Thread: My Moldy Mistake

Thanks for the Thread, and I very happy it all worked out for you, it's good to find the Right woman to spend eternity with!!! diluteing the bleach was a great idea on your wifes part, cudos!!
I always worried about just how long to leave my wetstones out before packing them away??!!
I've always thought mold might developed, and not I know that is a real possibility I will be extra careful.

Be Safe, Be well, Be Happy, Be Clean Shaven!

tinkersd or SRP

Direct sun light will kill mold. Molds require moisture and darkness to thrive. I would refrain from locking up your stones in a case for awhile because fresh air circulation will help them to recover. alx

Originally Posted by alx

Direct sun light will kill mold. Molds require moisture and darkness to thrive. I would refrain from locking up your stones in a case for awhile because fresh air circulation will help them to recover. alx

+1
I did a no-no with my Norton 220-1k a few years back and grew a nice culture...
I added a capful of bleach to the water (1 Gal) from then on, but after soaking the Norton for a day in a double tap of bleach water I set it out on the sunny porch for 2 days a never a green thing poked up it's nasty little head again

Glen, I think there is a chance that the combination of bleach and sun could even create a hypo photo chemical reaction that could really help to wipe out the spores and such. alx

I have read that bleach weakens the resin used to bond synthetic waterstones, so not recommended for soaking water or cleaning.

Probably the safest way to clean mould from them would be detergent, but when my stones used to get mouldy; I'd use a nagura stone to rub it out or re flatten the stone if it looks deep.

Vinegar is highly acidic and may do the job whereas there may be a negative reaction with bleach. Be sure to lap the stones to get the dead crap off of of them, maybe a soft bristled brush.

If I leave my Nortons in water too long and they get grimy, I bathe them in a solution of about 2% bleach. I only leave them in for about an hour, then flush with clean water. I've had no problems so far. Interestingly, this also brings back the color when the yellow of the 8k has started to fade.

As mentioned, so far I've seen no ill effects. I'll be sure to post if I do.
YMMV.

Originally Posted by HNSB

If I leave my Nortons in water too long and they get grimy, I bathe them in a solution of about 2% bleach. I only leave them in for about an hour, then flush with clean water. I've had no problems so far. Interestingly, this also brings back the color when the yellow of the 8k has started to fade.

As mentioned, so far I've seen no ill effects. I'll be sure to post if I do.
YMMV.

Glad to hear you don't leave them in 24/7! I tried cleaning my stones (including a very pricey natural stone) in a similar solution with success a few times.

I think it was referring more to soaking them indefinitely in bleach water, though if the resin broke down slightly i would imagine the stone would become less friable.
not necessarily a bad thing for coarser stones though..

-Neill

Sunlight > Bleach for such a purpose.