Cleaning Questions

[michdad]

I am a fan of Arkansas stones. I don't watch tv, and love to waste time just grinding a nice edge on a knife instead. I do like petroleum oils on my stones, and have used them since they were new. I have been using IPA tp clean, and have found advantages to mineral oil vs olive oil to lubricate. Anyone have a better suggestion?

Any help would be appreciated.

Matt

 

[Bill DeShivs]

Wd 40.

 

[flashlife]

Zippo lighter fluid will clean your oiled stones better than IPA.
I've heard that WD-40 can oxidize over time and eventually leave a cruddy, gummy buildup. Zippo will dissolve the oil and evaporate cleanly away.

 

[Bill DeShivs]

WD 40 will not leave a gummy buildup. Besides, you wipe it off!

 

[michdad]

I do like WD-40 to clean my stones. I use Breakaway on some things, but am leary about the amount of solvent on my stones. What do others use to clean/oil a knife to keep it "food safe"?

 

[Dog of War]

I am a fan of Arkansas stones. ... I have been using IPA tp clean, and have found advantages to mineral oil vs olive oil to lubricate. Anyone have a better suggestion?

If it's a good India Pale Ale, I would drink it, and use something else, like WD-40, mineral spirits, etc. to clean my sharpening stones.

.

 

[znapschatz]

If it's a good India Pale Ale, I would drink it, and use something else, like WD-40, mineral spirits, etc. to clean my sharpening stones.

.

Barkeepers Friend and Scotch Brite Green (heavier abrasive) sponge pads works for me. Can WD-40 or mineral spirits leave a residue on ceramics?

I love India Pale Ale .

 

[flashlife]

WD 40 will not leave a gummy buildup. Besides, you wipe it off!

Since most stones are porous, you wipe off what remains on the surface, but what has soaked in...?

I've had WD-40 leave gum on firearms stored for a long time, but it's not an immediate problem, takes a long time. I just wouldn't trust it not to build up over time below the stone surface and eventually cause a clog-up. If the stone was a fine, non-porous, slick one, you're probably right, Bill.

I did a search for "WD-40 residue" and found this:

"Don't use WD-40 on your guns. It will form a thick residue in small areas that you cannot reach to scrub often. A good example would be a guy I shoot with often who used WD-40 to lube his guns. Over time it built up a thick coating inside his firing pin channel in a Glock 22. Well during a range trip the firing pin stuck, and caused a slam fire. The culprit was later found to be a mass of WD-40 residue built up inside his gun. I use Rem Oil on my pistols and shotguns, and CLP on my rifles."
From 'BrassMonkey', 6/17/07: http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cach...ue"&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=4&gl=us&client=firefox-a

 

[Dog of War]

Can WD-40 or mineral spirits leave a residue on ceramics?

WD-40 is mostly Stoddard solvent with a smaller amount of light mineral oil, so leaves a very light residue. When I've wiped off fine ceramic with WD-40 there was a definite loss of abrasive aggressiveness. But the mineral oil residue cleans off easily.

Mineral spirits and Stoddard solvent are pretty much the same thing IIRC, and evaporates off entirely. I've used mineral spirits to degrease steel for touch-up cold bluing, works well although doesn't seem to degrease quite as thoroughly as naptha, for example.

I love India Pale Ale .

There's a nice variety available anymore, at least most places. My favorite lately is from Avery Brewing in Boulder, CO ... if you haven't tried it, I highly recommend it.

 

[flashlife]

Dog, I agree; naphtha (aka Zippo lighter fluid) is a 'go-to' degreaser.
Stoddard, I believe, is chemically somewhere between octane (gasoline) and pentadecane (15-carbon chain) and will eventually evap.
It's the proprietary-unknown ingredients in WD-40 that may stay behind and eventually gum up a stone (or your Glock).

One may argue that a firearm gets an awful lot of powder residue which mixes with the WD-40 to form a paste, etc. And that's true, but it's also true that an Arkansas stone gets an awful lot of metallic micro-particles that might do the same thing.

Mineral oil is safe in that regard because it's a long-chain hydrocarbon (aka paraffin) that will stay liquid forever and won't oxidize. It will eventually form a stiff paste with all the metal particles that have been cut by the stone. But since it's chemically inert, it's always be easy to wash off using Zippo fluid.

An cheaper alternative to Zippo fluid is 'VM&P Naphtha' from Home Depot, Lowes, Ace, etc.

Three things every guy needs: Duct Tape, a good pocketknife, and a bottle of Zippo lighter fluid.

 

[Bill DeShivs]

I have used WD 40 for 35+ years. I have been a gunsmith, engraver, knife: maker/restorer/designer, jeweler, and engineer (among other things!)
I can truthfully say that WD 40 does not "gum up" nor leave a buildup. It can dissolve older oil in guns and mix with firing residue, as any lubricant will on improperly maintained guns. WD 40 won't hurt your stones at all-regardless of what you read on the Internet.
You can do a search for "cancer cures" and get quite a few hits, too. That doesn't mean it's true. I speak from much experience.
Bill DeShivs

 

[Dog of War]

Dog, I agree; naphtha (aka Zippo lighter fluid) is a 'go-to' degreaser.
Stoddard, I believe, is chemically somewhere between octane (gasoline) and pentadecane (15-carbon chain) and will eventually evap.
It's the proprietary-unknown ingredients in WD-40 that may stay behind and eventually gum up a stone (or your Glock).

