stuball48
Stainless
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2006
- Location
- Dickson, TN
When your oilstone is dirty and greasy---how do you clean it?
Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
Largest Manufacturing Technology Community on the Web
Stay Connected:
Cleaning Oilstone
- Thread starter stuball48
- Start date
- Replies 23
- Views 9,555
traytopjohnny
Stainless
- Joined
- Mar 21, 2005
- Location
- cincinnati
Rub it on a Cast iron lapping plate charged with silicon carbide dust. Do figure eights. John
anchorman
Titanium
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2005
- Location
- Opelika, AL
soaking in kersosene is supposed to clean them nicely.
Tom Dittmer
Aluminum
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2006
- Location
- Keokuk, Iowa
I think you also have to put some solvent on the plate such as diesel fuel, paint thinner, honing oil, etc. I'm not sure which would be best.
CarlBoyd
Hot Rolled
- Joined
- Jul 16, 2007
- Location
- Orlando, Florida
I had good luck rubbing mine on the concrete driveway with lots of water. It ended up clean and much flatter than it started out
Carl
Carl
rob daniel
Hot Rolled
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2005
- Location
- Southern California
Maybe the woodworkers among us should chime in as they use stones frequently. I have been told that concrete bricks are great for flattening and cleaning stones and I heard that some woodcarvers get their stones trued up by using a potters wheel.
J Henricksen
Stainless
- Joined
- Sep 19, 2003
- Location
- Roscoe, Illinois
scrub a pice of corrugated cardboard with the stone with lots of thinner, then wipe it off with a shop towel.
macona
Diamond
- Joined
- Jun 20, 2006
- Location
- Beaverton, OR
Mineral Spirits work nice as well.
Gagegrinder
Plastic
- Joined
- Jun 7, 2007
- Location
- Livonia, MI
Brake cleaner - doesn't further pollute the stone 'cause it evaporates quickly.
james robert
Stainless
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2007
- Location
- Ft. smith Ar. U.S.A
Ive used scouring powder mixed with dish soap and warm water to rinse the scouring powder breaks up any glazing and the soap gets rid of grease and oil.
I just rub it by hand works fine.
James
I just rub it by hand works fine.
James
Frank Ford
Hot Rolled
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2003
- Location
- Palo Alto, CA USA
I'm with traytop, but instead of using cast iron lapping plate, I reach for a scrap of plate glass. I like 80 grit silicon carbide grains and kerosene, but I've also found that almost any regular coarse sandpaper can work, lubricated with mineral spirits or kero, laid on any flat surface.
Cheers,
Frank Ford
FRETS.COM
Gryphon Stringed Instruments
My Home Shop Pages
[ 10-24-2007, 09:59 AM: Message edited by: Frank Ford ]
Cheers,
Frank Ford
FRETS.COM
Gryphon Stringed Instruments
My Home Shop Pages
[ 10-24-2007, 09:59 AM: Message edited by: Frank Ford ]
Forrest Addy
Diamond
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2000
- Location
- Bremerton WA USA
I use a coarse diamond bench stong and plenty of soapy water. Flattens them right up. I use an alternating 30 degree stroke to ensure a little tooth when I'm done.
I use that diamond stone for no other purpose but dressing bench and slip stones and keeping then flat and clean. When it gets tired I replace it with new and use the old stone for rough work.
I use that diamond stone for no other purpose but dressing bench and slip stones and keeping then flat and clean. When it gets tired I replace it with new and use the old stone for rough work.
For cleaning only I use soap and water if they aren't very dirty. Stones are much easier to maintain if you do it on a regular basis.
If they are really caked up I'll try my Gesswein stone cleaner.
Anything worse I'll redress. I have a few old grinding wheels from 100-220 grit that I have saved over the years. I bust off about a 1/2" cube and tap it with a hammer on a steel plate. Once it is down to a little bigger than a salt grain, I lap the stone in a figure 8.
After lapping, clean with soap, stone cleaner, degreaser, or whatever you prefer. Just be sure to wash things out of the stone. Never blow it off with an air gun. You'll only drive crap deeper into the stone.
If they are really caked up I'll try my Gesswein stone cleaner.
Anything worse I'll redress. I have a few old grinding wheels from 100-220 grit that I have saved over the years. I bust off about a 1/2" cube and tap it with a hammer on a steel plate. Once it is down to a little bigger than a salt grain, I lap the stone in a figure 8.
After lapping, clean with soap, stone cleaner, degreaser, or whatever you prefer. Just be sure to wash things out of the stone. Never blow it off with an air gun. You'll only drive crap deeper into the stone.
Marc_Stokeld
Cast Iron
- Joined
- Dec 25, 2006
- Location
- Sawyer, MN
I use stones almost every day I am in the shop. I keep them soaking in ATF and lubricate frequently with more ATF. I clean everything with spray brake parts cleaner. If a stone is really loaded up, I soak in kerosene or mineral spirits
Diamond hones make the flat one flat again.
Diamond hones make the flat one flat again.
gwilson
Diamond
- Joined
- Oct 1, 2006
- Location
- williamsburg va
I also use a diamond stone like Forrest. I also use the diamond stone under a faucet to take the "fuzzy" areas off of brand new white (fine) ceramic stones. The ceramic stones are so hard that the fuzz might be a bear to get off any other way. Leaves them very smooth and able to make a razor sharp finish on a blade.
stephen thomas
Diamond
- Joined
- Jun 3, 2001
I sort of collect likely fleamarket stones. Many are quite dished out. I grind the synthectic (man made)and soft natural stones on a surface grinder with a green wheel. (flood or heavy mist coolant) Grind the hard natural stones with a diamond wheel. For occasional "touch up" I use a wet area of the rough concrete patio, or the side of a cement block.
smt
smt
jackalope
Titanium
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2004
- Location
- St. Peters, MO
I, too, let my dirty ones soak in ATF. Works great. FLoats the gunk right out.
anchorman
Titanium
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2005
- Location
- Opelika, AL
don't forget that they are supposed to have oil on them to work properly, hence the name...
when they glaze over, the only way to fix that is to re-dress them, rubbing them on something harder than they are, and preferrably flat. for wood working (flat blade chisels, hand planer blades, etc.), I prefer water stones, but most metal working applications where you have a smaller contact area the oil stones do the job a bit better, since they are harder and don't get out of flat so quickly. Diamond stones or the new ceramic ones would be nice for that too, but you can't beat the price on an oil stone.
when they glaze over, the only way to fix that is to re-dress them, rubbing them on something harder than they are, and preferrably flat. for wood working (flat blade chisels, hand planer blades, etc.), I prefer water stones, but most metal working applications where you have a smaller contact area the oil stones do the job a bit better, since they are harder and don't get out of flat so quickly. Diamond stones or the new ceramic ones would be nice for that too, but you can't beat the price on an oil stone.
stuball48
Stainless
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2006
- Location
- Dickson, TN
What I have been using is cigarette lighter fluid. Am I using a product that is wrong or just nobody mentioned it yet?
