Thread: Best way to clean a hone

In The last picture I have cleaned these with soap
And water and diamond sharpener, and not sure if this is the color or if more needs to be done. I have not cleaned the ones in first pic. Should I have even used the water and soap on the 3 I cleaned already? I don't want to mess up the other stones pictured.. Think one may be thuringian or maybe 2? One is bbw and just got in the mail. One is. Norton hard Arkansas. Not sure if I can clean this one as it has a label on it...once cleaned can I put oil on any or all
Of them to condition?

Soap and water will not hurt any natural stone, IMO. Of the stone is an oil stone and you intend to use it as such you can surely oil it. Most stones are not shiny when dry, that is normal. Usually when dry they only get shiny when either highly polished or glazed.

For Arkansas stones I mix a 50-50 mixture of simple green and water.cover the stones in the mixture for at least three days skimming off the oil slick twice daily . On the forth day replace the mixture with a completely fresh batch and let soak a few more days.also turn the stones every morning and evening. as for man made stones I'd be cautious with anything stronger than the previous mixture. cheers -CAM-

Most of these stones that need cleaning also need to be lapped, this alone will do wonders for the surface.

What is the best thing to lap the stone with? That will work the fastest..

You can start with a coarse grit wet/dry sandpaper around 120 grit.

I use 99 cent store oven cleaner to de-gunk the bad greasy ones on a cookie sheet, like your one ark. It will get most of the grease off.

Stones that have been used with oil are penetrated with oil and you will have to soak them in a degreaser to get all the oil out.

I first spray with oven cleaner let it set 10-15 min spray again and scrub with a Bix paint stripping scrubber, Hm Depot. Then wash in soapy water, Dawn liquid and water to remove the oven cleaner.

Then I soak in 50 percent Simple Green and water, as said after 2-4 days change the solution, wash with soapy water and soak again. Simple Green will get all the oil out but for some stones it can take months. One Hindostan took over 6 months.

You will know when it is free of oil once it stops releasing oil and the color of the solution does not change.

I soak them in glass canning jars with the rubber gasket and hinged lid from the thrift store, a buck or two.

For Thüringen’s and BBW you can lap on Wet and Dry 220, for Arks use loose Silicone Carbide, 60 -80 grit from Gotgrit.com, it is not expensive.

Use a table spoon or Silicone Carbide on a cookie sheet and a squirt of water on a flat cement floor and do figure 8’s. Mark a grid with a sharpie, pencil will wash off on the first lap and is useless.

Be prepared to put in some effort lapping an ark, pick the best side, but you only have to do it once.

Once flat polish with wet and dry on your cookie sheet and some soapy water.

I was really pressed For time and wanted To start to get these stones cleaned. I didn't clean forst with oven cleaner or even soap and water. I just added them all in a pile in a container with simple green and water. After 2 days I just washed them off with old toothbrush and dawn and the stones are already much better. I took 3 arks and did them separately as they were not all that bad and this stuff really works. They are like new again. After a few more days I will take out the 10 or so still soaking and upload pics. Had one stone in there that I now see is not a natural stone so took that out.. But that looks new too..

They really look nice,,,,

So the solution was fairly clean so took the stones all out. Now I have no idea what most are but they are clean and smooth and most very different from when they started in the solution. The smallest square one actually was bubbling air for a while. One seems to be two different colors. 2 seem to be washita maybe even 6 of them.