Knife Sharpening Tips

What you’re looking for is water or “honing oil,” which is manufactured by several knife and knife accessory companies. There are two types of honing oil: water-based and petroleum-based. With diamond stones, use water or water-based honing oil. Petroleum-based oils work great with natural sharpening stones. If you’re out in the woods, you might spit on the stone before beginning. Keep in mind, though, once you’ve decided to use oil, stones don’t take to water very easily, so you’re going to have to stick with oil for the life of the stone.