Honing paste

[wallydouglas]

Hi guys
Im running low and looking for a alternative as hard to get hold of tormek honing paste in country Western Australia
Anyone know of a alternative that i could buy from Bunnings or Repco 
Cheers

[grepper]

If you want to approximate Tormek honing compound it's made from 1-3 micron aluminum oxide abrasives:

Aluminum oxide  30-40% 
Petroleum distillates 15-<25%
Ammonium hydroxide 25% <1%

So basically it's 1-3 micron AO abrasive in light petroleum oil with a bit of ammonia.  I don't know for sure but I suspect the ammonia is in there for a cleaner/lubricant. 

The AO abrasives seem pretty friable and at 1-3 micron is not very aggressive stuff.  Being a very fine abrasive it puts some good shiny on the bevel.  I like it a lot and have used it for jobs other than knife sharpening.  It even removes oxidation from plastic headlight covers.

Used regularly the oil in it keeps the leather honing wheel in good condition.

[cbwx34]

Or, consider an alternative, like diamond or CBN?  They are becoming more readily available.

[wallydouglas]

Thanks guys i found a good metal polish paste half the price of tormek and more readily available for a country fella like myself

[GeoBoy]

Advanced Machinery has Dursol avaliable.

[Ken S]

I purchased a tube of DurSol on Jeff Farris' recommendation. Along with the very helpful parts drawings, Advanced Machinery acquired Jeff's inclusion of DurSol in the product when they acquired Sharptoolsusa from Jeff.I LIKE BOTH Tormek PA-70 and DurSol. Both work well. I think PA-70's slightly thicker consistency helps it stay on the leather honing wheel. DurSol appears to have more ammonia, which makes it an effective metal polish

My favorite would be the first tube I found.

Ken