I have 2 stones I bought from Lee valley that have been soaking since the 80s - hasn't harmed them in any way. All of the others, from 200 on up to 8000 have been soaking for at least 3 or 4 years with no sign of a problem. All are in the same tupperware container with no sigh of any cross contamination i.e. large grit getting embedded in the finer stones...
Sent from the bathtub on my Samsung Galaxy(C)S5 with waterproof Lifeproof Case(C), and spell check turned off!
Mark, Paul, James! Sadly my one skill, being a sarcastic smart aleck, exceeds my woodworking skills, but I'm glad it is appreciated. Of course, we have ALL seen the endless debates where the absurdly experienced sharpening guru's go off on tangents that, while may be valid, are more directed at scientific studies than a "how to" guide for most of us and make us shake our heads in utter confusion. I do appreciate these guys, but I was hoping my over the top made up nonsense about water quality might help bring us all down to earth a little bit. No harm or insult intended - just the former class clown here having a little fun!
OK now I'm laughing out loud - no beverages You know Harold, once you call those guys they never give up
"... for when we become in heart completely poor, we at once are the treasurers & disbursers of enormous riches."
WQJudge
I started with a $20 King 800/4000 stone, and kept it in water ready to go. This worked fine for quite a while, but then it became much more difficult to use, and impossible to flatten. It turned out to have partly separated at the joint between the two stones, and the stones were sufficiently flexible that crud would work its way between them, putting the surface out of flat. So while soaking the 800 grit stone is a good idea, long term storage in water is contraindicated for this stone.
Last edited by Alan Schwabacher; 01-08-2013 at 1:30 PM.
I keep any stone that can be left in water in water indefinitely. My sigma's have been sitting in water non stop for months. When my only stone was a Notons 1k/8k, it lived in water indefinitely as well. My my magnesia stones (Naniwa Cho and naniwa snow white) that can't be permasoaked I generally use with a splash, even though they technically perform best when soaked. I do what is most convenient and works. I always felt like the Sigs worked best with a good soak, so if I were you I'd just leave them in water all the time.
Woodworking is terrific for keeping in shape, but it's also a deadly serious killing system...