Thread: Cleaning an Oilstone?

You can boil the manufactured sharpening stones if they are really clogged .
I have done is few times with old stones I've picked up on Ebay and second hand shops .
I use an old boiler ( not the missus ) and dump some laundry detergent into it with water .Wrap the stone in a piece of rag and tie the rag onto the stone with some tie wire or similar .
Get another piece of wire and hang the stone in the boiler so it doesn't touch the side or the bottom .
Apply heat to the boiler and get the water boiling and let it boil for a few hours .
Remove heat and let the whole thing cool down .If you remove the stone while it's hot and try and cool it ,it will crack .It has to cool slowly.
Once this is done it will be really clean and any oil in the stone will be gone.
Use a mix of kero and engine oil for a lube when using the stone , and when finished let the stone soak in kero until the next use.

If you are using the stone to sharpen kitchen knives , use palm olive dish washing liquid as a lube instead of oil .Best to have a another stone for this sole purpose .
Soak this stone in warm water after each use and the soap will lift all the crud from the stone. Let the stone dry and store in a decent container ,.
Dish washing liquid is what they used at the Katherine meat works to sharpen thier knives.

Kev.

Woodlee: Thanks for some most useful suggestions. I will pay more attention to old stones that nobody seems to want.
Of course it's meaningless to you in your location, but a soaking wet water stone really will break if and when you let it freeze. (Says he from 53N in a friggin' blizzard with howling wind.) A tropical -35C last Jan 19.

Thanks everyone who has responded so far. I didn't think such an innocent sounding question would generate so many interesting replies. This little project is on temperary hold for a little while as I'm moving.
When I get back to this I'll try and remember to take some pictures through out the operation and post up a write up.
regards
bollie7

bollie7: no worries. This is a subject that concerns anybody who works with edge tools.

I am just a wood carver, the only one apparently, of soft Western Red Cedar in my little village in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia. I depend upon the good will, good wishes and good advice of contributors from around the world. I believe that sharp tools are the safest tools and I cannot afford to replace every tool as it dulls.

I'm a retired Biology professor. I recall one time in some teaching guru seminar, we were told that when a single student is bold enough to ask a question in lecture, 40% of the class wanted the answer.

Therefore, good sir, ask away. I shall await the answers which appear.