I see I'm late to the show (6 years), but I love how you explain the reasoning behind choosing an axe over your hip knife--the wear and tear is better suited for an axe. I have been using my Ka-Bar Becker knife to process firewood. Using an axe might be a better option, considering the maintenance required to keep my Becker sharp compared to an axe. I love and appreciate your work--you don't get paid enough for the value you provide. Thank you. 50
Oiling an ax handle for long term service: new handle, oil everyday for a week, every week for a month, every month for a year, and then just once a year after that if you store the ax properly. A lot of work maybe at the beginning, but worth it in the long run.
@@tervel_1046 Yes, because the idea it to thoroughly imbue the oil into the handle so that it is protected while just sitting in the tool shed. There is still heat and humidity acting on the wood handle. If you follow the protocol fully the first year it is only once per year after that.
on file maintenance: i find these are one of the most abused tools in the shop (and im guilty of it myself from time to time). ppl use them to take off grease, paint, gasket material, and any number of things they shouldnt. a file card is great for keeping a properly maintained/used file clean (so is the chalk method, which i prefer. ounce of prevention and all that...) but when you get that deep ground in garbage stuck in them, another old machinists trick i learned long ago is to take an old brass rifle casing and hammer the mouth down flat. then use this like a scraper following the teeth of the file. (once in each direction for a double cut) the teeth easily cut their way into the soft brass and form a perfect scraper to reach down into the bottom of the gullies and scrape out all of the nasty stuff. it is a relatively slow process, compared to brushing with a file card, but once in a while its necessary to get a bit more life out of an abused file. obviously, the larger the caliber of the case, the wider the scraper, and the faster the job becomes.
This video was Excellent. I've carried an axe for years and I take care of it. But, I just learned some new things to take care of my axes better. Very important knowledge. Thank You Brother!
3 years on, this is still a good video with a great Safety First intro. As a boy, in the 1970's I remember one of the first short stories I read was about a young man like I was at the time, gashing his leg with his shiny new axe and he and his mother had to take a frightening ride down the mountain to the closest medical treatment. Don't remember the name of the story all these decades later, but the learn the hard way lesson has been in my head all my life and the moment I saw this video it all came rushing back. Thank you for sharing videos like this! :)
Personally speaking from experience, I've never injured myself with an axe, sharp or dull. Now i have given myself a bruise and I had one little cut from an old SOG tomahawk I used for throwing that nicked my finger when sharpening it one night. I've been using an axe pretty much regularly since I was about 16, I'm 31 now and honestly prefer a traditional tomahawk style axe over a standard axe with a carved and wedged handle. Its far easier to replace the handle over a regular axe and I can remove the head of my tomahawk and use it as a hand tool for a number of things like scraping hides. It also has a dedicated hammer poll for driving nails and stakes. The CRKT Woods Chogan tomahawk is a beautiful working tool.
As someone who has missed the wood and chopped my shin, I always kneel when chopping with a short axe. I couldn't believe how much it hurt. I still have a nice dent in my shin.
My brother was cutting brush in our property with a machete and he missed and it went into his leg, I’m not sure if I remember correctly but I think he was using those Mexican style machetes that are shaped like a hook. To this day if you look at the scar at a certain angle the shade makes it look a hole.
Ive watched a lot of videos and tutorials on how to sharpen an axe.... I must say this video and your explanation was by far the most detailed well spoken instructional video on RUclips! Keep them up I watch them all! Love the channel sir!
Thank you so so much for pointing out to kneel down with shorter axes in the beginning of the video. I have walked to multiple camp sights because i noticed someone was splitting with a 12 inch axe standing, attended to one incident where they split their shin. So many people forget this simple little tip that will save you a bloody painful mess.
For you leather goods the best Oil you can use is neatsfoot oil, when we got new leather on the farm we used to soak the item in it for a couple days, then lift it out and let it hang drip dry and air for a week or two, for Bridles knife sheaths etc that was easy to do a new saddle was too big to stick in a bucket so every hour or so we rubbed a good thick coat of oil on with a sea sponge for a couple weeks. Next important tip for lindseed and neatsfoot oil. NEVER leave rags soaked in it laying around either throw out of store on a metal shealf as both oils have a nusty habit of making piles of rags burst into flames more than one workshop or even house has burnt down due to oil rags combusting
Great tutorial! I even managed (finally!!!) to sharpen my Tops Tracker thanks to this. Thank you! PS: I got here through the Townsends channell - and I'm really glad!
