Natural Stones

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So I have a preliminary theory to why oil will seemingly grant almost instant cutting power to many 'slow stones' ...

This is based on a regular professional working theory and use of abrasive particles...

Oil, a petroleum distillate, is subtantially more viscous and resistant to evaporation than water.

This makes oil a superior base liquid candidate for an effective liquid abrasive emulsion. (well technically its a colloid since a solid is joining a liquid)

Essentially, when used with a stone, oil absorbs any dislodged abrasive particles resulting from friction. These stone particles (abrasives) are now part of an amalgamation of lubrication and increased cutting capability.

Therefore when a stone is great at raising a slurry, it'll more readily contribute to the overall cutting capability of this new abrasive liquid oil. This is because with more and more use the abrasive load increases-- therefore adding to the cutting capability.

BUT --Don't forget about the STEEL!

Not to be outdone, steel is also an important guest at this party. When included into this new liquid abrasive, the metal particulates coming off the steel (swarf) continually elevates the cutting capability of the oil and its newfound emulsion.

Because petroleum is the main ingredient in this new abrasive liquid, its not prone to evaporation.

This means the life cycle of the emulsion is very long. The term for how long it can be used is cycle time.

If a quantity of oil is used long enough the residue levels inside the oil continue to build from both the stone's shedding abrasive particles and the removed steel particles. Over time this will thicken with more and more use. If worked long enough it has the potential to form an aggressive sort of abrasive paste. But that would be a TON of use.

So, the longer an oil is used on a stone the higher the level of abraded stone and steel which lends itself to the oil. The cumulative level of residue from stone and steel is significantly higher than water since oil does not readily evaporate like water.

This oil abrasive liquid is likely best suited for cutting power, not refinement since the higher the abrasive the less refinement occurs at the highest finishing stages of polishing.

So there's my quick theory of why oil seemingly makes any sharpening stone more aggressive with use.
 
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Would be interesting to try oil or soap with stones that are so hard they scratch/pull iron

I had a Nakayama shiro asagi that I sold as I couldn’t figure it out at the time. I’m really curious if this solution could have remedied these issues or not 🤔
 
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