Blade sharpening fluid.

[flatrock58]

I found a 5 gallon pail of mineral oil at a salvage place pretty cheap. I have attached a photo. Any idea if this would work for sharpening oil?

 

[Southside]

Food grade mineral oil is exactly what I use. It works great.

[JoshNZ]

No reason at all I wouldn't use that. Only trouble might be viscosity but I'm sure it's workable

[jimbarry]

Should work. One way to find out.

I started with WM oil, then when that got too dirty I poured in a leftover can of hyd fluid. That worked well until it too got dirty. On both oils, when the ambient air was less than 10ºC the fluids were so thick I  had to use a heating gun to warm it up before each session. About a month ago I gave the BMS250 sharpener a thorough cleaning and put in 100% mineral oil. Which is just as expensive as the WM oil at CAD$125/5 gal. Well let's just say that the difference is night and day for cold weather use. The mineral oil hardly thickens at all. Now may be as it gets dirtier it might be less viscous, but for now, it's good knowing I won't burn out the pump trying to push thick oil through the tube. Mineral oil from here on in for me. Bonus, while the oil still manages to get airborne, an inline duct fan takes care of that. And there is no longer a stink of machine oil through out the shop or carried in by me into the house.

[YellowHammer]

I use mineral oil.

[boonesyard]

I'll be getting to setting up the new sharpener and setter in a couple weeks. Is everyone ducting their sharpener exhaust? The plan is to put them on rolling tool chests so they can be pushed against the wall in the heated shop when not in use and roll them out in the middle of the floor when sharpening. Would be tougher to duct if I keep them portable.

[terrifictimbersllc]

If you had a duct hose hanging down over the location you use,  it would be easy to slip it over top of the sharpener outlet when it is there.

I don't duct mine, I sharpen in an unheated garage with the door open, sharpener next to the door, put a 25 W soldering iron in the oil when it is cold.

My sharpener and setter stay in one place. They take up quite a bit of floor space if the long arms sticking out on three sides are considered, But the space under those arms is available for storing things.In my case I wouldn't gain anything by pushing them up against the wall and I would have to deal with folding the arms one way or another or removing them to make moving them have a benefit. I think it's easier to find a place that they can stay and only have to be moved rarely, rather than having to move them every time they are to be used.

[YellowHammer]

Mine are on tool carts from Lowe's and I just roll the sharpener outside on the driveway and sharpen in the open.  Lots of light, ventilation, and no mess on the floor.  

[flatrock58]

I guess I will buy it and see how it works. A lot cheaper than WM fluid and not as nasty to breath. Thanks for the input. I assume most mineral oils as long as they are food grade won't be toxic. 

[JoshNZ]

I used a mineral oil used for pest control in crops I can't even remember what it was now, I was posting about it asking the same question as you not so long ago. If you have any organic farmers near you there's a good chance they'll be using some kind of emulsifiable oil that should work. Mine has been great.

As for storing the sharpener and setter, I hate them both. Awkward things hard to move without spilling oil, take up a ton of space and poke you in the legs when you're trying to get around them. The setter I have put pins at the head so the arms group into a triplet vertically then it gets put against the wall, haven't managed to get around to setting up the sharpener better yet.

[boonesyard]

Hmmm, I'll have to set up some kind of ventilation, rolling outside not an option, too cold. Thanks