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Diamond Stone Lubrication

cantunamunch

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How's isopropyl alcohol as compared to denatured?

'Denatured' just means "made specifically poisonous to drink".

If we assume that the base alcohol being made denatured is ethanol, in the same weight concentration as the isopropanol, the ethanol evaporates faster, dissolves things better, and is absorbed through skin and mucous membranes faster.

If the denaturing agent is methanol or any of a number of different organic compounds, all of that gets even worse.
 

Magikarp

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How do you all keep the bases clean when the lubricant is running all over? Or is the cleanup after just part of the process?
 

KingGrump

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How do you all keep the bases clean when the lubricant is running all over? Or is the cleanup after just part of the process?

A little alcohol alcohol an/or water can be wipe up with paper towels as I worked.
Oil on the other hand, much more difficult.
 

Zirbl

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How do you all keep the bases clean when the lubricant is running all over? Or is the cleanup after just part of the process?
 

Johnny V.

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How do you all keep the bases clean when the lubricant is running all over? Or is the cleanup after just part of the process?
Just one guy's method, but I spray the water/soap mixture on the diamond stone, use it, then wipe the edge down with a rag before I move up to the next grit. I've never had a problem with contamination. You'll see the slight amount of metal that's removed on the rag as a almost black mark.
 

Magikarp

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Just one guy's method, but I spray the water/soap mixture on the diamond stone, use it, then wipe the edge down with a rag before I move up to the next grit. I've never had a problem with contamination. You'll see the slight amount of metal that's removed on the rag as a almost black mark.
I think I'll try that next time. I've been spraying directly on my skis which may be the issue.
 

Jacques

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I use water/alcohol mix in a lab wash bottle. Easier to direct than a spray bottle. Something like this:
51zom12TqlL._AC_UY545_FMwebp_QL65_.jpg
Dip the stones! Like this.
 

Scruffy

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How do you all keep the bases clean when the lubricant is running all over? Or is the cleanup after just part of the process?
If you're using water/alcohol/soap mixture, meaning not oil, then that is not going to dirty your base in and of itself. What will dirty our base, and you'll really see it in a non-black base, is the metal filings suspended in the lubricant that is getting under your file guide's base plate. I have a yellow base on some of my skis and it really shows up. To mitigate that staining wipe your edge down often as you diamond stone. I dip my diamond stones in my water/alcohol/soap mixture often as I use them. I usually wipe with a fiberlene shop towel after every pass down the ski with a diamond stone. The black slurry mess is evident in the shop towel.
 
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Sibhusky

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I just have the stones immersed in the water/alcohol as I'm working. Take them out when I'm done and rub on a towel and let them dry. Wipe the ski edge after each pass with a rag. Occasionally, I'll use wax remover on the stones if they look bad. I never use it on my skis, gotta use it up somehow.
 

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