Cleaning sharpening stones.

Z

zach2556

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So I posted about my new sharpening set yesterday but I really need to know how to clean my fine grit sharpening stone. Its really smooth which i dont know why. Please help me!
 
It's supposed to be smooth if it's a very fine grit......

If you touch it with your finger and your finger is black or shiny, then it is filled up with metal. Just use water and a tooth brush to scrub it off.
 
Rinse with water and then with Bar Keeper's Friend every once in a while.
 
Lacquer thinner works like magic. Careful though, it's flammable (do it outside away from sparks or flames).I mentioned this during a conversation I had with Ben over at Edge Pro when we were talking about why his stones work so well earlier this week, and he explained to me exactly why lacquer thinner works so well. Most people don't even agree with me that it's the best stone cleaner on the planet (until they try it). But no one has ever even tried to guess why. The man sure knows his stuff. Concerning the slick finish on the stone, if you want to sharpen it up (stones get "dull" too) call Ben over at Edge Pro and ask him to send you some of his magic dust and a glass plate. It's cheap. He claims that it works very quickly and very well. He explained that it sharpens and flattens your stone, exposing fresh sharp cutting surfaces in your stone after the dull ones on top are abraded away.
 
garyahouse said:
Lacquer thinner works like magic. Careful though, it's flammable (do it outside away from sparks or flames).I mentioned this during a conversation I had with Ben over at Edge Pro when we were talking about why his stones work so well earlier this week, and he explained to me exactly why lacquer thinner works so well.
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You going to tell us?
 
I like barkeepersfriend, not flammable and works very well.
 
Sorry, Dscheidt. Forgot to finish explaining... had to take care of some school stuff I'm studying. Ben said that it's very hard to find a stone sold in America that's not loaded with oil from the "factory." They manufacture all of them this way. This oil within each stone apparently contributes to the gumming problem. I never thought of a sharpening stone as looking like a sponge under the microscope - but they do... they're porous. Lacquer thinner cuts the oil, Ben said. My opinion: it causes anything that is suspended in the oil, or in suspension, to float to the surface when the lacquer thinner mixes in. Ever notice how cold it feels on your fingers? This is because of an intense evaporation rate. I studied this concept a little when I took chemistry in college, but it's been a while, so I'm giving my best guess here. The speed that it evaporates from the surface of the stone has a drawing effect... it literally sucks contaminants out of the stone... again, because the stone is porous. (It does the same exact thing to the oils in your fingertips...)Contaminants in the stone don't evaporate with the liquid, but can be wiped off if ya catch it when it's still wet. I supposed the fact that it's a powerful solvent and cleaner helps. The one thing I do know, it works.
 
THG said:
Rinse with water and then with Bar Keeper's Friend every once in a while.
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knifenut1013 said:
I like barkeepersfriend, not flammable and works very well.
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I'd like to add my voice to theirs. That stuff works wonders. Just put a little bit in your hand, and rub the stone / stick down with it. A jar costs less then a dollar around here and will probably last a good five years.
 
Spyderco ceramics are almost bomb proof, and arkansas natural stones are tough too. But hey, I wouldn't put nothing on expensive waterstones but water.
 
Josh K said:
I'd like to add my voice to theirs. That stuff works wonders. Just put a little bit in your hand, and rub the stone / stick down with it. A jar costs less then a dollar around here and will probably last a good five years.
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The reason that Bar Keeper's friend works well is that it is an acid with an abrasive. Be careful to keep off skin, it is an acid, and it can etch or eat away at your skin. You can smell the reaction while cleaning. Wear goggles if using a dish brush to scrub so it does not fling some solution in your eye. The term for lacquer thinner feeling cool is called "heat of evaporation." It is an endothermic reaction meaning that it absorbs heat while evaporating, therefore a temperature differential occurs effecting a cold response. This means that it is extremely volatile, and can cause an ignition, or damage your lungs, liver, and kidneys if over exposed to it.
 
garyahouse said:
Most people don't even agree with me that it's the best stone cleaner on the planet (until they try it). But no one has ever even tried to guess why.
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Come on Gary, you are being a bit dogmatic here. Nobody disagreed with you, they just did not agree with you, or jump off their computer and buy some lacquer thinner.:rolleyes:

