The reason I use Ballistol is because it is not toxic. As such, I do not believe that it has the traditional solvents that other gun cleaners do. Ballistol while used for cleaning guns is really a multipurpose cleaner and lubricant. It can be used on guns, knives, wood, plastic and just about anything else.

I have had no issues with the diamond stones and I use liberal amounts of the ballistol. It sure beats having to clean using soap and hot water which caused rust issues on the diamond stones.

Some weeks back I had issues with my diamond stone rusting after I would scrub them with soap and water and let air dry. Someone suggested that I put a light layer of oil on the diamond stones. I use Ballistol since it is non-toxic and noticed even after what I thought was a through cleaning, the ballistol was lifting metal shavings out of the pores of the stones.

Long story not so short, dont bother with soap and water as there is no need. Put some ballistol on your diamond stones, lightly rub it with your finger for about five to ten seconds and a wipe with a clean cloth. All of the crud in your diamond stones will simply be gone and you are left with pristine diamond stones which also will not rust.

Have not tried to use another gun oil, they may work also. The ballistol is non-toxic and works so great. Try it, you will not be disappointed.

Ralph, thanks for the info. It looks like oil is a good cleaner and keeps the rust away. I just keep finding more and more uses for the ballistol and being non-toxic is a bonus.

Thanks so much. I wanted to give the oil suggestion a try for a few days and then reply back. I cleaned the diamond stones as usual "warm soapy water, an old disposable electric toothbrush", dried the stones with a towel and applied my favorite oil (ballistol). The Ballistol immediately pulled up a bunch of gunk from the diamond stones that the soap, water and toothbrush did not get. In fact,
It was like I had not cleaned the stones at all giving the amount of gunk that came out of the stones.

I washed the gunk out, dried the stones again and applied another light coat of oil. I have had no rust issues since using your suggestion of the oil and it has not affected the performance of the stones. I like to use Ballistol because it is not toxic to humans and many of the knives I sharpen are kitchen knives.

Thanks so much for the help, I truly appreciate it and perhaps this will help others with the same issue.

Dan...

Are you using something like Ballistol or CLP? Do you have any issues with the metal dust sticking to the oil? If not, this might solve the issue of the rust for me. Thanks for the suggestion.

I clean them after every use. I watched all of YouTube videos I could find on the WickedEdge and that was the suggestion from a lot of the videos. I will do fewer cleanings; perhaps that is part of my problem.

Clay, the diamond stones are working perfectly thus far. I assume the rust comes from the metal dust from the knives I am sharpening trapped in between the pores on the stones. I scrub the stones a lot so not sure what to do about that. Once suggestion was to use alcohol rather than water and the other to put the stones in the plastic holder in the sun to see if I get any condensation. I will try both and report back in a day.

BTW, I have never been able to sharpen a knife by hand. Your system has made me the envy of my family and friends. I am getting shaving sharp edges with a beautiful polished edge using the 1200/1600 ceramic and leather strops to finish the blades. Cannot thank you enough and am looking forward to being able to purchase the new guide rods.

Good suggestion. Perhaps they were not as dry as I thought they were.

I think that I will give the alcohol a try. Probably would be better than the water and soap, thank you.

Clay, I have attached two photos.

I live in the San Diego CA area, so no humidity to speak of. I am about eight miles inland from the Pacific Ocean. I store the stones after they throughly dry, in a plastic case.

I have had the Wicked Edge Pro for about two weeks and have sharpened about ten knives. After each sharpening, I use canned air to blow the diamond stones, then wash them with water, soap, scrub with an old electric toothbrush really well, blot them with a towel and air dry. I am having rust issues on all of my diamond stones. Not sure what to do or what I am doing wrong. Please help.