I always pick-up some great new ideas from you!!! Been putting together a sharpening kit and watching lots of 'sharpening videos' The arm tuck and wood anvil!!!
Great video that more folks should see. Possible caution: I've noticed that vegetable oil can aquire a gummy residue, especially in warm, wet conditions.
Thank you so much for sharing your insights and experience in your care of an axe in this video. I’ll apply and practice what you have shared. Thank you so much again, blessings 😊
This is great thanks! Just what I need. I hit a nail with my Fiskar hatchet so need to remove the burr.The video I watched indicated a 22.5 degree angle for knife edge sharpening (roughly from folding a piece of paper to get 45 then again. But I like your idea of just eyeing it from a front view of the stone and edge.
I learned how important axes are for this sort of stuff from the novel hatchet where the protagonist was left stranded in the wilderness with a hatchet and used it to survive
There use to be three file companies, Black Diamond, Mill Bastard, and Nicholson, the latter bought out the other two. That's why they're now called Nicholson Black Diamond or Nicholson Mill Bastard. To check sharpness, run it across your thumbnail, if it bites into the thumbnail, its sharp, if it slides, it's dull. Oiling handle, as much as it soaks in. What we used to do, is bore a hole in the butt of the ax pour in kerosene, plug the hole,( not to the bottom of the hole)and store it with the head down and let the kerosene soak through the Wood I've had my ax for 61 years( You young'ns need a lot of learning)🤠 PS, good video 😁
@@signaturerush People remember to oil their ax handles, but forget that the part under the ax head also dries out. When oiling the handle also prop it up on end and let oil soak into the wedge area. It will eventually penetrate under the ax head and help preserve the wood. When I put a new handle on an ax I oil the head end thoroughly before seating the head on it.
@@GP452 oh. Thank you. How long should one soak the wedge and does the type of oil matter? And should you dry the oil off a bit before you put it into the axe?
@@signaturerush wipe the oil on so it is floating on the wood surface. Let it sit and soak 20-30 mins, but don't let it start to dry. Wipe off the excess and let it dry. Tomorrow repeat the process. Use the stated schedule at the beginning of this thread.
Something that works like a file card and would take up less room in your pack would be a small length of 3/4" copper tubing flattened on one end. You could personalize it by carving a handle for it while sitting around the campfire.
I have been messing with mineral oil + pine tar + beeswax melted and mixed. I think I like it. Out here in MT. Where I am at, we don't have birch trees. Thanks Dan!
I found some mudstone near my mom's place... perfectly flat almost, but i reprofiled it with a stainless plate. I wish i had taken more now, but i have a few nice pieces.. it's near 400 grit or something to estimate, but is still quite aggressive with a very thick mud slurry after a minute. So cool. Thanks for all your info, I've learned so much, even a few things tonight I've struggled with
Just found this... This video and your more recent choosing an axe one are important works. They would be of real value to catch "air time" into the future as more people start to redefine the word need.
Has anybody thought to themselves that this guy looks better now than he did 4 years ago haha. Like he looks older in this video than he does now in 2020
If you are trying to oil a new handle, or oil an older handle for the first time, you may have to sand off the varnish or wax the factory put on it before any oil will soak in.
Here is some advice from my end. Linseed oil for the handle......a dab of full synthetic motor oil for the head. Very few oils will outperform full synthetic motor oil. The only problem is smell and possible stains on cloth....but most all oils will stain. In all the time of growing up on a farm I never saw people stone axes. It was files all the way. Same in the jungle for machetes ... people carry files .....no stones. If I was carving or shaving/planing I might stone.
PLEASE never use a stone on an axe or a knife in a circular motion! Think microscopically. Think about what the "scratches" look like magnified. Circular scratches go every direction. Use straight strokes all going the same directions. all going in the same direction cut far easier, especially with a knife.I have been useing and making knives and cutting tools for about fifty years. I worked as a machinest, so I do have a good back ground and experience in cutting tools!
I've never heard this before. Ever. I've used circular motions as one technique in a sharpening regimen on a dull knife, and it worked just fine, and the knife came out razor sharp when I was done. No, I didn't do it the entire time, but it was useful in removing material to get the bevel where I needed it to be. Dan knows what he's doing, lol
@Mark Lennox you're talking about micro serrations. If all the scratches align well, these micro serrations do cut well, but the edge doesn't last long since the serrations tend to break off. If you finish the bevels by polishing, then the scratches don't really matter
Thank you for your instruction. I try to sharp my 5160 tomahawk with 1000/6000 water stone as you show in vid "first time in my life".My axe can slice a wood very thin like tissue paper.Really happy to play around with it (^_^).
what u think about fonced patina on blade in terms of maintainance and protection from rosting ? would u still need to take the above mabtioned oiling ?
