In a previous life I polished draw dies with slip stones and kerosene as the 
lubricant/cleaner. We started using scented lamp oil and never went back to 
straight kero. I still do the occasional polish on a piece with lamp oil. 
Don't tell SWMBO where it keeps going.

-----Original Message----- 
From: Don Schwartz
Sent: Thursday, November 22, 2012 1:04 AM
To: oldtools@r...
Subject: Re: [OldTools] Flattening Benchstones

On 11/21/2012 12:50 PM, John Ruth wrote:
> GG's
>
>
> Somebody asked "What more could one ask for?" in an oilstone lubricant.
>
>
> The missing qualtity is non-toxicity and freedom from clinging taste & 
> odor so that one might stone a kitchen knife without having to wash the 
> daylights out of it afterward to get that WD-40 or Marvel Mystery Oil 
> smell off of it.
>
>
> So the idea choice is thinned mineral oil. I'm just not sure what to thin 
> it with.
>
Two thoughts.
1. keep the stone(s) warm (my preferred option) OR (based on Bob
Flexner's explanation of petroleum-distillate solvents)
2. thin it with naptha, mineral spirits or kerosene (naptha being the
most volatile, kerosene the least)

FWIW
Don

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