Norton India Stone - Preloaded with grease, not oil. *update pic*

aplehr1

aplehr1

Joined
Aug 23, 2009
Messages
119
I started using windex on my India stone, as others have recommended - but the stone kept clogging up. So I soaked it in warm water, and scrubbed it with a brillo pad. After the 3rd or 4th soaking, I noticed grease was rising to the top of the stone. I scraped it off with a business card. It remains a solid at room temperature. Anybody ever seen this?
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Adam
 
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Adam,

Think you need to boil the stone first, to draw all the oil/grease out of it that they ship with from the manufacturer.
 
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I can't make heads or tails of the photo but I agree w/ Harpoon. It doesn't take long about a 3-4 min. boil. Observe the water before pouring it out. DM
 
David Martin said:
I can't make heads or tails of the photo but I agree w/ Harpoon. It doesn't take long about a 3-4 min. boil. Observe the water before pouring it out. DM
Click to expand...

The business card is blue, the white stuff on the edge is the grease. I was aware that some people have boiled their stones. It just seems odd that Norton would impregnate the stone with grease. Seems like the worst possible thing to use.
 
I imagine some of the ingredients in Windex might emulsify the oil Norton uses. When I boiled mine it released a very thin oil, but at boiling temps that's to be expected - viscosity of different oils will drop quite a bit under those conditions. Coaxed out at a lower temp who knows? I also wonder if the Brillo pad is treated with surfactants that might have reacted with the oil.

Cross two forks in the bottom of the pot, lay the stone across, and boil it.
 
I would do something along the lines that HeavyHanded mentioned:

1. Wash and/or boil with detergent (emulsifier) such as Windex. Personally, I think I would try Dawn dishwashing detergent.

2. Boiling sounds like a good idea to me; in theory, the increased temp will reduce the viscosity of the grease and allow it to be removed more easily.

3. I might try using an ultrasonic cleaner, like what jewlers use, or industrial units that machine-shops use to remove rust. Hopefully the ultrasound would create micro-bubbling inside the surface pores of the stone. Possibly, that could push out some of the grease (which would then get captured by the detergent).

Whatever you try, let us know how it goes!

Sincerely,
--Lagrangian
 
I've done it the manner HH decribes and had good success. I've also merely layed it on the top surface of a wood burning stove for 15 mins. or longer depending on how hot the stove is. Then turn it on to its other side and do the same. The heat draws any fluids out as it heats up the stone. Then just wipe the oil off the stove and stone. DM
 
Neat!

Sincerely,
--Lagrangian

David Martin said:
I've done it the manner HH decribes and had good success. I've also merely layed it on the top surface of a wood burning stove for 15 mins. or longer depending on how hot the stove is. Then turn it on to its other side and do the same. The heat draws any fluids out as it heats up the stone. Then just wipe the oil off the stove and stone. DM
Click to expand...
 
Well, I didn't use much windex - just 2-3 sprays per side. The brillo pad is just a generic type plastic scrubber - no additives. I don't know what the consistency of the "oil" was when it left the factory (Mexico), but now it is saturated with grease that has the consistency of Crisco. I haven't boiled it yet, but I'm going to. I took a pic of what happens when I put the stone under the hot-water faucet. The stone is fully dry in the pic, all of the droplets are grease. The water melts the grease, and it is forced through the top/bottom/sides. I thought I could get away without having to boil it. I thought using windex or water + cleaning would eventually force most of the "oil" out. Given the consistency of the oil/grease, that probably would have been a losing battle. So, thanks for the input guys. I agree that boiling these stones is necessary. Seems a shame, but other than that it seems like a very good stone.

Adam
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You'll be surprised how much of the wax comes out. I got a few table spoons full.

When you boil it, do yourself a favor and pour the boiling water out after you're done (and not in your sink or any indoor plumbing.) If you use cold water to cool everything down first, you risk breaking your stone, and you will have to scrape the solid grease.
 
Soaking the stone in mineral spirits, gasoline, or alcohol will remove most of the oil. Let it sit for a few days.
WD 40 is very good at dissolving old oils, and it can be washed out of the stone with detergent.
 
Crossed two forks as a stand to keep the stone off the bottom of the pot, boiled for ten-fifteen minutes. Put the whole pot in the sink and slowly added hot tap water to float the oil over the rim and down the drain. Followed it with some dish soap. Stone came out of the bath without a trace of oil.
 
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