One may argue that a firearm gets an awful lot of powder residue which mixes with the WD-40 to form a paste, etc. And that's true, but it's also true that an Arkansas stone gets an awful lot of metallic micro-particles that might do the same thing.

Mineral oil is safe in that regard because it's a long-chain hydrocarbon (aka paraffin) that will stay liquid forever and won't oxidize. It will eventually form a stiff paste with all the metal particles that have been cut by the stone. But since it's chemically inert, it's always be easy to wash off using Zippo fluid.

An cheaper alternative to Zippo fluid is 'VM&P Naphtha' from Home Depot, Lowes, Ace, etc.

Three things every guy needs: Duct Tape, a good pocketknife, and a bottle of Zippo lighter fluid.

Good info there, fl. I've thought for some time that someone should do up a "Lubricants and Solvents FAQ" for the forums ... you might just be the man for the job!

BTW, my oldest brother used to be a big believer in Zippo lighter fluid for a lot of things, including his passion for classic rock 'n roll on vinyl. I remember those old LPs sounding really nice after a cleaning with Zippo. And there's also the story about one record that hadn't quite dried completely and was just spinning up on the turntable, when dad walked by with a lit cigarette ... ! (true!)

 

[flashlife]

I have used WD 40 for 35+ years. I have been a gunsmith, engraver, knife: maker/restorer/designer, jeweler, and engineer (among other things!)
I can truthfully say that WD 40 does not "gum up" nor leave a buildup. It can dissolve older oil in guns and mix with firing residue, as any lubricant will on improperly maintained guns. WD 40 won't hurt your stones at all-regardless of what you read on the Internet.
You can do a search for "cancer cures" and get quite a few hits, too. That doesn't mean it's true. I speak from much experience.
Bill DeShivs

Bill, you have more experience than I with WD-40, and make a good point that it will mix with other lubes and residues. I've only had one occasion where WD-40 was the most likely culprit on a firearm, and no actual proof that it was guilty in and of itself. It may have been some combination.

JMH

 

[flashlife]

Good info there, fl. I've thought for some time that someone should do up a "Lubricants and Solvents FAQ" for the forums ... you might just be the man for the job!...

Probably not, but thanks, Dog. My education is chemistry, my vocation was as an engineer for 35 years. I know a bit about the chemistry of solvents and chemicals, but not as much about lubricants.

 

[RKH]

I used Kerosene on my 11.5 inch India Combo stone by Norton per Wayne Goddard. His articles on knife sharpening in Blade Mag. were quite informative plus The Razor Edge Book Of Knife Sharpening by John Juranitch.After this, my sharpening increased dramatically along with the use of the Norton stone. I use the kerosene on the stone to sharpen and when finish just clean the stone by putting Kersoene on the stone and wipe down. I now use WD40 because it is not as strong odor or messy as Kerosene. BTW, from what I have read and studied about sharpening you don't want to lube the stone as you sharpen but to keep the stone from loading up with metal from sharpening. Periodically I scrub the Norton stone with Comet or Barkeepers friend and then rinse and let dry. I have also heard about that gumming effect but it has never happened to me over the last 20 years or more that I have used WD40 on my firearms and knives. WD40 is a fine cleaner. I don't use WD40 as a lube as I prefer Ballistol, Mil-Tec or Tuff Glide.

RKH

 

[knarfeng]

I am a fan of Arkansas stones. I don't watch tv, and love to waste time just grinding a nice edge on a knife instead. I do like petroleum oils on my stones, and have used them since they were new. I have been using IPA tp clean, and have found advantages to mineral oil vs olive oil to lubricate. Anyone have a better suggestion?

Any help would be appreciated.

Matt

I do like WD-40 to clean my stones. I use Breakaway on some things, but am leary about the amount of solvent on my stones. What do others use to clean/oil a knife to keep it "food safe"?

WD 40 will not leave a gummy buildup. Besides, you wipe it off!

I think that what you are doing is fine.
I currently use Gunk cutting fluid for lubricating my stones, but other oils have worked fine for me, too.
I don't like olive oil for lubricating. The oil oxidizes and gets gummy.

As Bill says, you wipe off the WD-40, so long term effects are nill.
WD-40 does get a bit gooey once all the kerosene-like solvent evaporates, but even the goo is slippery, so it does lubricate. It just is not as good a lubricant as a lower viscosity oil. And the kerosene takes a LONG time to evaporate when it is in a crevice.

 

[tomFS08]

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[sodak]

There's a nice variety available anymore, at least most places. My favorite lately is from Avery Brewing in Boulder, CO ... if you haven't tried it, I highly recommend it.

If you make it out to Colorado, I'll take you to the brewery...:thumbup:

BTW, my oldest brother used to be a big believer in Zippo lighter fluid for a lot of things, including his passion for classic rock 'n roll on vinyl. I remember those old LPs sounding really nice after a cleaning with Zippo. And there's also the story about one record that hadn't quite dried completely and was just spinning up on the turntable, when dad walked by with a lit cigarette ... ! (true!)

Pictures????? Flaming circle of life, or something like that? Sounds like a good ad for AC/DC - Highway to Hell....