Cleaned the oil from Arkansas stone. Good for water?

C

Convectuoso07

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Jun 30, 2010
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I have a Smith medium Arkansas stone that I've used maybe 15 times with gun oil. Having read that water is equally effective, I thought I'd use that instead, being virtually free and easier to acquire in the field.

I just finished scrubbing the stone with detergent and water using a plastic bristle brush and the oil color seems to have gone.

Is this safe to use with water now or will it cause problems for me?

Thanks,
J
 
I would soak it over night in detergent and water. It should be fine for water.
Naptha, alcohol, or gasoline wopuld also be a good soak.
 
Any chance of that causing it to come unglued from the plastic base? I suppose it would be easy to glue back if it did though.
 
With a couple of those, there may not be a base left!
Try detergent and water overnight.
 
I would probably remove it from the base anyway and clean the glue off . Thus allowing me a stone which I could use both sides . Then get a wooden box to store it in still providing you with a base to work off . Then use Bill's suggestions on cleaning and it wouldn't matter . DM
 
I'll see what I can do, starting with soaking it. It's recessed in a plastic base and being natural stone, I'm afraid I'd break it trying to pry it off without really being able to get to the edges.

And thanks very much for the replies,
J
 
Convect, What size is your Arkansas stone ? Also, some other products that you may have on hand which will cause the glue to turn lose is; acetone, Gunk, Breakfree, lacquer thinner and solvents like Hoppes . Good luck . DM
 
It should be fine, worst case you might have to scrub it down a few more times after use. You'll want to give it a rub with a nylon scouring pad between uses anyway. I usually use mine with a drop of dish soap and a few drops of water. If you think it's really plugged up you could put a blob of dish soap on it and lap it with the fine side of an aluminum oxide stone for a few minutes.
 
I soaked the stone overnight in denatured alcohol. It obviously helped. The oil color is gone from the stone, but on the side I have used it still beads water. I may try another soak.
 
I'll give it a shot. It would be a shame to get oil all over my nice new wooden base/box. I guess worst case scenario I would get another stone.

How long would you boil it for?
 
Convectuoso07 said:
I'll give it a shot. It would be a shame to get oil all over my nice new wooden base/box. I guess worst case scenario I would get another stone.

How long would you boil it for?
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I've heard from some people that once you've used oil in an Arkansas stone it's nearly impossible to get out all the way, so if boiling doesn't work I would probably bite the bullet and get a new stone. With such strong solvents already tried I'm not sure what boiling is going to do anyway, but I'm definitely not an expert in that area.
 
I resurrected my stones a few years ago from the depths of my bin o woodworking tools. Lapped the bejezzers out of 'em with an 8" silicone carbide stone lubed with dishsoap. Took about 15 minutes /side/stone and they worked better than I ever remember them working back when I first tried them with oil. Worked them till they looked "like new", they still stay clean and there's no trace of any oil or metal residue.
 
Yes, boiling it for 3-4 minutes will help get 50% more out . Then if you'd use lacquer thinner with a metal brush the size of a toothbrush you'd get it to 90-95% clean and be done . What size stone is your Arkansas ? DM
 
It's 2x6. I have some paint thinner, should that work? The other solvents readily available to me are the denatured alcohol, a few different gun cleaners, and GooGone! Boiling Now!
 
Turpentine will not work like lacquer thinner or acetone . Do you have Barkeepers friend ?
What about Comet ? If you do; once the boiling treatment is complete, take the pan and stone out back on the porch and using a hot pad to hold it and Comet with a small wire brush . Sprinkle some Comet on the stone and began scrubbing, while hot . Rinse the stone in the same water, reverse sides and scrubb the other side . When you've scrubbed it thoroughly rinse in tipid water and pad dry . Then let us know how it looks . DM
 
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