Poor man's stonewash

[squints]

For the poor-man's-peanut-butter-jar-and-rocks stonewash, how long should I leave it in the washer/dryer? I'm still unfamiliar with the whole process, any and all help is appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

[robotech]

depends on the stone mix and the steel.
S30V in a mix of river stone, sandstone, tempered glass and wd-40 will give a decent wash in about 90 minutes. VG-10 maybe 15 minutes less. I haven't tried it on other steel, personally.
Here is VG-10 and 70 minutes with a mix of medium and small stones, with about 30% sandstone.

And S30V at 90 minutes.

Sandstone will start to powder and will keep the large stones from pounding the steel too hard after the first 20-30 minutes (and knocking the "bug" off). That is when the larger stones do most of their work. Then the smaller stones (and they don't need to be smooth, jagged is actually better) don't hit as hard and takes a bit longer to work, thus you want to start padding the large stones well before the smaller stones do their magic.The tempered glass helps get into the areas around the ricasso that a large stone cant quit hit. It takes the shine off without damaging the sharp edge of the ricasso.

 

[Bill DeShivs]

You guys are really gonna screw up a dryer, when that WD 40 leaks out!

 

[robotech]

You guys are really gonna screw up a dryer, when that WD 40 leaks out!

Why, have you?
If you seal the canister correctly, there's no leaking. The WD-40 get's absorbed. When you dump the canister, there is NO liquid left due to absorption and evaporation.
You have obviously never done this with WD-40.
The biggest threat to the dryer is if you have one that the paddles spin but the rear of the tub doesn't. This leaves a space between the back of the paddle and the dryer tub. The canister can get wedged into that space and stop the tub while the motor (and the tub belt) still spins.
And yes, I have done this. I now make sure the padded stonewash canister is either too big, or too little to get caught.
I also throw a big towel in with the canister to help absorb the impact to the tub. And cut down on the noise.
In the dozen times I have done this, I have never even smelled WD-40 while it is "washing". Not once.
I think a good warning is maybe to make sure the dryer is set on low to no heat. It may be just me, but I won't put the heat to evaporated WD-40 in a small canister. Although with the 100's of people I have read that has done this, none have been set on fire, so, eh.
But thank you for the warning, if I ever ruin a dryer using WD-40 in the wash canister, I will for sure think about it.
Don't hold your breath.

 

[Bill DeShivs]

I have obviously never done it, and never will.
It would be fairly easy for the top of the jar to loosen, and what absorbs the WD 40? Rocks won't absorb it, nor will the steel. Where does it go? My suggestion would be to substitute soapy water.
I'll use my vibratory tumbler if I ever want an industrial finish.

 

[ob1korobi]

This looks great. I have some fixed s30 blades I am working on and this seems to be.the best approach. I might need a tupperware or something heavy duty.since.these.weigh about 8oz. Thanks for posting.

 

[Bill DeShivs]

WD 40, sealed in a container will not evaporate-and rocks and steel won't absorb it.
If there is none left in the container it leaked out.

 

[robotech]

WD 40, sealed in a container will not evaporate-and rocks and steel won't absorb it.
If there is none left in the container it leaked out.

WRONG lil' buddy.
For the open minded folks here, try a little test and come back.
Go outside with some sort of open container. Spray WD-40 into it until a liquid forms (a LOT of spraying).
Leave it alone for an hour and go back to see if there is still a liquid in the container. There may be a RESIDUE, but no liquid. Why? Because it EVAPORATED.
Why do you think WD-40 is used instead of motor oil or 3-in-one or any other flavor?
And anyone who thinks that WD-40 won't be absorbed by powdered sandstone is waaaaay out there.
But, you can't tell the smartest guy in the room anything, too closed minded.
And who ever said to use a SCREW on lid? I use a sealed lid and wrap duct tape around the to seal it even more. I use this tin.
http://www.specialtybottle.com/teatincontainersmi.aspx
# TWS6
It has a plastic seal. I have used this a dozen times and have never had a leak.
So anyone saying wd-40 will leak is an just a close minded know-it-all that knows NOTHING.
And if anyone wants to see what happens to the WD-40, I can take a pic of the container, pad and the tupperware container that I dump the mix in after it's been through the dryer. The last dump is still there.
Cry Wolf some more, it's very entertaining.

 

[robotech]

Here are some pictures of the paraphernalia I use for "stonewashing".
Note: You don't use half a can of WD-40. 2-3 short sprays onto the stones is all you need. CERTAINLY not enough to cause leakage!
But, if you smell WD-40 in your dryer, you used too much or didn't seal the container well.

