Storing hones in water

I have just started to learn to hone so I can finish off the razors I restore without sending them out. The three hones I have been using are a King 800, a Norton 4k/8k and a Chinese 12k. All these stones have to be soaked before use, which takes time. I was wondering if these stones could be permanently stored in water, perhaps in a sealed plastic container with a lid. Would this damage the stones in any way? Is it better to let them dry out between uses for some reason? I don't want to ruin anything for the sake of half an hours soaking time but it would be handy to just pull out the hones and go.

I dont have the Norton stones myself, but I have heard that guys who use them regularly store them in water all the time.

If you do store them that way be sure to change the water regularly as well, otherwise it'll go slimy.

This is just what I've read though, so do wait until you hear from someone who has the stones themselves!

I only store my Norton 1000 stone in water,,, by the time you're done using that the others would be ready anyway...

Some tricks I have found to be very useful.

Use a very clean container
Use distilled water
Use a cap full of Clorox (bleach) per gallon

This keeps the stone and bucket slime free the longest..

I bought one of the Big Orange "Homer" buckets with the lid at Home Depot just for this purpose...


Warning:
I would NOT store any other stones like this, Naniwas and Shaptons in particular, or any other naturals either, I did leave my Ch12k in there for a week once with no ill effects...
I have only stored Norton 1k's and King 1k's like this for extended periods...

Guangxis (C12k's) don't need soaking, a squirt or splash of water and they're good to go.

I'm pretty sure norton reccomend you don't store combo stones in water as they can (not will) break apart at the join as the adheasive saturates, however as with many others I have a 1000/8000 norton which has been sat in water for at least 9months which still works fine.

on a side note the container I have my waterstones in gets filled with HOT water and has a tablespoon of bi-carb soda dissolved in (water cools before my stones go back in) and I have never had any problems with slime of any sort.

I have Kings and have always left them in water, sometimes for weeks at a time with no ill effects. Alx

I've got single grit Nortons and I keep the 1k and 4k in water. Norton says if you have the single grit 8k it does not need to be soaked before use. I have had the stones feel slimy if I didn't change the water in a timely fashion.

The solution to that was a Tupperware type container with an airtight lid that snaps on. Since I began keeping the 1k and the 4k in their own separate containers with lids no slime issues. As Glen mentioned, no other stone I know of should be soaked. With Naniwas or Shaptons I do spray the stone and leave it set wet for a few minutes before lapping. Never soak those though.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Piet

Guangxis (C12k's) don't need soaking, a squirt or splash of water and they're good to go.

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See now the instructions that came with all 4 of the Ch12k's that I have owned, said exactly the opposite, "Stone needs to be submerged in water for minimum of 30 minutes" That's what I have been doing....

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gssixgun

See now the instructions that came with all 4 of the Ch12k's that I have owned, said exactly the opposite, "Stone needs to be submerged in water for minimum of 30 minutes" That's what I have been doing....

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+1, that is what it says. I posted a thread "Do You Soak Your Chinese 12k" and got a mixed response of some who do and others who don't. I sold mine so it ain't an issue for me but that is what it recommends.

It's already been covered, but I can say for certain that Naniwa stones should never be stored in water.

I had a combo stone that crumbled to pieces after being stored in water for an extended period of time. (note this was a Naniwa combo stone, not a Naniwa Superstone. There is no reason to soak the Superstones anyway)

I know the low grit Nortons even after a 20 minute soak they still absorb water like a sponge.

The best bet if you want to keep hones in water all the time is add a few drops of bleach, it will prevent anything from growing on the stones.

I keep my Norton 4k/8k in a container/tub of water all the time, under the sink. I don't use it much though...and it does get slimy....perhaps I shouldn't bother soaking them all the time anymore! Or I should just try a little bit of bleach....

But back to the OP, it doesn't seem to hurt the stones at all (NB: I'm talking about Nortons only). :shrug:

I used to store my Norton hones (220/1000, 4000/8000) in water but I stopped doing that for no good reason. Now I soak them for about 30 min. before I use them. IMHO it doesn't hurt to store them in water, but it isn't necessary either.

I have one concern about storing the hones in water with bleach. Some of that bleach will come in contact with your razor. Now in Glen's case using it just for a 1k, it's not an issue because subsequent use of higher grit hones would eliminate any corrosion caused by the 1k hone. However, if you soak your other hones in bleach as well, your freshly honed edge could end up corroded.

There has been many conversations about this, not only in razor sites but woodworking, artesan and diy sites as well.

IMO it might be useful to store them in the water if they are frequently used, but in my case i do not use my stones so often, so i have no reason for that.
Whenever i need a stone, i put in in the water and wait about 30-60 min until i use them. I can use that time to clean/polish/whatever the object i'm working with.

Whenever i'm about to do some woodworking with my chisels etc, i start the whole thing by putting the stones i need in the water. Once i've done with my tools, i finish the job my giving them few strokes on a stones. Same goes with razors.

Another add: Don't store Shaptons in water. I did for a couple days and did some serious damage to my 2K. I may be able to work it out, but will loose at least 1/8" if not more...that's if I only lap one side. Pitted it severely!