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I've been honing with a coticule for a number of years and just was hoping to get an expert opinion on what is the best way to "clean" a coticule? I have always used a plastic scrub brush but I want to make sure that's the best way of preserving the life of my coticule. Would a wire brush do more harm than good?
I'm assuming you're using it with water, not oil. I haven't really 'cleaned' my coticules beyond maybe hitting them a lick on a 325 lapping plate from time to time. They don't appear to load up the way some stones do. I also use a plastic fingernail brush on my hones from time to time. Referring to water stones. Oil stones I just wipe with a paper towel. The water or oil being the vehicle that carries the metal swarf away.
Photo of stone would be interesting. In this case one can see the problem itself.
I have soaked Coticules in Simple Green & water, sometimes for days, that have had oil spots and smutz on them when purchased, (flea market finds). I have done several and only had one separate on me. It had a slate back not BBW. I cleaned off the glue and re-glued with clear epoxy, without issue. I do soak in clear water for a few hours to remove any residue.
Natural Combo stones are not an issue. They are rocks... after all...
I then lap with a 300 grit diamond plate and finish on a 1200 plate. I do wash off slurry with water and dry with a micro fiber that removes the slurry haze well.
BTW, the micro fiber works well on diamond plates and prevents rust.
Yeah, unless a critter puked on it, or some other calamity beset your rock, you really don't need to clean it. As Jimmy mentioned, almost all coticules autoslurry--meaning that they gradually renew their own surface during use. For that reason, you should not need to refresh or clean a coticule surface. Of course, lapping is another matter.
So the real question is, is your hone dirty?