[aulddiy]

I 've used an Arkansas stone (hard) for a couple of years. Last week I bought and used another one. It does the job more efficiently than the old one.

Now the question- should I clean the surface of the old stone and how do I do it?

It would be great if others shared how they use their sharpening stones.
Thanks
John
Glenrothes
Scotland

[Thomp]

John,

i don't have a proven method for truing up a good stone, that gets sway backed from ware,,unless you took it to a stone cutter,

but if my old cheap carborundum stones get overloaded on the surface i use comet or ajax between 2 stones with plenty of hot water in the sink, scrubbing the stones together the abrasive between the stones seams to break loose the black shiny crud and cleans the stones..

i have taken stones bought at the flea market out in the yard with the garden hose on the back sidewalk and wet the walk added some dish washing soap or ajax and rubbed the stone in circles to flatten them somewhat, you need to go in both clockwise and counterclockwise direction it also takes a pretty smooth sidewalk, i wouldn't do this to a good or expencive $50.00 stone, but flea market bargain stones benefit greatly from it...

nothing lost with cheap cost of flea market damaged stones with this method..
then i wash them with dish soap and wash them with the hottest water i can.

wood carving supply stores have stones specifically made for flatting wet stones

[aulddiy]

The problem is how to get the stone cleaned up. With an old Indian stone I use washing up liquid an a hard toothbrush. That does the job. With Arkansas stones the price they are over here I want to make certain I do n't spoil the stone using a detergent.

Could be that difference has nothing to do with this and I've two different qualities of stone.

Thanks for the tips on truing up a stone though thats bound to come in handy.
rgds
John

[Smee]

Do you use your stone with oil? Or dry? The oil is meant to float the grit and metal pieces out of the stone. After useing it I wipe the stone clean. I don't believe detergent will damage the stone. It will simply remove the oil.

[aulddiy]

I use honing oil on the Arkansas stones..
I'll give them a clean with a toothbrush and the same detergent I use on the Indian stone.
Thanks
John.
Takes ages to clean the toothbrush afterwards so I can clean my teeth with it again.

[Thomp]

i once at a parts shop bought a Chinese stone, it was Grey, 2 tone from a great neck tool table for 99 cents,

i got it home opened the box and took it to the kitchen sink to soak it, '
dropped it in a plastic dish and filled it with hot water,
came back in 45 minuets and it wasn't nothing but a slurry of sand,, apparently it was a oil stone ha!

[VAwoodcarver]

Is that typical for a oil stone to fall apart like that thomp?

[Thomp]

Originally Posted by VAwoodcarver

Is that typical for a oil stone to fall apart like that thomp?

I certainly thought not, but it must have been a great neck brand china made throw away tool apparently,
since then i bought a 3m carborundum course / fine stone and some diamond stones

i dropped an old stone when i was a kid of dads and it split right down the center, i cleaned it out and stuck it back together with 3m weather strip yellow adhesive and left it on the edge of the bench, full well knowing one day i would be punished, but slicked out on that one.

[stickman]

I have a black ,red,and white arkansas stones when I am done I pat them with a paper towel it seems to absorb the dirty oil and you can see the filings on the towel.I say pat because wiping seem to smear thing around instead of pick things up.(if that make sense )I still find that every once in a while I need to wash them in the sink with a stiff nylon and a little soap.

[Plain_Ol_Ed]

I've quit using oil on my Arkansas stones these days. Cleaned them up with Castrol Superclean to get the oil out. Only use water on them now. Just personal choice, doesn't seem to make as big a mess as the oil did. Detergent sure won't hurt them if the Superclean didn't. Mine are very old, have been using them for at least 40 years and they still work fine. It's normal for a hard stone to lose a little cutting efficiency due to the rounding of the sharp edges of the grit. You can always lap them if you feel the need. There's a thread on that here someplace. Doing a search on lap or lapping should find it.