I love my little Fiskars X7 but I'm looking into getting a small first axe to supplement it with something slightly bigger. I'm looking at the husqvarna axes and the hultafors. Hultafors makes the husqvarnas and the husky is cheaper but the hultafors is a little more refined and better finished. Plus they're both hand forged Scandinavian axes (a.k.a. Top of the line axes) but MUCH cheaper than a gransfors bruks. I'll tell you though for its size that Fiskars is a little beast! Goes through wood like a beaver that got ahold of some Berwick meth! Lol
I use a very very fine oil if you can get it the oil used by artists for oil paints works great even olive oil at a pinch to clean spray over with WD40 lay a sheet of sandpaper on a flat surface (metal workshop shelf works well) and give the stone a few strokes over the paper Corse grains for corse stone fine for fine. Also remember WET stones need water NOT oil. so a wet stome dip in a bucket then clean. and as my dad used to say when puting a stone away wrap it in Oiled Brown Paper that put it in a leather or wood case, NEVER just throw it in a tool box. You can if your wood working skills are high enough get a couple nice blocks of wood Mill out a slot that just fits the stone sit it in it and it is protected by the wood which should ne oiled and will help keep the stone fresh and clean. and if its a dual sided stone you can have it milled deep enough so each side is usebale just by flipping the box and choosing what side you want exsposed from the wood case as you only need to have about have the stone recesed into each side of the wooden case
I see I'm late to the show (6 years), but I love how you explain the reasoning behind choosing an axe over your hip knife--the wear and tear is better suited for an axe. I have been using my Ka-Bar Becker knife to process firewood. Using an axe might be a better option, considering the maintenance required to keep my Becker sharp compared to an axe. I love and appreciate your work--you don't get paid enough for the value you provide. Thank you. 50
Oiling an ax handle for long term service: new handle, oil everyday for a week, every week for a month, every month for a year, and then just once a year after that if you store the ax properly. A lot of work maybe at the beginning, but worth it in the long run.
Exactly how my grandfather said it
What if I don’t use it very often like once a month. Should I still oil it as often?
@@tervel_1046 Yes, because the idea it to thoroughly imbue the oil into the handle so that it is protected while just sitting in the tool shed. There is still heat and humidity acting on the wood handle. If you follow the protocol fully the first year it is only once per year after that.
James Fleming Thanks for the tips. What type of oil would you be using?
@@MSato123 I use boiled linseed oil, sometimes with a final sealing coat of hand rubbed bees wax.
"I'm out in the woods! Yay! Nice sounds of the forest is all I hear", "Carl honks horn in the distance. "Darnit Carl! You had one job!" Lol.
Easily the most informative and practical video I’ve seen on caring for my axes. I’m rather new to this, so it is exactly what I needed. Thanks, Dan.
My left ear knows everything about axes now 🙌😂
on file maintenance: i find these are one of the most abused tools in the shop (and im guilty of it myself from time to time). ppl use them to take off grease, paint, gasket material, and any number of things they shouldnt. a file card is great for keeping a properly maintained/used file clean (so is the chalk method, which i prefer. ounce of prevention and all that...) but when you get that deep ground in garbage stuck in them, another old machinists trick i learned long ago is to take an old brass rifle casing and hammer the mouth down flat. then use this like a scraper following the teeth of the file. (once in each direction for a double cut) the teeth easily cut their way into the soft brass and form a perfect scraper to reach down into the bottom of the gullies and scrape out all of the nasty stuff. it is a relatively slow process, compared to brushing with a file card, but once in a while its necessary to get a bit more life out of an abused file. obviously, the larger the caliber of the case, the wider the scraper, and the faster the job becomes.
deth502 nice tip on the casing scraper, thanks!
You can make a similar tool with copper pipe. Mash the end like the case and file over it
This video was Excellent. I've carried an axe for years and I take care of it. But, I just learned some new things to take care of my axes better. Very important knowledge. Thank You Brother!
