Water quality and sharpening

Ah, the sharpening. Here's where you can discuss sharpening stones and media, along with sharpening techniques.
Matt J
Hopper I
Hopper I
Location: Maynard, Massachusetts
Posts: 91
Joined: Sat Jul 02, 2011 9:27 am

Water quality and sharpening

Mon Jan 15, 2018 12:36 pm

Does anyone know if and how water quality might affect water stones, tools, and the sharpening process?

I ask for two reasons:

1. I'm planning to build a shed that will hopefully include a little workspace, and I'm wondering about collecting rain water for a sharpening station. Will it be too acidic or something? If I'm collecting the water from the roof, will the roofing materials (lead, aluminum, or copper flashings, asphalt, metal, or slate) leech into the water and cause problems?

2. I sometimes use a spray bottle with my water stones. Once, awhile back, I used a bottle that had contained some multipurpose household cleaner. I washed it out pretty well, but there was still trace amounts of cleaner in the water when I used it on the stones, and I noticed that it helped lubricate the cut nicely. It really reduced the squeaky-stuttering-stiction that I sometimes get with larger chisels on finer grits. Do you think adding small amounts of surfactants (I'm assuming that's what was at work here) is a good or bad thing for sharpening stones and tools?

I guess in both cases I'm wondering about long term effects on the stones (durability), effects on the metal tools (corrosion), and effects on the action of rubbing the tools on the stones- could this be speeding things up or slowing things down? And will what's in the water have any effect on my final edge?
User avatar
Chris Hall
Site Admin
Contact:
Location: Greenfield, Massachusetts
Posts: 2385
Joined: Mon Nov 22, 2010 12:46 pm

Re: Water quality and sharpening

Fri Jan 19, 2018 4:33 pm

Adding a drop of detergent to slurry helps keep it together better I have found. I don't see how a surfactant could be detrimental to either stones or tools. I always give my tools a spritz of camelia oil after sharpening, and they are stored in a tool cabinet with Zerust mats, so i never have any corrosion problems anyhow.

Return to “Rocks”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 3 guests