It is great you brought up the lacquer thinner idea. I did not know that, and I thank you for this info, but let's keep it real. We all enjoy teaching each other tips and tricks, which is why we are here.
 
matt321 said:
Spyderco ceramics are almost bomb proof, and arkansas natural stones are tough too. But hey, I wouldn't put nothing on expensive waterstones but water.
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Do you mean you would put nothing but water on a waterstone? lol
 
cj65 said:
The reason that Bar Keeper's friend works well is that it is an acid with an abrasive. Be careful to keep off skin, it is an acid, and it can etch or eat away at your skin. You can smell the reaction while cleaning. Wear goggles if using a dish brush to scrub so it does not fling some solution in your eye. The term for lacquer thinner feeling cool is called "heat of evaporation." It is an endothermic reaction meaning that it absorbs heat while evaporating, therefore a temperature differential occurs effecting a cold response. This means that it is extremely volatile, and can cause an ignition, or damage your lungs, liver, and kidneys if over exposed to it.
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:eek: I didn't know that. I put about a teaspoon amount in my hand for each of my ceramic rods. No harm yet, but I'll wear gloves next time.
 
cj65 said:
The reason that Bar Keeper's friend works well is that it is an acid with an abrasive. Be careful to keep off skin, it is an acid, and it can etch or eat away at your skin. You can smell the reaction while cleaning. Wear goggles if using a dish brush to scrub so it does not fling some solution in your eye. The term for lacquer thinner feeling cool is called "heat of evaporation." It is an endothermic reaction meaning that it absorbs heat while evaporating, therefore a temperature differential occurs effecting a cold response. This means that it is extremely volatile, and can cause an ignition, or damage your lungs, liver, and kidneys if over exposed to it.
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As long as we are being pedantic or a pedantiss (I just found out there is a female form of the word), I agree with all that you said except that volatile doesn't mean that a substance is flammable and can cause an ignition, or damage your lungs, liver, and kidneys. It just means that it evaporates rapidly, or more specifically that it has a high vapor pressure or low boiling point. Lacquer thinner just happens to also be flammable in air at room temperature and can damage your lungs, liver, and kidneys.

I clean my ceramic stones or crock sticks with Barkeepers Friend, but while I have never had that problem, I think that if the stones really came with some oil in them that Lacquer thinner would work better to remove it then Barkeepers Friend. I have never had the stones that come from Ben Dale load up or need any cleaning. Just flattening or lapping. They and most water stones wear fast enough to expose new grit for the most part.

cj65 said:
Come on Gary, you are being a bit dogmatic here. Nobody disagreed with you, they just did not agree with you, or jump off their computer and buy some lacquer thinner.:rolleyes:

It is great you brought up the lacquer thinner idea. I did not know that, and I thank you for this info, but let's keep it real. We all enjoy teaching each other tips and tricks, which is why we are here.
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I think it is great too, but that is also a little dramatic isn't it? Maybe folks have disagreed with him outside of this thread. :rolleyes:

Gary
 
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How about something that won't set my hair on fire or melt the skin off my hands?
I know the stuff worls but anything safer. That stuff sounds like a pain in the "A"
Please don't tell me depleated uraninum. :)
C1
 
Condition 1 said:
How about something that won't set my hair on fire or melt the skin off my hands?
I know the stuff worls but anything safer. That stuff sounds like a pain in the "A"
Please don't tell me depleated uraninum. :)
C1
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I've been using Barkeepers Friend for years without any gloves, so I doubt you'd have a problem with it "melting the skin off" your hands. :rolleyes: Maybe try some Comet or one of those soapy blue steel wool scrubbies.
 
Josh K said:
I've been using Barkeepers Friend for years without any gloves, so I doubt you'd have a problem with it "melting the skin off" your hands. :rolleyes: Maybe try some Comet or one of those soapy blue steel wool scrubbies.
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Barkeepers Friend it is.
Thanks
 
Condition 1 said:
How about something that won't set my hair on fire or melt the skin off my hands?
I know the stuff worls but anything safer. That stuff sounds like a pain in the "A"
Please don't tell me depleated uraninum. :)
C1
Click to expand...

It's da bomb!
 
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