3 years on, this is still a good video with a great Safety First intro. As a boy, in the 1970's I remember one of the first short stories I read was about a young man like I was at the time, gashing his leg with his shiny new axe and he and his mother had to take a frightening ride down the mountain to the closest medical treatment. Don't remember the name of the story all these decades later, but the learn the hard way lesson has been in my head all my life and the moment I saw this video it all came rushing back. Thank you for sharing videos like this! :)
Personally speaking from experience, I've never injured myself with an axe, sharp or dull. Now i have given myself a bruise and I had one little cut from an old SOG tomahawk I used for throwing that nicked my finger when sharpening it one night. I've been using an axe pretty much regularly since I was about 16, I'm 31 now and honestly prefer a traditional tomahawk style axe over a standard axe with a carved and wedged handle. Its far easier to replace the handle over a regular axe and I can remove the head of my tomahawk and use it as a hand tool for a number of things like scraping hides. It also has a dedicated hammer poll for driving nails and stakes. The CRKT Woods Chogan tomahawk is a beautiful working tool.
As someone who has missed the wood and chopped my shin, I always kneel when chopping with a short axe. I couldn't believe how much it hurt. I still have a nice dent in my shin.
Another tip would be to chop straight down adding bsome body weight, instead of in a swinging arc
My brother was cutting brush in our property with a machete and he missed and it went into his leg, I’m not sure if I remember correctly but I think he was using those Mexican style machetes that are shaped like a hook. To this day if you look at the scar at a certain angle the shade makes it look a hole.
Ive watched a lot of videos and tutorials on how to sharpen an axe.... I must say this video and your explanation was by far the most detailed well spoken instructional video on RUclips! Keep them up I watch them all! Love the channel sir!
Thank you so so much for pointing out to kneel down with shorter axes in the beginning of the video. I have walked to multiple camp sights because i noticed someone was splitting with a 12 inch axe standing, attended to one incident where they split their shin. So many people forget this simple little tip that will save you a bloody painful mess.
I love these old CB videos. Dan has so upped his game in the last five years. But these old videos are just as informative.
For you leather goods the best Oil you can use is neatsfoot oil, when we got new leather on the farm we used to soak the item in it for a couple days, then lift it out and let it hang drip dry and air for a week or two, for Bridles knife sheaths etc that was easy to do a new saddle was too big to stick in a bucket so every hour or so we rubbed a good thick coat of oil on with a sea sponge for a couple weeks. Next important tip for lindseed and neatsfoot oil. NEVER leave rags soaked in it laying around either throw out of store on a metal shealf as both oils have a nusty habit of making piles of rags burst into flames more than one workshop or even house has burnt down due to oil rags combusting
Great tutorial! I even managed (finally!!!) to sharpen my Tops Tracker thanks to this. Thank you!
PS: I got here through the Townsends channell - and I'm really glad!
Dan, thx for the great videos. I really appreciate the topics, detail of videos and your enjoyable nature.
Gransfor bruks small forest axe
It's BRUK just saying,nice vid 😊
Thanks
Thank you for this thorough walk thru. This newbie appreciates it!!
I always pick-up some great new ideas from you!!! Been putting together a sharpening kit and watching lots of 'sharpening videos' The arm tuck and wood anvil!!!
Useful video. My Wetterlings has a good chip in it. You have encouraged me to get onto it and fix it.
Most informative video I've seen. Thank you, I love watching your tutorials.
Great video that more folks should see. Possible caution: I've noticed that vegetable oil can aquire a gummy residue, especially in warm, wet conditions.
Thank you so much for sharing your insights and experience in your care of an axe in this video. I’ll apply and practice what you have shared. Thank you so much again, blessings 😊
I just got my first short ax. Glad I watched this vid. Thank you!!!
I cut a 2.5" chunk off of a stone that was about 8" long and 2.5" wide so it is square. 2 grits, works great for knife and axe.
This is great thanks! Just what I need. I hit a nail with my Fiskar hatchet so need to remove the burr.The video I watched indicated a 22.5 degree angle for knife edge sharpening (roughly from folding a piece of paper to get 45 then again. But I like your idea of just eyeing it from a front view of the stone and edge.
I learned how important axes are for this sort of stuff from the novel hatchet where the protagonist was left stranded in the wilderness with a hatchet and used it to survive
I've been watching your current videos , 02/11/2021 your information is exceptional thanks for being a great instructor .. Joe
There use to be three file companies, Black Diamond, Mill Bastard, and Nicholson, the latter bought out the other two. That's why they're now called Nicholson Black Diamond or Nicholson Mill Bastard. To check sharpness, run it across your thumbnail, if it bites into the thumbnail, its sharp, if it slides, it's dull. Oiling handle, as much as it soaks in. What we used to do, is bore a hole in the butt of the ax pour in kerosene, plug the hole,( not to the bottom of the hole)and store it with the head down and let the kerosene soak through the Wood I've had my ax for 61 years( You young'ns need a lot of learning)🤠
PS, good video 😁
Enjoyed your video and reminded me of things I used to know...and learned some new stuff too. Great job.
