sharping stones

[kokoek9]

Hi, I have both carborundum and Arkansas stones, when they get fill up from use how do you clean them. I don't use oil only water but they are still getting black any suggestions thanks Mike

 

[bucketstove]

Hi, I have both carborundum and Arkansas stones, when they get fill up from use how do you clean them. I don't use oil only water but they are still getting black any suggestions thanks Mike

Hi,
to clean,
use dish soap and toothbrush and scrub
or use powder cleaner like ajax/comet/borax...

if cleaning/scrubbing this way it works to restore cutting ability to your satisfaction, you're done

if it doesn't work, you should "condition" or recut the stones
if they're dished and need flattening , do that before conditioning, use plenty of water when flattening, use figure eight movements to , scrub on another stone or flat pavement or brick , maybe with a pinch of fine sand to speed it up (scratch stone with a nail to make some) ......

the corundum (coarser stone) you can condition/unload by scratching with a nail to release some new grit, followed by a short scrub 20 seconds max, to make sure entire surface is conditioned, can be done by with a blade or another stone or ... and use water for lubrication

to condition the arkansas , which should be flat already,
use slightly coarser grit than the "grit" rating of the arkansas, on a flat piece of glass or a tile ($1) or stone /wood...
use lube(oil) and scrub for 20 seconds max on
sandpaper is more easily available locally than abrasive powder/loose grit/grain



watch stefanwolf88 condition arkansas stones and flattens them and ... lots of examples of flattening+conditioning or just conditioning, and sharpening with it, just about every kind of sharpening stone there is (he collects stones)

you can read more lube choices (oil...)and best uses for arkansas(microbeveling...) ..... in Soft Arkansas Review and 90/90/90° X-Grain Push Cut on Phonebook Paper with 154CM and Smith's Diamond Tri-Hone for various steels?

 

[HeavyHanded]

Hi, I have both carborundum and Arkansas stones, when they get fill up from use how do you clean them. I don't use oil only water but they are still getting black any suggestions thanks Mike

I'd put a little oil on the surface, enough to get some standing puddles, and let it sit. After 10- minutes or so wipe it off with a rag. After that, continue to use with oil instead of water.

Otherwise, bucketstove advice is good ^. Just make sure when reconditioning that there is lubricant (oil or water) and loose grit.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

If only using these stones with water per the specifics of the OP, I've used them at the sink filled with some soapy water (dish soap like Dawn, etc), making sure to dunk the stone every few passes, to keep the stone wet. Then, when finished, I've scrubbed the stones in the same soapy water with an old toothbrush, then rinse in hot water; only takes a couple or three minutes. If managed this way for each & every session, they stay clean and clean-cutting for much longer. In particular, the carborundum (SiC) stone continues to look and work 'as new' when I've treated it as such. The key is to not let them go too long without a good cleaning.


David

 

[jpm2]

I clean both my carborundum (SiC) and Arkansas stones with drug store mineral oil and paper towels, $2 a pint at walmart.

 

[kokoek9]

thanks for all your suggestion, I,ll try seveal and see what works best thanks Mike

 

[eKretz]

SiC is really easy to clean even after it clogs - take a nice flat piece of scrap steel (soft steel is fine) and splash on a bit of mineral spirits and rub the stone on the steel as though trying to flatten it. Wipe the stone and steel with a rag and repeat if necessary. One or two iterations of this will clean out a SiC stone even if it's caked and clogged with oil and steel swarf.

 

[kokoek9]

I cleaned my stones last night, with soap and water and a tooth brush worked prety good, need a stiffer brush. thanks for your suggestions