Use a light mineral-based honing oil on oil stones (Arkansas, India and Crystolon), plain water on Japanese-style water stones, and water or nothing on diamond plates and ceramic hones. If you're out of honing oil, food-grade mineral oil is the same thing for practical purposes. Skip cooking oils and anything as thick as motor oil. And once a stone has had oil on it, it's an oil stone for life.
What the oil actually does
Sharpening scrapes tiny steel particles (swarf) off the blade. On a dry oil stone those particles pack into the pores, the surface goes slick and shiny, and the stone stops cutting. A thin film of oil keeps the swarf floating so you can wipe it off. That's the whole job: Wikipedia's honing oil entry describes it as protecting the stone and carrying away debris, and notes that using no oil at all will clog or glaze it. Oil doesn't make the stone cut faster, and it isn't there to cool the blade.
Which lubricant for which stone
| Stone | Lubricant | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Arkansas (natural novaculite) | Light mineral or honing oil; water only if never oiled | Sharpening Supplies FAQ; Smith's: never use one dry |
| India (aluminum oxide) and Crystolon (silicon carbide) oil stones | Light mineral or honing oil | Norton sells its oil for oil stones only |
| Japanese-style water stones (soaking and splash-and-go) | Water. Never oil | Norton's oil listing: not compatible with water stones |
| Diamond plates | Dry or water; oil sparingly if at all | DMT FAQ: oil won't harm them but impedes in excess |
| Ceramic hones (e.g. Spyderco) | Dry | Spyderco's Sharpmaker instructions |
| Axe pucks and dual-grit tool stones | Water or oil, then stick with it | US Forest Service ax manual |
Guided kits follow their maker's instructions. Lansky says its alumina oxide hones don't need oil while sharpening, only a few drops to lift out filings when cleaning; our Lansky sharpener how-to has the details.
Not sure which kind you have? A hard, smooth stone that came in a wooden box and was sold "for oil" is an oil stone. A stone that says to soak it, or has a grit number like 1000/6000, is a water stone. More on telling them apart and cleaning each type is in how to clean a whetstone, and the difference between water and diamond is in whetstone vs diamond stone.
Honing oil substitutes, ranked
| Oil | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Honing oil | Best | Light, doesn't gum up, made for the job |
| Food-grade mineral oil (cutting board oil, baby oil) | Just as good | Honing oil is a refined light mineral oil; baby oil adds only fragrance |
| Light machine or sewing-machine oil | Good | Wikipedia and the Forest Service list light machine oil |
| Kerosene, or mineral oil thinned with it | Good on fine, hard stones | Very thin; Wikipedia notes it works on fine hard stones. Use outdoors |
| Automatic transmission fluid | Works, messy | The Forest Service manual lists it as acceptable |
| WD-40 | Poor on oil stones | Too light to carry the swarf, and it evaporates |
| Olive, vegetable, canola oil | Avoid | Can go rancid and gummy in the pores |
| Motor oil | Avoid | Too thick; it clogs the stone |
One listicle on page one of Google says vegetable oils "won't go rancid or set" on a stone. Sharpening Supplies, which sells Arkansas stones, says the opposite: vegetable oils eventually harden and leave a sticky surface. We'd go with the stone seller.
For kitchen knives: think about food contact
Whatever is on the stone ends up on the blade. For knives that cut food, use oil you'd be comfortable wiping off a cutting board. Norton's listing says its stone oil meets the US Pharmacopeia mineral oil purity standard for use near food preparation, and plain food-grade mineral oil such as Thirteen Chefs mineral oil (NSF certified, per the listing, which also names sharpening stones among its uses) does the same job. Wash and dry the knife after sharpening either way.
How much oil, and how to use it
- Put a few drops on the stone and spread them into a thin film with a finger. A dry, thirsty Arkansas stone may soak up the first coat; Knife Pulse's test is to keep adding until you can feel oil on the surface.
- Sharpen. You'll see the oil turn gray as steel lifts out. That's the swarf the oil is there to carry.
- Add a few drops whenever the surface looks dry or the gray paste starts to thicken.
- When you're done, wipe the stone with a rag or paper towel while the oil is still wet, so the swarf comes off instead of drying into the pores.
- Store it covered, so dust doesn't stick to the oily surface.
Don't flood it. DMT's FAQ makes the point for diamond plates that oil can impede sharpening if used in excess, and on an oil stone a puddle just slides the swarf around.
Fixing a glazed or clogged oil stone
If the stone looks shiny and dark and the knife skates on it, the pores are loaded. Scrub it with kerosene or mineral spirits and a stiff nylon brush, then wipe and re-oil it. That's the approach woodworkers on the Fine Woodworking and BladeForums threads describe, and it rarely takes more than a few minutes. If it's still slick, lap the surface lightly on wet-or-dry paper or a coarse diamond plate to expose fresh abrasive, then oil it. Do this outdoors and keep solvent away from flame. Arkansas stones rarely need it if you wipe them after every use; our Arkansas sharpening stone guide covers their care.
Oils worth buying
- The Norton sharpening stone oil (4.5 oz) is USP-grade mineral oil, labeled for oil stones only.
- Smith's HON1 Honing Solution is non-petroleum with cleaning agents and rust inhibitors; Smith's says it's fine on any stone, including Arkansas and diamond.
- Lansky Nathan's Natural Honing Oil is a petroleum oil Lansky lists for its hones and natural Arkansas bench stones.
- For diamond plates, if you want something besides water, Trend lapping fluid is made for diamond abrasives and lists rust prevention.
Any of them lasts a long time; a few drops per session goes far. If you're choosing stones rather than oil, see the sharpening stone grit chart and the best diamond sharpening stone guide.
Sources: DMT FAQ; US Forest Service ax manual, chapter 8; Sharpening Supplies Arkansas stone FAQ; Wikipedia "Honing oil"; Knife Pulse; Spyderco Sharpmaker instructions as printed on retailer listings; Fine Woodworking and BladeForums threads on cleaning oilstones, read October 13, 2026. Product details from Amazon listings checked the same day. How we research · Affiliate disclosure