Thread: Hone cleaning

Do you need to clean a hone after using it. I notice a lot of crud on my 4k after using it. If you do need to clean it what is recommended to use.

Hi,

There will be many opinions on this

My experience is limited to waterstones from Norton & Naniwa.

I don't clean my waterstones after use, as I re-flatten them (with a DMT 325) before every honing session, and this takes care of any muck on the surface of the hone. If the waterstones get too mucky during a session, I will give them a rub on my DMT 325.

Some people who do clean after use scrub the waterstone with a green 3M ScotchBrite pad. Others seem to use the flattening stone/plate.

I do not know if there is any hard & fast rules on this, and others here at SRP who are far more exerienced than me will give a better opinion.

Have fun !

Best regards

Russ

I run mine under water and rub them with (clean) fingers, if still dirty I'll run the DMT plate over them a couple times.

Some hones are easier to clean than others. My Naniwas release almost all of the black stuff just by rubbing them with my fingers, but my Norton 1k holds onto it. I don't think you really need to clean it out after use, but you can.

I too lap my hones before each honing session, and the blacks stuff acts like a pencil grid - once it's all removed I know my hone is flat.

Once they're lapped, I just use rinse them and wipe them off with my hands and that usually does it. Both my Naniwas and Shaptons clean up really quicly like that.

Then I just lap them once they start to glaze over.

I hone at the kitchen sink so running water is readily available. I have the lapping plate in the sink and used to lap the swarf off as it built up. Then reading some posts on this topic I began using a finger nail brush to scrub it off under running water. I do that until it doesn't work and then just do a few strokes on the plate to clean them. With naturals it is just the nail brush. I rarely lap my Eschers, Coticules, etcetera.

A Norton will get clogged if you don't clean it after use. Clogging in the hone world is called "loading". Oil stones use oil instead of water as they are porous and the swarf will get into the pores, clog the stone, and reduce the abrasive activity. Belgian hones are not porous, do not load, and I'll often leave the slurry to dry and then reactivate it with a spritz from my spray bottle. On a finishing hone like a coticule, this is not a problem.

Arkansas and carborundum stones will also load. When I get one that's crudded up, I use Easy Off Fume Free (blue can, cheaper at Lowe's than at WalMart) to cut the oil and lift it out of the stone. Do this in the kitchen sink. Coat with the Easy off on the top and sides and ends, let sit for 15 minutes, brush off with running water and a plastic dish scrubber brush. Repeat if necessary.