Used stone mix minus a few tablespoons of sandstone powder. I will use this mix one more time. Hmmm, no liquid. Say, where did that WD-40 go?

Here is the tin I use. This one has had eleven turns, still good to go. I have two more new ones if ever needed. Hmmm, no sign of leakage, where did that WD-40 go.

Here is the padding I use. This is after the 3rd use. I will use it again and then wrap some new. Hmmm, no sign of WD-40 leakage. That's right, it was ABSORBED by the powdered sandstone and the rest EVAPORATED.

Well, all I can say is in MY experience, no WD-40 leakage the the dryer.
So make up your own minds.
My experience (and pictures as proof), or the little boy that called wolf (LBTCW) that has NO experiences but has to state BS as facts.
I have had enough trying to explain this, so LBTCW, have at it.

 

[robotech]

One more thing for the OP.
Did I answer your question on how long to leave this in the dryer?
I think I am the only one that has, so far.

 

[Bill DeShivs]

When "real" tumble polishing is done, the media is suspended in liquid. I assumed you were using the WD 40 in this manner. You aren't.
How was I to know you weren't doing it the way it's supposed to be done?
Yes, a couple of squirts will be absorbed by soft stone, but WD 40 in a SEALED container will not evaporate. Only the propellant evaporates.
I'm not trying to be the smartest guy in the room, or the boy that cried wolf, just the guy that saw an incomplete description, of a process he thought unwise, attempting to warn people.
Lots of people do stupid things and get away with it. That doesn't mean it's wise to do so. If I see something I think ill-advised, I'll always speak up. I don't mind being wrong as long as no damage is done, or no one is hurt.

 

[squints]

has anyone ever tried stonewashing D2?

 

[madchild1]

I built a small rig using a cheap electric motor, potentiometer, a plastic peanut butter jar, rocks, tempered glass, and WD40. Turned it on and let it run for an hour and checked progress. Wasnt quite the finish I was looking for, so I let it run for 2 more hours. Worked awesome and cost me a total of $27. Since then, Ive stonewashed plenty of blades for myself and friends (charging them $5) My rig has now paid for itself many times over....

 

[Shoki]

For the record, I have seen a relatively small amount of WD 40 evaporate in an enclosed area and then flash with a grinder spark. Probably not enough force to hurt anybody in itself but certainly enough flame to ignite dryer lint. Anyone knowingly putting a container holding flammable fluid into a dryer should certainly do so with extreme caution. What exactly is the benefit of WD-40 over something less volatile such as soapy water or mineral oil?

 

[knarfeng]

Also for the record. If Bill DeShivs has a comment about knife modification or restoration, I'd listen. The man knows his stuff.

As an industrial chemist and materials engineer, my opinion is that putting any amount of WD40 in "sealed container" into a home drier is unwise. The solvent is akin to kerosene and only slowly evaporates. The active ingredient is oil, which does not evaporate at room temp and is flammable at elevated temps. Can you usually get away with it? Likely so. Will you always get away with it? Likely not. It only has to not work once to give you a disaster.

 

[sykes3170]

My dad told me a story about a woman whose husband was a mechanic. He came home with especially greasy coveralls one day. She decided that in order to get all that grease out she would would put a little gasoline in with the wash. Needless to say it blew the back porch right of the house. Luckily she had went into another part of the house. Just saying that flamible liquid and electrical appliances can be a problem.

 

[thebrain]

I can`t see why one would use a easily ignited substance in the clothes dryer in the place they live. I did the same thing with a water and it worked fine and isn`t something likely to damage my dryer. Can anyone tell me the reason behind WD40 being used?

 

[Shoki]

I can`t see why one would use a easily ignited substance in the clothes dryer in the place they live. I did the same thing with a water and it worked fine and isn`t something likely to damage my dryer. Can anyone tell me the reason behind WD40 being used?

From a mechanic's standpoint, WD-40 is a poor lubricant and works best as a water-repellent so I'm fairly certain that it isn't the best choice for this particular application. I think my first choice would be a soluble oil used as lubricant in machining. I use two different types at work and they are both excellent low-viscosity, non-flammable (being mostly water) lubricants and require only a light rinse in water to clean up.

 

[knifejerk]

Forgive me , but what happens to the edge and will this harm this harm an axis lock ?
Assuming a person had access, you could tape up the edge or what ever you like and glass or bead blast a knife in about 1 minute.

 

[Bill DeShivs]

"Stone Wash" is a conveniently coined name for an industrial mass finishing technique. There is nothing special about it. Its a cheap way to finish metal.