Howto avoid sink clogging / catch slurry?

[konsuke]

I live in a apartment and realized that the metal and slurry from sharpening/thinning on stones could clog up my pipes over time. Either from using a sink bridge or washing the towels after. What is the best, most convenient way to prevent this from happening, if you can't work outside. Would Shapton glass stones be a solution?

 

[M1k3]

I live in an apartment. What I use is an oil drain pan in my sink, underneath my sink bridge.

After sharpening, I drain off most of the water, leaving enough to help get the slurry out. I'll take the pan outside and dump it in the bushes.

 

[Corradobrit1]

I live in a apartment and realized that the metal and slurry from sharpening/thinning on stones could clog up my pipes over time. Either from using a sink bridge or washing the towels after. What is the best, most convenient way to prevent this from happening, if you can't work outside. Would Shapton glass stones be a solution?

Strap strong magnets around the U-tube for the metal. The amount of stone material being abraded is also minimal and will wash away or settle in the U-tube. But personally I think you are overthinking it. The amount of material being removed in negligible and you are not going to be sharpening/thinning on a daily basis.
I would be more worried about fats going down the sink and creating clogs.

 

[The Forest Ninja]

I've been using a large pyrex dish that is longer than my stone holder.
The slurry and water have nowhere to escape. It allows me to use my
whetstones while relaxing sitting with the setup on my lap with a
towel underneath in front of my computer .

 

[konsuke]

I've been using a large pyrex dish that is longer than my stone holder.
The slurry and water have nowhere to escape. It allows me to use my
whetstones while relaxing sitting with the setup on my lap with a
towel underneath in front of my computer .

That would work if I had some green nearby where I could dump it. I'm also too lazy for having to go outside after each such session for dumping.

 

[Corradobrit1]

I've been using a large pyrex dish that is longer than my stone holder.
The slurry and water have nowhere to escape. It allows me to use my
whetstones while relaxing sitting with the setup on my lap with a
towel underneath in front of my computer .

I prefer to concentrate on the job in hand and have the stones on a secure base. I've grown attached to my digits.....

 

[The Forest Ninja]

That would work if I had some green nearby where I could dump it. I'm also too lazy for having to go outside after each such session for dumping.

I dump it in a large jar after I'm done. The slurry settles in a day and you can
safely pour the water out with the metal and stone dust staying in the jar.
It will take you a long time to fill a jar of slurry.

No matter how or where you sharpen being safe is important.

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

I don't worry about clogs from sharpening. Just run some water to flush things well. But, I do know that slurry can start to abrade your sink over time.

So, I keep a little silicone mat under my holder and use paper towels to soak up the water and to wipe everything down with when I'm done and before rinsing. Takes care of the majority of it. I know some people get all freaked out about using paper towels. I'm not one of them.

 

[Heckel7302]

I’ve been sharpening over a sink for years. Everything goes down the drain. Having taken off the p trap I can confirm that nothing has ever accumulated in the drain. Not something to worry about.

 

[ethompson]

you are not going to be sharpening/thinning on a daily basis.

 

[Keithpaints]

If your worried about slurry down the drain follow some advice here. When teaching at Culinary school, thinning school kit Mercers over time sink was using got a little clogged. Don't know if it was from sharpening lots of knives or food scraps when I wasn't there. At home sharpen in open air garage use hose to rinse off stones slurry water toss it in the yard. I do thin quite a bit don't want to send it down our kitchen drain.

 

[stringer]

If your worried about slurry down the drain follow some advice here. When teaching at Culinary school, thinning school kit Mercers over time sink was using got a little clogged. Don't know if it was from sharpening lots of knives or food scraps when I wasn't there. At home sharpen in open air garage use hose to rinse off stones slurry water toss it in the yard. I do thin quite a bit don't want to send it down our kitchen drain.

Slurry and swarf and food particles should all be fine in the drain. As long as the drain is not coated in fat. Pouring grease down the drain is the number one pipe clogger in my experience. Food bits, hair, swarf, will all pass right through until you have grease in there to catch the particles. Other major contributors to drain clogs are "flushable" cleaning wipes (there is no such thing and I can't believe they are allowed to market them that way). Tree roots suck. Once they start getting in say goodbye to your main line.

And number one: tile grout. My house was gut renovated right before we bought it 3 years ago. Most of the contractors did a great job. We are very happy. But the tile installers washed their tools and buckets out in one of the showers they just installed and messed up the whole house's brand new plumbing for months until the plumbers were able to get it all removed from places where it has settled.

I avoid putting anything unnecessary down the drains because you don't know what the habits were of people who used the space before you unless you have had the drains scoped. I skipped a plumbing inspection before we bought this house because the plumbing had just been installed and inspected and never used. Little did I know that right after it was perfectly installed and inspected some jackasses flooded the thing with grout.

So I do something similar to Keith. Catch the swarf in a drip pan and dispose of them in the trash or the yard. Not the pipes. Paranoid? Maybe. But none of this is theoretical for me. I've spent lots of money on plumbing issues professionally and at home. I don't take chances of I don't need to.

 

[Bensbites]

Given everything else that goes out the sewer lines, I can't imagine how small size particles will be an issue.

 

[Keithpaints]

Yes oil & fats down a drain can cause problems. I can't believe guys who laid tile would wash their tools in shower drain. I had tile installed in bottom room of our house ɓefore I moved in. It was concrete slab & used for storage most junk, but I found some nice items. Had a rock wall built by Tongans portable cement mixer to set the stones.

 

[Keithpaints]

I never could understand need for garbage disposals in sinks. My friend had one in his Condo. Being how some folks dump things like oil & fats down them was always a problem. We compost our vegetables, fruit peels, chop up with cleaver so beaks down faster egg shells, coffee grinds, grass clippings, steer manure out side spin composter.

 

[1315]

Although "under the sink" seems to be the focus here, i think there's a difference for Septic vs sewer. Sewer, id not worry about. Septic, i would worry about. Some alternate septics have pumps, filters, etc, and i gotta believe hi-tech cutting abrasives, metals, and rust are gonna mess them up over time... and might not take a lot of accumulation to do so ($$$).