Great video Dan, thanks for sharing it with us.
Outstanding instructional video. Glad I recently discovered this channel.
Great tips man. Thanks for sharing, Glad you went over a few options.
You don't lift a file when filing, it rinse itself on the way back, you just lighten your pressure on the way back.
OH! Don't forget that includes the wedge end. Let some oil soak in there too and you won't see loose ax heads much.
Can you go into further detail?
@@signaturerush People remember to oil their ax handles, but forget that the part under the ax head also dries out. When oiling the handle also prop it up on end and let oil soak into the wedge area. It will eventually penetrate under the ax head and help preserve the wood. When I put a new handle on an ax I oil the head end thoroughly before seating the head on it.
@@GP452 oh. Thank you. How long should one soak the wedge and does the type of oil matter? And should you dry the oil off a bit before you put it into the axe?
@@signaturerush wipe the oil on so it is floating on the wood surface. Let it sit and soak 20-30 mins, but don't let it start to dry. Wipe off the excess and let it dry. Tomorrow repeat the process. Use the stated schedule at the beginning of this thread.
Something that works like a file card and would take up less room in your pack would be a small length of 3/4" copper tubing flattened on one end. You could personalize it by carving a handle for it while sitting around the campfire.
another great video! very informative, keep them coming brother.
I have been looking for a good video on sharpening and you covered so much more. Thank you! You earned my sub first video out. ❤️
I have been messing with mineral oil + pine tar + beeswax melted and mixed. I think I like it. Out here in MT. Where I am at, we don't have birch trees. Thanks Dan!
I found some mudstone near my mom's place... perfectly flat almost, but i reprofiled it with a stainless plate. I wish i had taken more now, but i have a few nice pieces.. it's near 400 grit or something to estimate, but is still quite aggressive with a very thick mud slurry after a minute. So cool. Thanks for all your info, I've learned so much, even a few things tonight I've struggled with
Just found this... This video and your more recent choosing an axe one are important works. They would be of real value to catch "air time" into the future as more people start to redefine the word need.
Has anybody thought to themselves that this guy looks better now than he did 4 years ago haha. Like he looks older in this video than he does now in 2020
Now you're saying... yeah...hahah
Man you are so good at what you are doing for us. Great content buddy, you've been inspiring me! Please keep pounding out that quality content. :D
thanks for the excellent instruction.
If you are trying to oil a new handle, or oil an older handle for the first time, you may have to sand off the varnish or wax the factory put on it before any oil will soak in.
Loving the videos and your relaxed style. Subbed
I always have protection for my wood
Perfect video!! I’m going to practice on a crazy harbour freight axe I got a couple years ago.
I just learned so much. Thanks!
Thank you for this video, lots of great information!
Nice tutorial. I've cut linseed with terps before. Especially on raw wood. Soaks in fast.
Here is some advice from my end. Linseed oil for the handle......a dab of full synthetic motor oil for the head. Very few oils will outperform full synthetic motor oil. The only problem is smell and possible stains on cloth....but most all oils will stain.
In all the time of growing up on a farm I never saw people stone axes. It was files all the way. Same in the jungle for machetes ... people carry files .....no stones. If I was carving or shaving/planing I might stone.
I never thought about interior of sheath being wet...thanks!
Glad I found your channel, keep up the good work!
PLEASE never use a stone on an axe or a knife in a circular motion! Think microscopically. Think about what the "scratches" look like magnified. Circular scratches go every direction. Use straight strokes all going the same directions. all going in the same direction cut far easier, especially with a knife.I have been useing and making knives and cutting tools for about fifty years. I worked as a machinest, so I do have a good back ground and experience in cutting tools!
How would you use a round stone, just by doing back and forth motions?
I've never heard this before. Ever. I've used circular motions as one technique in a sharpening regimen on a dull knife, and it worked just fine, and the knife came out razor sharp when I was done. No, I didn't do it the entire time, but it was useful in removing material to get the bevel where I needed it to be.
Dan knows what he's doing, lol
@Mark Lennox you're talking about micro serrations. If all the scratches align well, these micro serrations do cut well, but the edge doesn't last long since the serrations tend to break off. If you finish the bevels by polishing, then the scratches don't really matter
Thank you. I tend to take care of all my tools- I can't afford to throw my money away.
