Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
OK, is it myth or reality?
Jay Samuels
>Since everyone is on the subject of sharpening, is it really true that you can clean up oilstones by boiling them? I have a number I have picked up over the past couple years, and most seem to be glazed over most or all of the surface. Sometimes kerosene works as a lubricant, sometimes not. Before I throw them in the pot, any input? Thanks.
Re: OK, is it myth or reality?
Joe Rogers
>Based on a thresd on another forum,Yes. Can't cite it here (I'm at work)but posters also said an automatic dishwasher was a superior substitution due to smell.
Must get SWMBO's permission though.JR
Disagree JR
Todd O. Cronkhite Maine Native in FL. Exile :~(
>Must get SWMBO's permission though
It is much easier to beg forgiveness than to get permission.
I've never heard of boiling, nor putting them in the dishwasher, and before doing either I would like to see some links of the threads of folks who advocate this practice.
I myself have scrubbed them with powdered cleansers and stiff nylon brushes with reasonable success.
Must admit tho that I only use a few oilstones, and those are the ones that I bought brand new years ago from Smiths. The old ones I now just bring home and stash away in my Stone Drawers to await the One Day when I get around to doing something with them.
Todd O.
Re: Disagree JR
Joe Rogers, Northern Virginia
>True...True I have long advocated the position that it is easier to get forgiveness than permission. I'll see if I can cobble up an address for the thread. I don't do the linkey thing.Jr
Re: Disagree JR
Joe Rogers, Northern Virginia
>Woodnet Handtool forum thread :
http://www.forums.woodnet.net/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=1631233&page=6&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=
Man What an address. Copy and paste.
Seems to work.JR
Re: OK, is it myth or reality?
L. Hanson
>This is a report sent to me about using a dishwasher to clean old oil stones - I've put it on my web site in a sidebar in the Oil Stones article there:
QUOTE:
------------------------------------------
A friend (Jeff Ranck) reported the following experiences to me that might be helpful on cleaning some very badly clogged oil stones:
"I tried the cleaning process you recommended, no go. I just couldn't seem to get anything very clean. I also noticed that the stone was not flat. I lapped the stone against some sandpaper on a flat granite tile. That cleaned the faces up well.
"In an old book, they talked about cleaning oil stones (after they had gotten really really bad) by putting a rag into a pot, adding some soap and boiling the stone. The rag keeps the stone off of the hot spot of the stove so it heats uniformly by the water (no cracking). The oil floats off as the heat opens the pores and the soap acts on the old oil. Sounded like something to try. However, my wife was less than enthusiastic about me boiling a greasy rock in her pans.
"Meanwhile, I read somewhere to try the dishwasher. Light-bulb flashed on. Put the stone in the dishwasher with a load of dishes (when my sweet wife was not home ) and wow! The stone looks brand new. No residue as far as I can tell (we don't use any type of rinse agent or anything)."
" A through C show the stone before I started to clean it. You can really tell the side my great grandfather used, it is almost black.
"D shows the best I could clean it using the methods you talked about and pretty much everything that was on my shelf that I thought might help clean the oil. Pretty good, but still a lot of stuff on the stone.
"E shows the true color of the stone after I started to lap it. Note how dished it is. This is why I think it is a softer stone like a soft arkansas or washita.
"F shows the stone after running through the dishwasher. Standard dishwasher soap no rinse agent. Let it cool before you put it on anything cold. When I thought about it, it makes sense. Dishwasher soap is designed to dissolve grease and oils. The hot temperatures of the dishwasher should help open the pores of the stone and the water
flushes the stone really well."
END QUOTE
--------------------------
I haven't done it myself, but it looks like it worked for Jeff (the pictures are his, not mine). I certainly wouldn't be scared to try. I think I would probably opt for the boiling in a pot on top of a bunch of rags, first, then try the dishwasher next. Also - it well could be the soap that does most of the cleaning.
I would also be careful while the stone is hot not to bring it into contact with something cold that might cause it to crack...
My problem would be...
Dan Donaldson
>If I put them in the dishwasher without permission, I would never get the forgiveness ;-)) (doubt that I would get the permission either)
What I would probably find is that I would have a dishwasher in my shop that I could use any time I wanted, and we would have a new one in the kitchen ;-)
I know what you mean, Dan
Ellis Walentine
>The same thing happened with the iron I was using for edgebanding and dent steaming. SWMBO got a new iron out of that deal. :-)
Re: OK, is it myth or reality?
Todd Hughes
>Never cleaned one up in a dish washer but have had good luck using engine /carborater cleaner to clean ones filled up with gunk. Just spray it on and then wash off in hot soapy water scrubbing with a tooth brush.....Todd
I've boiled...
