Thread: Removing oil from a Thuringian

I didn't/haven't/won't/ put oil on my Escher but if I did how would I proceed to remove it?

I have an indeterminate stone which could be a Llyn Idwal or Tam O Shanter or even a Charnley and I'm getting itchy to see how it performs under mineral oil.

This far along in my experiments it is finishing as well as my B/G Escher just with water. The finishes are marvelously smooth shaving.

Lacking more experience, it is time consuming eliminating all the variables to be certain it is the stone and not another element affecting my results.

The natural stones recently acquired really drive home just how much they can vary in performance. Synthetics are repeatable and predictable. The naturals are an adventure.

I'm not a chemist, but Ballistol is a high grade mineral oil (among other things) that does easily emulsify with water.

The emulsifying agent in Ballistol might allow other oils to also emulsify with water; which would make oil removal a lot easier in a water soak/rinse. <- that sentence is just a theory.

I've heard that sawdust and other agents can be used. Oven cleaner? Sounds harsh to me. Might work, I haven't tried it yet.

Run it thru the dishwasher next time you run a load.

Dishsoap/dish pad..rinse and wipe dry..might work

Definitely not oven cleaner; oven cleaners are strong bases, which are just as destructive as strong acids. I don't know if a strong base would damage a hone, but it seems like a poor risk.

For your oil try glycerine, which is completely soluble in water.

I've had luck getting oil out of stones with a soak in Simple Green. As far as using oils, Smith's Honing Solution is a great, water soluble medium. Can be found at Lowe's.

Throw it, ( no, no, lay it ) in the kitty litter and that should suck most of the oil out of the stone. Then do the soap and water thing. Bill has a good idea there to throw ( lay ) it in the dishwasher. OR: Get a dedicated oilstone like a Translucent Ark or a Turkish oilstone like I did. Problem solved.......

Jerry
____

It is near impossible to remove oil from a hone so do
not oil a water stone.

Simply green does cut oil and if you want to you can
hone with a spray of simply green knowing that the
oil on your razor could vanish.

TSP has been used for ages in cleaning auto oil drips
most paint shops have it. Again rinse the razor and
the hone well with clear water. TSP is not recommended
on grout in the bathroom because it etches the grout
so no soaking... as it can get into the rock
and interact in unknown ways.

Once you get 99% of the oil off the surface you will still
find that dilute soapy water may be needed for a long
time to wet the surface when honing.

Dishwasher... maybe if and only if you skip the dry cycle.
do let the hone dry slowly.

+1 on the Smith's Honing Solution, I use it on my Welsh hones and my C12K, it works great and comes right off.

yes, use smiths, or glycerine+water, or soapy water.. not oil.