Stones - Total noob move...ugh

Few months back I quit my restaurant job so the stones haven't been getting much use lately. Recently, like an idiot, I decided to put them back in their boxes when they appeared sufficiently dry.

All four stones are now soaking in a light bleach solution due to mold. :bashhead: I'm tempted to just get rid of them. The amount of mold isn't super bad but it's disgusting to think about nonetheless. What's the call, guys? Thanks.

Tatsuya said:

Few months back I quit my restaurant job so the stones haven't been getting much use lately. Recently, like an idiot, I decided to put them back in their boxes when they appeared sufficiently dry.

All four stones are now soaking in a light bleach solution due to mold. :bashhead: I'm tempted to just get rid of them. The amount of mold isn't super bad but it's disgusting to think about nonetheless. What's the call, guys? Thanks.

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Throw them away because they are a bit mouldy? Crazy talk.

Timthebeaver said:

Throw them away because they are a bit mouldy? Crazy talk.

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I know Jon has said keeping stones in a light bleach solution is ok (depending on the stone)...should I just keep 'em in solution overnight? Maybe it's more on the surface and I'm just paranoid. I hate mold.

Take the DMT plate to them and grind it off if you're apprehensive about the mold. I haven't had any mold though, I woudlnt toss em for sure.

I'm not certain bleach was your best option. Did you try letting them sit out in the sun? I would start with a good vinegar wash, flattening and then a good long sunbath.

Alright I took them out, they weren't in long at all so.... I know vinegar is a good cleanser but I wasn't aware it was stone safe.

I had this happen several times before I learned how long it takes them to truly dry......I no longer have boxes to put them in

But the stones should be fine...I scrubbed mine with nylon then hit them with the stone flattener.

I just permasoak my bester and rika. Never had an issue.

brainsausage said:

I just permasoak my bester and rika. Never had an issue.

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Same here when I was working, I just wasn't about to change the water frequently for stones I'm not using very often.

Zwiefel said:

I had this happen several times before I learned how long it takes them to truly dry......I no longer have boxes to put them in

But the stones should be fine...I scrubbed mine with nylon then hit them with the stone flattener.

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Haha, yup. Will do. Thanks everyone.

I dry my stones in the sun,I keep my cool looking boxes,however store stones after dry in a drawer wt. plastic shelf liner.

Would not leave them in the sun for days,but one day wt. the sun & the wind they dry out faster. Plus mold does not like sun light

I wonder what a quat solution would do to them. Seems like a better option than bleach for some storage.

keithsaltydog said:

I dry my stones in the sun,I keep my cool looking boxes,however store stones after dry in a drawer wt. plastic shelf liner.

Would not leave them in the sun for days,but one day wt. the sun & the wind they dry out faster. Plus mold does not like sun light

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+1

This just occurred to me- what about permasoking with distiller water under refrigeration? Lower temps/distillation mean less likely microbial growth yes?

brainsausage said:

This just occurred to me- what about permasoking with distiller water under refrigeration? Lower temps/distillation mean less likely microbial growth yes?

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If you are in the fridge in open air bacteria will will get in the water and grow. It will be slowed due to the temp. Eventually airborne bacteria will get in but you should be good for a while.

Lol. The bleach is sufficient. Just a little will do. If you don't want them, sell them.

This happened to me with my prized Gesshin's, 400, 2000 and 4000. I consulted Jon and simply flattened the stones to get the mold off and decided to permanently soak them in bleach diluted with water. Everything has been fine, just fine.

yeah... bleach is fine for some stones. For certain stones, i would advise against drying in the sun though (for example, our gesshin 600, 1200, 6000, as well as the blue synthetic aoto)

I've always learned to dry out of sunlight in a well ventilated area, by a open door or open window works well (with the stones slightly raised by a few sticks).

I've also read some people washing and drying stones in the dishwasher, not sure if this method mainly applies to oil stones or not. Before I've dried in my oven/broiler section with the oven and stoves off for a few hours, seems to work well for drying evenly. Any ill effects of using these two methods: the dishwasher and oven?

How would you know if ones' stones cannot be bleached or dried in sunlight?

The open window on a table I do as well.I do not have any of the stones Jon listed,but the Gesshins I do have show no ill effects half day in the sun.The only stone I have that checked all over the surface was a chosera 10K that stone I never put in the sunlite at all don't know why it happened.KCMA sold me that chosera wt. a big chip in the edge,He also turned me on to the Gesshins stones.

Putting stones in the sun - not sure if this is the best idea. Sunlight, especially hot sunlight, might cause the outer bits to dry too fast and you might get fine surface cracks forming. Or worse.

Bleach - I'm not a chemist, but really don't think it'll do anything to the chemistry of your stones. (It's a base; vinegar is an acid on the other hand and might be worse, though I don't really know...) Keep in mind that bleach might not be as stong as you think; it degrades quickly and so you'll probably add more bleach over time if you permasoak.

If you're worried about microbes entering your stone, well, microbes are already everywhere and presumably you'll clean off a knife after sharpening and before use with food. Just make the stone look good again and forget about this.

GConcept999 said:

I've always learned to dry out of sunlight in a well ventilated area, by a open door or open window works well (with the stones slightly raised by a few sticks).

I've also read some people washing and drying stones in the dishwasher, not sure if this method mainly applies to oil stones or not. Before I've dried in my oven/broiler section with the oven and stoves off for a few hours, seems to work well for drying evenly. Any ill effects of using these two methods: the dishwasher and oven?

How would you know if ones' stones cannot be bleached or dried in sunlight?

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most ceramic stones and clay based stones will be fine in almost any condition... resinoid based stones and magnesia stones will not for the most part. There are always going to be some exceptions, but for the most part, thats how it goes.

Jon, is there a way to tell which is which? Or do you just have to know?

just ask... sometimes its easy to tell and sometimes its not

Sanitize your knife regardless...

Maybe I'm just gross, but I have gotten mold a few times on my finer stones, and I just used them anyway. My thinking is I'm going to wash the knife real good anyways after sharpening, so why the worry. Mold came right off the stones while sharpening.

PS, I normally flatten after sharping, so they are ready the next time. I would think if you are worried, just flatten and you'll be fine. Not all mold is bad. Just don't lick the swarf, lol

Jmadams13 said:

PS, I normally flatten after sharping, so they are ready the next time. I would think if you are worried, just flatten and you'll be fine. Not all mold is bad. Just don't lick the swarf, lol

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Hmnnn.. I prefer to do my leveling/ cleaning just before I sharpen so that the slurry is put to good use...

just a thought..

rgds
d

Eeeek, I have a mold/mildew problem with it soaked in a cooler with no bleach. I just got a few new stones last week and decided to perma-soak them after my first sharpen. Was off work for a few days, so I hadn't sharpen until today. I had a Bester 1k, a Suehiro Rika 5k, and a cheapie combi-stone. The outside of the smooth side of the combi was slimy to the tough, so was the Bester. The Bester is light in color, with the combi sitting on top of it, left some mold stains on top. The Rika seemed okay.

I washed it with soap and warm water, and scrubbed with a green scrubby pad. It didn't quite get it off of the Bester, and I can't tell with the combi-stone cause it's dark in color. I had to sharpen for work tomorrow, and man, it smelled like an aquarium at times; I hope I don't get sick from it.

I was out of bleach, was thinking it was okay with the mold problem if it was perma-soaked, and would get it the next time I go to the supermarket; boy, was I wrong. First thing after work tomorrow, I'm getting some bleach and cleaning the stones and perma-soaking them with some bleach.

EDIT: forgot to click post yesterday night, now time to sanitize those stones!