How to clean water stones?

[Bladenoobie1]

Hi,

I've been using a nubatama 150 grit bamboo stone as my primary reprofiling stone for the past 2+ years. Its by far my favorite stone (although I don't have many) and has gotten plenty of use. Recently I noticed a small oil blotch appear on the surface of the stone. Fortunately its opposite to the side I'm using but I would like to remove it if I can. Yesterday I boiled the stone for about 5 minutes or so but the oil is still there. Would I be okay with cleaning the stone with a small amount of detergent or is that unadvisable?

Thanks,
BN

 

[Sadden]

Hot water and sunlight soap.

The 150 bamboo is a pretty stout stone. Its unlikely that the blotch will cause the stone any harm.

 

[Bazzle]

Jende industries I think have some valuable info on this. I've never really had to clean any of the "good quality" stones I own. I just keep them in a tub of water and change it when it becomes a bit nasty.

 

[fsatsil]

I dont know about the Nubatamas but most waterstones say not to use any detergent on them so why risk damaging the stone if the oil spot isn't effecting cutting performance?