Thread: Removing Oil from a Hone

Lap it with sandpaper till the oil has been lapped off. IME the oil never penetrates really deep.

yes i know water boils at 212 thats a roaring boil three inch's of water in a pan the water boils just a little (not a roaring boil ) at 180 i used a temp gun when i did this and yes the oxy clean works great its a detergent i have done this to three different stone's 1 indian and two arks before i put them in the water i cleaned the grime off with oven cleaner (easy off ) forgot that in the last post here is one of the stones that went through this process its the stone on the left you can still see some of the residue left on the stone absolutely no oil in or on the stone when i give advice it come's from experience

Originally Posted by rjezuit

Not to dissuade, but water boils at 212° F.

Pure water boils at 212F. Once a solute (oxyclean) is introduced to the solvent (water) the boiling point of the solution is lowered.

Originally Posted by MarkinLondon

The most intriguing solution for me is to soak the rock in a bucket of water with a tablespoon of Red Devil lye. In theory, the oil should sapponify (turn to soap) and then wash right off. A week in the bucket should do it. But that's only a theory; I've never tried it. But you'd be a personal hero and become an SRP legend if you did it.

I would be hesitant about doing this. First and foremost, how is the lye going to affect the structure of the stone? Being a chemist, and not a geologist, I don't know what this stone would be made of. But I would not like to find out that it reacts with NaOH. Second, if there is oil actually in the stone it would saponify inside the stone, causing bubbles each use. Although I put a couple drops of dish soap in my spray bottle to help ease evaporation from the stones.

I vote for a good rinse in acetone, denatured alcohol, or isopropanol; something that is going to get out of the stone after a spell. The light boiling method sounds sufficient also, though.

If I were in your shoes I would opt for the least drastic solution. Try the Dawn diswashing detergent first in a sink of very hot water from the tap. Allow the stone to soak for several hours, perhaps even a day. Repeat the process, if necessary.

Dawn also makes a "Power Dissolver" that I have found quite effective at removing grease from dishes, etc. in the kitchen. You may want to try that as well. Spray it on the stone and let it sit for awhile before immersing it in the Dawn dishwashing solution.

Did what was recomended above,ran mine thru the dishwasher on High temp wash with the dinner dishes,they came out like new.

Originally Posted by HarryA

I just picked up a mystery "slate" hone that I hope is a thuringian (I am so jazzed). The thing is, it smells of oil and I am concerned about the oil contaminating my brand new DMT Duosharp xtra coarse 220/coarse 320 if I lap it as is. The DMT will be used primarily for my Naniwas. Is there a way to remove some of the oil on the hone with a solvent prior to lapping it? Or should I not worry about this?

First give it a try...

Scrub the stone with a common cleanser and rinse.
Lap with a spray of simplegreen or any common dish soap.
and rinse well.

A DMT can be cleaned with a stiff brush and common
dish soap.

Since you have two DMTs use one for Naniwas and the
othher for the thuringian if you are paranoid.

Paint stores commonly have a TSP cleanser for preparing walls.
From wikipedia "The major use for trisodium phosphate is in
cleaning agents. The pH of a 1% solution is 12, and the solution
is sufficiently alkaline to saponify grease and oils. In combination
with surfactants, TSP is an excellent agent for cleaning everything
from laundry to concrete driveways."

i.e. after a basic cleaning you are good to go
and sure use it with oil if it is flat enough.

OK, after searching for what I had on hand in the house--

Oven cleaner
TSP
Lacquer thinner
OxiClean

I went with the oven cleaner this time around. One overnight treatment. Scrubbed the stone with a big brush until the water was clear. Seems to have worked pretty well. I still smell a hint of oil, but it is removed for all practical purposes. Lapped up easily with the DMT 325 with a chalky grey/ white slurry forming. Will try and take some pics and post it on another thread for opinions on whether I have a thuringian or not.

Thanks for all of the great suggestions and concern for my hone.

Originally Posted by HarryA

OK, after searching for what I had on hand in the house--

Oven cleaner
TSP
Lacquer thinner
OxiClean

I went with the oven cleaner this time around. One overnight treatment. Scrubbed the stone with a big brush until the water was clear. Seems to have worked pretty well. I still smell a hint of oil, but it is removed for all practical purposes. Lapped up easily with the DMT 325 with a chalky grey/ white slurry forming. Will try and take some pics and post it on another thread for opinions on whether I have a thuringian or not.

Thanks for all of the great suggestions and concern for my hone.

And remember that a little oil is a good thing.
Many do oil their razors to prevent rust so a bit
of oil is always in the game.

After reading all these posts it just proves the old adage "there's more than one way to skin a cat". I would just like to add one thing,I cleaned my stone more than a couple times to really get it clean,but the one advantage that slow boiling had was that when I thought it was clean,on the last boiling,I got about a tablespoon of black dirty oil floating on the water,and most of the smell was gone. I also forgot to say that a rag on the bottom of the pot was used in case it started to boil hard and the stone bounced on the bottom and I didn't want to cause a crack. That's just the way I did it,I'm sure there are other ways.
Griz

Yes, Oven cleaner ,if they are really grungy, then scrub in soapy water.

I have had good luck soaking in 25-50 percent simple green & water in a glass flip top canister jar with rubber seal leave in the sun, heat speeds up the oil release.

Also use a thrift store slow cooker, get the oblong one 5-10 bucks also with simple green and water works very well and will speed the process up.

I have one soaking now for about a month in a jar, I change the liquid once a week. I have soaked them for a few months to get ALL the oil out.

They will come clean eventually, just depends on how much oil was used on them.

TSP works well but is hard to find here, Simple Green is cheap, easy to find and works well. You can see the oil releasing, it drops to the bottom of the jar. I keep changing the solution untill it stays the same color.