Help me understand the MSDS for Honing Oil. Remember, I have not had Chemistry since high school, in the early 1980's.

Norton Sharpening Oil - Highly refined Mineral Oil

I was told that Norton Sharpening Oil is not much more than highly refined mineral oil and the MSDS was pretty easy to understand even for me:


This product is a fully refined white mineral oil meeting the requirements of the National Formulary XVII and the requirements of the Food and Drug Administration as per 21 CFR 172.878. May contain up to 10ppm Tocopherols as stabilizer.



Smith’s Sharpening Solution - Water with cleaners, lubricants, and emolients


I had Smith’s Sharpening Solution explained to me as mentioned below, and when I looked at the MSDS, I said “yeah, OK, I can see that”:


A Mixture of emollients, lubricants, cleaners and a mild corrosion inhibitor. Features built-in stone cleaning agents and rust/corrosion inhibitors. Excellent for lubricating your Arkansas or Diamond Stone when sharpening. Non-petroleum based with built-in stone cleaning agents and rust/corrosion inhibitors.

Dan's Honing Oil - ???


Then, I looked at the MSDS for Dan’s. I found an old post from 2014 that claimed that Dan’s contains Kerosene, but Dan’s site claims it is a Light Mineral Oil. Dan’s has a very distinctive odor, but I do not know the smell of Kerosene. The MSDS (from Cross Oil) reads as follows:



  1. (Cas: 0064742-53-6) MINERAL OIL, PETROLEUM DISTILLATES, HYDROTREATED (MILD) LIGHT NAPHTHENIC (77% - 100%)
  2. (Cas: 0000128-39-2) 2,6-DI-T-BUTYLPHENOL (0.0% - 0.3%)


Specific chemical identity and/or exact percentage (concentration) of the composition has been withheld to protect confidentiality.

Could this be mineral oil with essentially Kerosene in it?

Nathan’s Natural Honing Oil - ???


This is where things feel a little strange. Nathan’s Natural Honing Oil claims to be a Highly refined oil (sounds like Mineral Oil). Nathan’s smells about the same as Dan’s to me. The MSDS from “Superior Lubricants” reads as follows:



  1. (Chemical Name) Highly Refined Petroleum Base Oil 100% (CAS Number) Mixture




Case - ???

I asked Case for their MSDS, and I have no response.



Gatco Hone Oil

I do not know who to ask for the GATCO hone oil MSDS, but, I see things such as:


Specially formulated FDA-approved honing oil is designed to insure the maximum suspension of metal fouling and abrasive particles for longer stone life and superior cutting efficiency. But this is where things get a little strange. On seller claims that it can be used for any sharpener that can use an oil or water. It contains protectans. It can even lube bolts to a door. Everyone specifically says “do not use OIL on your diamond stones”, but this stuff claims to act like an oil, but can be used on your diamond stones and it ships with Gatco’s set of diamond stones. Smith’s also works on diamond stones.



Trend - light petroleum distillate with naphtha - ???


Trend, which looks like the Gatco, claims to be a A Petroleum based lightweight fluid. I never bothered with Trend fluid because it is so expensive and I had never heard of anyone using it on anything other than diamond stones. The MSDS, looks like many of the others in that it is vaguely a petroleum product.



  1. Hydrotreated light distillate (petroleum) (CAS No) 64742-47-8 45.0 - 55.0% Asp. Tox - Cat.1 H304 (EC No) 265-149-8 EUH066 (EC Index No) 649-422-00-2
  2. Hydrotreated heavy naphtha (CAS No) 64742-48-9 30.0 - 40.0% Asp. Tox - Cat.1 H304 (EC No) 265-150-3 (EC Index No) 649-327-00-6 Flam. Liq. 4:H227 EUH066