Thread: Storing stones/hones in water?

I bought a new bewel setter. Instructions (!) are saying "never leave Japanese waterstones permanently in water". I stored old stone in water and it got chipped few times from the edges. Question is how do you store them; in water or not?

Thank you for your time.

Depends on the binder.
If the instruction say do not store in water, then follow and you will be happy.

I have a bunch of Sigma Power stones, and some custom made synthetics that live in a bucket all the time and are fine.
Chosera and Super stones are not to be stored in water. King hones can live in water. As you can see it depends on the hone.

I agree - in general the manufacturer knows best so if you follow their instructions I would imagine all will be fine. In the end, though, they are your stones and if you want to experiment with their aquatic properties that is your choice. Might be a costly one though.

James.

I used to leave my Norton's in water all the time and they never were worse for wear. the chipping on the edges is interesting did you have a couple of stones in the bucket and did the shift and knock against each other?

most of the time leaving any stones in water is not needed unless you are using them nearly every day. then you arejust getting rid of the pre-soak time.

enjoy,
jim

Natural rock, if it's not an absorbent material gains no advantage keeping it in water. Even if it is slightly absorbent it probably won't make a difference. It's mostly for the synthetics especially the lower grits that can absorb a lot of water. Personally I just throw those type in some water 30 minutes before I hone. I have heard of some of the bonded stones separating like the Norton 8/4K if kept in water and it's probably a good idea to put a drop or two of bleach in the water to keep things from growing on the stones.

Originally Posted by syslight

did you have a couple of stones in the bucket and did the shift and knock against each other?

The very first one happened that way, yes. However, that doesn't explain all of them.

My norton single grit 4k lives in a rubbermaid container with water covering it. The sealed top prevents any stuff growing on it. No chips on the edges so far. Maybe poltergeist ?

My Nortons have been in water for a few years with no problems. I change the water regularly so stuff doesn't grow.

I had a Naniwa combination stone fall apart in water. I store my Naniwas dry. They don't need soaking anyway.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Maybe poltergeist ?

Obviously!