Found an older Arkansas white stone ( fine) and it hasn't been cleaned in awhile, if ever. Besides possibly soap/ water, what could I use to really clean off the old "gray strokes"? .. Thanks

Yes, dish soap will do it. Let it dry  and use a fine oil to float the micro bits of steel away and it'll cut better and wont have to be cleaned as often.

The white is pretty fine. You might need a medium soft Arkansas stone to prep the edge before the white. Most of the time I stop at the medium. As long as you get a burr you're ready to either go with a finer grit or strop.

I use a thin oil like 3n1 and just work it over with a cloth. It will come clean in no time.

QuoteOriginally posted by Lin Rhea:
Yes, dish soap will do it. Let it dry  and use a fine oil to float the micro bits of steel away and it'll cut better and wont have to be cleaned as often.

The white is pretty fine. You might need a medium soft Arkansas stone to prep the edge before the white. Most of the time I stop at the medium. As long as you get a burr you're ready to either go with a finer grit or strop.

x2 on what Lin says. He'd know! After it's clean, I'd use just plain old mineral oil. All you need is something to keep the metal particles floating on your stone. Been using mineral oil for ever. Works great. Motor oil & household type oils are made to protect steel. JMO

QuoteOriginally posted by Butch Speer:
 

QuoteOriginally posted by Lin Rhea:
Yes, dish soap will do it. Let it dry  and use a fine oil to float the micro bits of steel away and it'll cut better and wont have to be cleaned as often.

The white is pretty fine. You might need a medium soft Arkansas stone to prep the edge before the white. Most of the time I stop at the medium. As long as you get a burr you're ready to either go with a finer grit or strop.

x2 on what Lin says. He'd know! After it's clean, I'd use just plain old mineral oil. All you need is something to keep the metal particles floating on your stone. Been using mineral oil for ever. Works great. Motor oil & household type oils are made to protect steel. JMO [/b]

Lin and Butch are both right on the money.    Use oil to clean an oilstone. Lin's point about the oil "floating the steel particles away" is exactly how it works and Butch's comment about mineral oil is spot on too because almost all commercially available honing oils are mineral oil based.  

You'll never get a used ceramic or Arkansas stone to  look  brand spankin' new but it'll cut like new after a few oil washes.


Ron

Try this...fill a coffee can 1/4 full of hot water. Add dishsoap....poke a few holes in the coffee can lid, so the bubbling dish soap has some where to expand. Put stone in and shake a few times. Let soak until water cools. Remove and wipe down with 3-1 oil.

This is also an awesome way of getting all the tallow and gunk out of the nooks and crannys of a folding knife.

Nice tip Roger. I will have to try that.