Replies

1. 
   UrbaneLegend | Jan 04, 2008 07:09pm | #1

   Lightweight mineral oil - Norton honing oil is PERFECT.

1. 
   splinters1 | Jan 04, 2008 07:26pm | #2

   Thank you for the helpful reply. How often and how much would you apply?

1. 
   UrbaneLegend | Jan 04, 2008 07:41pm | #3

   Sparingly, once a month or so.

1. 
   splinters1 | Jan 04, 2008 07:42pm | #4

   Will give it a try! Thanks again for the help. Happy New Year!

2. 
   MikeHennessy | Jan 04, 2008 07:46pm | #5

   Check this out:

   http://www.soapstone-co.com/whatis101.html

   Mike Hennessy
   Pittsburgh, PA

1. 
   splinters1 | Jan 04, 2008 07:56pm | #6

   Very helpful as well. Thank you for the site. This article reinforces urbanelegends advice. Mineral oil here we come.
   Happy new year!

2. 
   WoodShopGuy | Jan 06, 2008 03:45am | #10

   Good information.Thanks!

3. 
   dherzig | Jan 05, 2008 02:09am | #7

   For many, many years the benches in my labs were covered with soap stone. We would rub them down with mineral oil occassionaly, usually when we we doing a show-and-tell for the Board of Directors or the security analysts. It made them look nice, but I am not convinced it actually offered any protection. I understood that the advantage of soapstone was that it was almost completely non-reactive to almost anything we spilled on it and was soft enough not to chip when things dropped on it. The effect of the mineral oil was cosmetic.

1. 
   splinters1 | Jan 05, 2008 05:46am | #8

   Thank you for the insight. For now I am going to use mineral oil for looks and experiment with certain section of counter left to the elements. I'll make some fun out of this. Happy New Year! And thank you again for the input!

2. 
   saschafer | Jan 05, 2008 05:53am | #9

   According to the soapstone vendors, that is the case. Soapstone is almost entirely impervious, and the oil finish is strictly on the surface. It makes the surface look darker because it reduces the reflectivity, not because it soaks in.

   -Steve