Thread: Cleaning wooden hone boxes? [de-oiling]

(That's [wooden [hone boxes]] not [ [wooden hone] boxes] . Just in case anyone asks what a wooden hone looks like. )

Ideas on cleaning up antique wooden hone boxes? I've seen here suggestions for using Simple Green, at least for the hone itself. Would it work on the box? Elsewhere I've seen suggestions about using Murphy's Wood Soap or else MEK + whiting.

The larger issue would be making sure that the solvent used to degrease would not effect the glue used to build the box. I suspect with a light spray of a less aggressive degreaser and keeping the box fairly dry would go a long way. You can read into that do not soak. Some oils may be drawn out using salt. I would be very cations with strong degreasers like oven cleaner. There is a citrus based degreaser called TKO that is strong and gentle at the same time. Most of my hones are water hones so I am thinking from a woodworkers perspective. TKO will be easy on the wood and likely the finish.

I'm wondering how denatured alcohol would work or perhaps even just 90% rubbing alcohol just sprayed on left to work for a minute and then use a rag to clean up the slop/then keep repeating

So it is dependant on type of wood. (soft vs. hard). Hardwood oil cannot penetrate as deeply into fibers.
Type of oil used. The lighter (sewing machine oil) the better. Simple green and steel wool. Will get you a better idea of depth of oil. Weighed against the patina of an old box. Awesome box?? plasticwrap liner sort of idea.
Pictures would be cool to see if available.

Oven cleaner will draw oil out of wood. I have used it on gun stocks but gun stocks do not have glued joints. So as RezDog pointed out that might not be the thing to use in this case.

Bob

Acetone. You can always glue them together again.

Originally Posted by BobH

Oven cleaner will draw oil out of wood. I have used it on gun stocks but gun stocks do not have glued joints. So as RezDog pointed out that might not be the thing to use in this case.

Bob

Yes, EZ-Off will "pull" the oil & crud out. I learned to use this technique from people who refurbished old furniture. I have used the method often on old stocks on military rifles that needed repair & finish. Of course some were left original, but some needed the EZ-Off treatment.

No more than 30 minutes on the EZ-Off ,,, do it outside & rinse with a hose, then wash with a rough rag soaked in a lemon dish soap. Then let the wood dry for a week.

********If the box is glued together, Don't Ez-Off it. *****************

Probably not good for glue joints, but gunsmiths have used the whiting paste method for a very long time to remove oil and grease. Using whiting(calcium carbonate powder) and a solvent. Mix the calcium carbonate powder and solvent to a heavy paint like consistency, then quickly brush it on the wood. The solvent soaks into the wood and the whiting absorbs the disolved oils. Brush and scrape off the dried whiting and reapply if needed. It helps if you presoak the wood a bit with solvent before painting on the whiting. You can get calcium carbonate powder at wally world or any drugstore.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i31acWBV9zk

Perhaps you could use TSP and scrub small areas with a toothbrush, wipe with a rag.

Originally Posted by RezDog

The larger issue would be making sure that the solvent used to degrease would not effect the glue used to build the box. I suspect with a light spray of a less aggressive degreaser and keeping the box fairly dry would go a long way. You can read into that do not soak. Some oils may be drawn out using salt. I would be very cations with strong degreasers like oven cleaner. There is a citrus based degreaser called TKO that is strong and gentle at the same time. Most of my hones are water hones so I am thinking from a woodworkers perspective. TKO will be easy on the wood and likely the finish.

Where does one acquire TKO?