Cleaning the stone

[Devon8822]

I found a good old sharpening stone in the basement in piles of junk, its a mess with grit stuck all over it... are there any special liquids or techniques used to clean them? or should I just go at it with some soap and a toothbrush?

 

[robin wood]

Its probably gunked with oil, swarf and stone dust so I would use paraffin to clean it.

 

[Native Justice]

Try using kerosene or gunn cleaning solvent like Hoppes #9 and a brush or a toothbrush to scrub it then run it through the dishwasher a time or two. You should be good to go afterwards.

NJ

 

[kippers]

run it through the dishwasher a time or two. yep, just dont let the mrs know!!! lol

 

[Scrumpy]

I lean mine up against my vice and give it a damn good douse of WD40 starting at the top and washing downwards.

 

[Devon8822]

If oil has been used on it in the past, can I use it dry or with water now? I heard somewhere that once oiled it has to be used with oil in the future too...?

and what is paraffin? isn't that a type of wax? how would that work?

 

[bikething]

I heard somewhere that once oiled it has to be used with oil in the future too...?

that's what i heard too

and what is paraffin? isn't that a type of wax? how would that work?

Paraffin is also known as Kerosene

 

[Eric_Methven]

Paraffin is what you colonials call wax. It's actually kerosene, but because we're civilised we call it by it's proper name - paraffin

Truth to tell though, I've cleaned up many an old oilstone and WD40 works a treat. I've never used one dry or with water though after it has been impregnated with oil. The oil will still work it's way out, and mixed with water, will just make it gunky again but much quicker.

One of the best lubricants I've ever found for oilstones is a 50/50 mix of kerosene and two stroke engine oil. Put in a small bottle that'll spray a fine mist, shake the bottle and just lightly spray on the oilstone before using it with a blade. Then wipe off afterwards with a piece of kitchen towel and that's it.

Eric

 

[mr dazzler]

I agree with urric on that, I have a noton stone and I always used plain oil on it, then I found if I cut it with white spirirt the honng process was easier as the blade's dont "stick" so easily
I heard some place where they boil old oilstones to clean out old oil and residue's etc If I was daft enough to wash a filthy oil stone in the dishwasher our lass would probaly use my best ladle's as kindling for a week

 

[Devon8822]

So, once used with oil, it cannot be used dry or with water, i am getting...

Now, is there anyway to get the oil out of the stone so I can use it dry or with water again? I will not have access to oil in the bush.

 

[Devon8822]

mmm now that I know what kerosene/paraffin is... I don't have any... lol. Can I use rubbing alcohol or gasoline?

and, so can I boil it in a kitchen pot to get out the oil so I can use it with water?

 

[Mesquite]

mmm now that I know what kerosene/paraffin is... I don't have any... lol. Can I use rubbing alcohol or gasoline?

and, so can I boil it in a kitchen pot to get out the oil so I can use it with water?

If you don't have any paraffin then try white spirits/turpentine or whatever you use to thin down normal oil-based domestic paints in Canada and submerge it completely in a bucket and soak for 24 hrs. Don't rush it, let the white spirits do it's job and soak for a while to allow the gunk to really soften up. Then give it a good scrubbing and it ought to come up really clean and ready to use again. Once you've used the white spirits on it make sure you leave it in a well ventilated area to dry resting on a couple thin strips of wood to let air get all around it.

You'll never get all of the oil out of the stone no matter how many times you boil it. The oil will have penetrated right into the depths of it. Also if you do decide to try boiling it, make sure you do it outside, not in your kitchen as you'll get some nasty smells come off of it.

IMHO what you have is an oilstone and you should treat it as such. If you can't take a small bottle of oil (and we're talking a small bottle, say 75-100ml) with you into the bush then leave the stone at home and get yourself a decent combined diamond/ceramic whetstone like a Falkaniven DC4 which doesn't need using with water or oil to sharpen your knives in the field. You'll save a lot of weight that way as well.

http://www.fallkniven.com/misc/eng-sharp.htm

 

[littlebiglane]

I found an old, gunked-up oilstone. A good quality one. I put it in a bucket of hot, hot water with loads of washing-up liquid. The oil started leeching out onto the surface. Once cold, fish the stone out, scrub the leeched gunk off it and repeat process 4 times. You can leave the stone in the water/detergent for several days - it does not matter.

At the end of the 4th rinse/scrub you'll have a the stone restored to 90% of its original condition.

LBL

 

[Native Justice]

Once you finally get that stone cleaned up and are ready to use it, consider what you'll use as the sharpening lubricant now. (I've successfully restored several whetstones from oil to be used with water; just follow the feedback on how to do it like in the prior posts)

Oil Base:

I prefer a 1:1 mix of kerosene and Norton sharpening oil (a refined mineral oil) or 2:1 mix with pharmacy grade mineral oil (costs about $1-2). Lubricates very well with a very fast aggressive cutting action and doesn't destroy your stone nearly as fast as straight kerosene or WD40

Water Base:

I prefer Simple Green, but Fantastic and Windex will work ok as well. These cleaners allow you to virtually rinse your stone clean when you're done sharpening.

Good luck LBL!

NJ

 

[Devon8822]

I just took it out of the dishwasher, and it looks good as new. Is that suitable for use with water or dry now? or would oil still be in it after a wash in the dishwasher?