Possible to convert an oil stone to a water stone?

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Mora2013

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Dec 1, 2013
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Well, as a tool guy, I had always used an oil norton India stone to sharpen chisels. Scrapers, and tools.

Now that I have a few blades, I bought a Japanese Waterstone. And ... Oh is it so much easier for me to work with water than with oil.

Can I or should I even consider the possibility to converting an oil stone into a Waterstone? I've heard of boiling the oilstones to covert them, but I'm skeptical of it actually working.
 
I wouldn't, oil is a pain to remove.

Water stones don't cost too much so I'd rather just buy one than clean it. Unless someone here has a surefire method.
 
I have a little tray that fits into a pan and I put the stone on the tray and boil them with a little bit of dish soap in the water. Worked great for me.
 
You could boil it out but oil stones need oil to work, water is not nearly as effective and the stone will clog quickly because of this. It's simply the type of stone and is the same reason you don't use oil on a waterstone.
 
You can boil it in a pan ontop of some rags.

Soak it in lacquer thinner.

Or use water with a little bit of dish detergent while sharpening to keep the stone from gumming up.
 
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I have heard this suggested on other forums so I tried it with my Norton India and Crystolon stones. First I removed as much oil as possible with solvents, then boiled them with detergent several times, then ran it through the dishwasher multiple cycles.

End result much of the oil is gone and it makes it possible to use the stones with water, however some oil still leaches out when using them. So it is up to you to decide whether the end result is worth it, using water is easier and less messy than with oil, however some oil remains therefore you might just want to use your oil stones with oil and buy a water stone to use with water.
 
Mora2013 said:
Well, as a tool guy, I had always used an oil norton India stone to sharpen chisels. Scrapers, and tools.

Now that I have a few blades, I bought a Japanese Waterstone. And ... Oh is it so much easier for me to work with water than with oil.

Can I or should I even consider the possibility to converting an oil stone into a Waterstone? I've heard of boiling the oilstones to covert them, but I'm skeptical of it actually working.
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I wouldn't do it. I have two India stones, one I boiled and used with soapy water and one I left as it came, pre-loaded with oil and that's all I use. The one I left alone looks brand new - pretty much spotless with a velvety feel. The other is discolored and a little loaded/glazed - could use a lapping with loose grit to clean it back up. IMHO they work a lot better when used with oil.

If still determined, just cross two forks in the bottom of a pan to keep it from direct contact with the bottom of the pan, fill with water and boil away. Takes about 10-15 minutes, then take the pan to the sink and slowly add hot tap water - oil will float right over the lip and down the drain. Let it cool, wash with soapy water, and its ready to go.

Martin
 
I just cleaned an oiled stone by boiling in a pot of soapy water with a rag in the bottom to prevent it touching the heated metal bottom, boiled 15 minutes, let it cool then rinsed it off. Removed the oil pretty good. Earlier today I had flattened it out on a cinder block, but i could still see and smell oil so I decided to try the boiling method...
 
Some stones can be converted but as has been said, certain stones are not going to work well with water. Those stones will clog and load up if used with water. If used with oil the particles won't stick in the stone and will be easily wiped away. The only way to know for certain is to try it and see how it works.
 
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