Bryan in Broad Ripple, IN
>I've boiled old stones with great success. I really think boiling is the way to go, and I would never want to gunk up my dishwasher with old stone goo.
Here's what I did to keep this process wife friendly: I bought an old pot and lid from and estate sale for about $1. I then boiled them outside on the side burner of my gas grill. I had to lid the pot to get it to boil, so a lid is important. I used a bit of spic and span in the water, and boiled for 10 minutes. It is kind of smelly, but it worked great as the gunk just floated away.
I've done with with natural oil stones as well as synthetic oil stones that were oil impregnated by the manufacturer. The oil impregnated stones will never truely come oil-free, but they do clean up quite nicely.
After you see the crud that comes off of these, you'll understand why I will NEVER put one in my dishwasher. It's pretty nasty stuff.
-Bryan
Re: OK, is it myth or reality?
Patrick Gibbons, Houston, TX
>In Planecraft, I think, the author relates that many craftsmen would apply paraffin hot, let it cool and then pull it off, much like a depilitory. I'm writing this from memory but I believe that's the gist of it. I've never tried it myself and have no idea if it works well or at all but thought it was interesting.
Re: Disagree JR
Ernie Miller
>I would invest in a protable dish washer at a garage sale they are usualy cheap and some times free you can leave in in the basement next to the slop sink I use mine for that initial cleaning of planes and other tools disassimble and place in the washer leave the heated dryer on and come back later with a mostly clean plane. small parts go in the silverware rack. Remove all wood befor placing in the washer as it can cause them to swell and crack with the soaking and quick drying. If the wife won't let you use hers get your own.
Re: I've boiled...
Todd O. Cronkhite Maine Native in FL. Exile :~(
>Bryan,
-Did you put a rag in the bottom of the pan?
-Did you wait for the water to boil than put the stone in, or did you put it in while it was cold and let it come up to boil?
-How long did you let it boil?
-What was your cooling process?
Todd O.
I guess it's reality, thanks
Jay Samuels
>
Re: OK, is it myth or reality?
John Aniano in Central NJ...
>Jay, et. al.,
I have many times cleaned off the grime of oilstones in the dishwasher. I first get the really awful dirt off using a scrub brush and hot sudsy water and then run them through the longest cycle my dishwasher has. The method really does work!
John
What!???
Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA
>I'd always assumed, Todd, that you cleaned your sharpening stones with a shotgun.
Re: I've boiled...
Bryan in Broad Ripple, IN
>Todd,
1) No rags. Most of the time, I don't put anything in the bottom of the pan, I just stand the stone up on edge so that both surfaces are exposed to the water. So far, no problems. But, now that I think about it, the pan I bought at the estate sale came with a loose metal plate thing tossed inside, and it could be used to keep the stone off the bottom. Hmmm, I may have to try that. Otherwise, an old vegetable steamer bown in the pan bottom would work well. Regardless, it sounds like a good idea.
2) I always put the stone in the water when the water is cold. If you put a cold stone in boiling water, you risk cracking it.
3)Once the water begins to boil, I let it go for another 10 minutes. I poke at the stones with a stick from time to time to see if more goo is soaking off. If so, then I'll let it go longer. The longest I've boiled a stone is mayby 15 minutes. Generally speaking, most of the crud comes off in 5 or so minutes.
4) to cool, I just turn off the burners and walk away for 10 or so minutes, then I pull the stone out while it's still kind of hottish. I let if air cool (takes 5 minutes or so) and dry. If you pull it would while it's still kind of hot (not scalding) the water evaporates off the stone in no time.
Good luck!
-Bryan.
Re: What!???
Todd O. Cronkhite Maine Native in FL. Exile :~(
>I think that you're getting Todd's stone cleaning methods confused with his stone shaping methods. Say he needs a slip for a chisel, he'll shot gun a stone as he knows that there will bound to be a pieces close to the shape that he needs.
From what I understand he spent much time experimenting as to what guage at what distance, and at what angle to acheive the desired finished shape from each particular grade of stone. There is a Internet Myth floating around that claims he once carved a statute out of huge hunk of granite stone with one of his machine guns, but as so far this is completely unconfirmed. ;~)
Seen a T-shirt once that said "It it brkoe, it just needs duct tape. I think in todd's case it should read "I can fix that, hand me my shotgun"!
Todd O.
Re: My problem would be...
Melvin Willis
>Well that seems like an ideal solution then. Dishwashers are handy things for cleaning all sorts of stuff.