Thread: Getting oil out of a waterstone?

Hey guys,

I came across a small waterstone a little while ago, and I notice that it has an almost diesel kinda smell to it, and there are very obvious dark stains - like water-colour marks on both sides. Seems like at some point someone added some kind of oil to the stone not knowing the difference I guess..

So my question is: Whats the remedy for oil in a water stone? How can I extract the oil? I've thought of boiling the stone in water mixed with a detergent - but haven't actually tried that yet.. Anyone ever come across this problem before?

Thanks for any thoughts on this.

I have found this close to impossible with some synthetic stones I use on knives. I've washed, rinse, rewashed, soaked, etc. and eventually, more oil makes it's way to the surface. Maybe if it's not soaked through you could lap the stone and grind away the oil stain? If not, lots of dish soap, a toothbrush, and lots of time?

I PUT SOME OIL ON A WATER STONE BEFORE I KNEW BETER , I PUT IT IN A POT OF WATER AND BOLIED IT FOR ABOUT 1 HOUR AFTER IT COLLED I LAPED IT . IT SEEMED TO HELP IT HAD NO MORE OIL SMELL , AND THE LAPING DUST WAS DRY.

Thanks guys.
I figure logically, boiling with water and a grease-cutting detergent should work - I'll try that over the weekend, it's worth a try since I picked the stone up for about $2.00 at a garage sale

Thanks again.

Another alternative is to try covering it with kosher salt. Put a little alcohol in and let it sit. Works on getting tar out of old tobacco pipes. May work with stones. Kees had one with oil and tried it. He could tell you if it worked for him.

If its a natural stone I wouldn't boil it. If there are any internal flaws or cracks in the stone the stone might self destruct. As far as the smell depending on how old the stone is when they cut these stones they use diamond cutters and as a coolent for the saw they often use a mix of diesel and oil. of course if its an old stone the smell should be long gone. usually when oil is used on a waterstone depending on how porous the stone is it might be next to impossible to get off. You might just try some degreaser and see what happens.

I recently found oil on my green Escher, how it got there is still a mystery. I ended up letting it sit in salt and used hot soapy water the next day. It cleaned up fine. Of course it was a natural hone and not so porous so that probably made all the difference.

Since most oils dissolve in alcohol, you could try soaking it in isopropanol (rubbing alcohol). It's cheap and readily accessible. I think Jimmy was already alluding to this but I'm not sure what the salt would do. Anyway, soak it for a day and some of the oil should have dissolved out. Dump out the alcohol and replace it with fresh stuff and soak it for another day.

The alcohol acts as a solvent and a vehicle for the oil to free up and the salt leeches it out and absorbs it.

Oven cleaner is supposed to work as well.

The alcohol/salt sounds like the least harsh method, so maybe start there and try the others if it fails.

What does this waterstone look like? Natural or manmade?