I always carry a Victorinox multitool and a dmt dual sided diamond stone fits in the same pouch with minor alterations.
Really good explanation, thanks Dan
Awesome job!
That is the information I've been searching for about a month now :D
I've used railroad spikes to spit wood -- It works like a spiting wedge
Great lesson!
That's why chainsaws are so much safer, LOL. Great vid.
Always used linseed oil on all my wood handle tools (including 3 Hults Bruk axes/hatchets) with good results.
Thank you! xxx
Great video Dan
Thanks for the information
Thank you for your instruction.
I try to sharp my 5160 tomahawk with 1000/6000 water stone as you show in vid "first time in my life".My axe can slice a wood very thin like tissue paper.Really happy to play around with it (^_^).
Great content. If patients is a virtue, you are the captain.
Thanks man you're the best
Thank you
The sound of the video seems mono, I have sound only on my left speaker. Greetings
Great info 🤠
Gransfors Bruks...Mine were crafted by Mattias Matheson. Best wedge's in the world.
good information bro ...thx🙏🏼
u dont apply oil on the top part ?
My deaf left ear enjoyes this super much.... Fucking hell..
Nice video as usual Dan, love my knife, but the axe is where it's at!!
agreed!
Fantastic video very helpful thank you for your advice and information that's a great little axe what's the weight of that axe
What brand of axes do you like?
Have you made a reconditioning video for a axe head from a yard sale and handle making?
Have problems with my axe. Have some rust areas since it was in storage for a while in high humidity and also some rough spots near the edge.
I have a regtangle shaped course/fine stone and I've been told it should be soaked with water or oil before each use. Any advise on that?
Thank u
This gives me a lot of hope towards my own RUclips channel
Subbed!
Thanks
You did 5 strokes first then 3. I counted 😂😂😂 but very informative! Thanks Dan!
what is your preferred bushcraft ax or hatchet?
Have an old us military CB hatchet with a handle looks similar to what you have, it’s worth it weight in gold
Good job. Subbed.
what u think about fonced patina on blade in terms of maintainance and protection from rosting ? would u still need to take the above mabtioned oiling ?
Because of this bushcraft fade I have a feeling there's going to be a pile of mint condition gransfor small hatchets axes.
Which is better a short actually axes or a Tom hock
curious of the make and model of axe you have there
I love my little Fiskars X7 but I'm looking into getting a small first axe to supplement it with something slightly bigger. I'm looking at the husqvarna axes and the hultafors. Hultafors makes the husqvarnas and the husky is cheaper but the hultafors is a little more refined and better finished. Plus they're both hand forged Scandinavian axes (a.k.a. Top of the line axes) but MUCH cheaper than a gransfors bruks. I'll tell you though for its size that Fiskars is a little beast! Goes through wood like a beaver that got ahold of some Berwick meth! Lol
Dan, where do you buy all your Filson clothing. I know I can get it online. Have you found a retail outlet.
Great video! You earned a sub
Niice!!! ^^
Where can you buy birch oil? I looked on Amazon, but only found tiny bottles of birch essential oils. Thanks. Great video.
That's why I use Linseed oil. You can find in any hardware or big box store.
At 14:00 looking at the claw grip of your left hand i thought "yup, that's the automatic grip of a life long sharpener"
Your stone needs care too. Ive been taught to use oil on the stone. Keep mine wrapped in a oil cloth wrap.
I've heard not to put oil on your stone because it keeps the stone from removing material from whatever you are sharpening
I use a very very fine oil if you can get it the oil used by artists for oil paints works great even olive oil at a pinch to clean spray over with WD40 lay a sheet of sandpaper on a flat surface (metal workshop shelf works well) and give the stone a few strokes over the paper Corse grains for corse stone fine for fine. Also remember WET stones need water NOT oil. so a wet stome dip in a bucket then clean. and as my dad used to say when puting a stone away wrap it in Oiled Brown Paper that put it in a leather or wood case, NEVER just throw it in a tool box. You can if your wood working skills are high enough get a couple nice blocks of wood Mill out a slot that just fits the stone sit it in it and it is protected by the wood which should ne oiled and will help keep the stone fresh and clean. and if its a dual sided stone you can have it milled deep enough so each side is usebale just by flipping the box and choosing what side you want exsposed from the wood case as you only need to have about have the stone recesed into each side of the wooden case