Caring For Go Stones
Having purchased some attractive go stones, one will want to care for them properly to maintain their aesthetic appeal. This page describes the methods of doing so.
See also Equipment Care
During my last trip to Japan, I bought a set of slate and shell go stones from a store in Sapporo. The shopkeeper gave me instructions on how to care for the stones. I'd thought I'd share them here. The cleaning method depends on the material of the stones.
When stones are purchased new, they usually have some residue on them (machine oil on black stones, wax on white stones). This is to protect the stones during transport; before actual use they should be cleaned as described below.
Glass (black or white stones)
- Warm soapy water works fine.
- Let them dry overnight before putting them in the bowls.
Slate (black stones)
- Warm soapy water is fine.
- Let the stones dry overnight.
- I was given a mineral oil. I was instructed to put the stones and a few drops of the oil in a plastic bag, and then to shake them around a bit. You only need a few drops! I put in too much the first time I washed them, and it made the stones an oily mess...
Shell (white stones)
- Do not use soap on shell stones! (but see Mr. Kuroki's suggestions below)
- Mix a fresh egg with the stones, and wash the stones in the mixture. (I was shocked at hearing this! "An egg?" I asked. "Yes," she replied. "Like from a chicken?!?" "Yes.") Has anyone else heard this?[1]
- Rinse the stones in water, and slosh them around for five minutes.
- Let them dry overnight.
- I was given a cloth bag and this white powder. I was instructed to put the dried stones in the bag, along with one helping of the powder, and then shake the stones in the bag. I don't know what the powder is, though.
If you have any other cleaning tips or want to expand on the above, please do so.
I read this post by Roy Schmidt on rec.games.go. I reformatted it for Sensei's Library. It's not quite as interesting as what I heard from the shopkeeper, though. :)
Roy Schmidt wrote:
Thumbing through this FAQ, I did not see anything about caring for go stones, which is a frequent question on r.g.g. Here's a translation of the pamphlet that came with my shell and slate set, titled:
Caring for Your Clam Shell Go Stones
First of all, each time before you play a game wash your hands. This will go a long way toward maintaining the original condition of your stones by reducing skin oil transfer during the game.
WHITE STONES (Clam Shell)
After play, wipe the faces of each of the stones with a dry, 100% cotton cloth.
If the stones become sticky, wash them. Add a small amount of dish detergent to some tepid water and wash them by hand.
These stones are crafted from genuine clam shells. Do not place them in hot water.
BLACK STONES (Nachi Black Stones)
Before first use, use an absorbent cotton cloth to remove the oil on the surface of the stones.
Over time, if the stones appear to be fading, add more oil. Put a small amount of machine oil (mineral type oil) on a soft cloth and rub the stones until their original lustre returns.
Fwiffo: There is a type of oil sold specifically for slate floors. I doubt it's hugely different from a light machine oil, but since it's intended for slate, it's probably perfect.
General
If your stones become especially sticky or difficult to clean, then seek the assistance of a specialist. You can find one by inquiring at the shop where you bought these stones.
Advice from Kuroki Goishi Ten
For anyone who is interested in seeing the original pamphlet on which the above translation was based, it's in photos 27-35 in the photos I took of my Go set from
Kuroki Goishi Ten. It's also worth pointing out that Mr Kuroki stressed in capital letters that you MUST NOT USE OIL on the clamshell stones.
Mr Kuroki replied to my email in which I asked for more advice on caring for the black stones, whether to oil or not to oil, etc. He explained that if you use the stones often the natural oils from your skin will help to keep some oil on the black stones (and for the same reason the shell stones should be wiped clean after use).
However if you don't use the stones so much the black stones will turn a chalky or whitish colour. It's just a cosmetic thing, easy to fix. In order to prevent it you should apply oil to the black stones by putting a very small amount on a clean cotton cloth and
wipe the black stones one by one. Then take another clean cotton cloth and wipe the stones again one by one. This will leave a
very thin protective coating of oil on the stones.
When asking about the best oil to use Mr Kuroki originally said car oil is fine. However someone else suggested this was too thick and additive-based. When queried Mr Kuroki explained that was just a suggestion based on ease of availability. Car oil is fine but it would have to be used very sparingly. Far better is light machine oil, available from a barber's or sewing machine shop. This is very thin oil and normally used for machine blades. It should be applied in the same way as explained above. This is also Mr Kuroki's preference - a thin light oil applied sparingly by wiping onto the black stones to give a very light coating.
He also explained that as long as the board is wiped down after each use with a clean cotton cloth and the white stones are wiped clean every few games, they won't be contaminated by the oil from the black stones. Also keep the stones in their respective bowls.
Every now and again (once per year seems to be common) all the stones can be washed gently in tepid water with a small amount of light soap, rinsed clean and dried thoroughly. Then the black stones can be lightly oiled as above.
Above all don't get stressed out over the stones, just look after them and enjoy using your set as much as possible.
-- holosys
I have several sets of slate and shell stones and, not having any advice on the matter, I've washed them using cool water and dilute dishwashing detergent. I've had no problems in over 20 years. Clam shell being what it is (Calcium Carbonate?), obviously it should not be immersed in anything that would interact with it chemically.
I think the white powder Chris mentioned is wax. White stones arrive with a wax coating that gives them their shine and depth
Actually, Bob's right, it's wax. It was confusing because the bag was labelled "ibotaro." Read one way in Japanese, "ibo-taro," means "wart boy." I thought it was a brand name. Read another way, "ibota-ro," it means something else. I think it's the name of the tree that the wax comes from.
The "ro" part means wax. Chris, your new nickname is "ibo-taro"...
-- Fhayashi
What about ING stones? I'm guessing the method described above for glass stones would probably work, just curious if anyone has ever washed/cleaned a set before.
-- Jim Kiraly
eng60340 i managed to shine the black ING stones with the plastic bag and oil trick. for the white stones, i've used hot water and detergent to clean them. right now i am trying to figure out a way to add a gloss to the white stones. any experienced suggestions ?
for white stones i'd recommend an acid-free wax polish made from mineral oils- ok, i'm a conservator and usually mix my own, but the ingredients are hard to get-that stuff used for polishing cars is acid-free, mineral-oil-based and microcristalline, so it should be ok. it can be diluted in various solvents, if it should be too thick. use sparingly, of course, or the stones will get sticky. shell doesn't take acid well, so it's important to wash the stones once in a while with a mild detergent. rinse with lots of hand-warm water that's because the sweat and oils from your hands turn sour with age. also, don't use natural oils or waxes such as bee's wax- it is ok for some time, but will destroy the surfaces of shell stones after 3 or 4 decades. blade oil should be ok, too, as it is very stable and acid-free. sorry for my poor english, i hope you can understand what i'm trying to say... grimalkin
For Shell stones, Try to clean with milk (It can be wait in milk for better results but test it on one stone) and write the result here.mehmet
I found that car shampoo soap with wax worked well on white shell stones. Ast
[1] Chris Hayashida: Update: Well, I finally got around to washing my Go stones. Last week at the club, I noticed they were getting quite dirty. I tried to rub off the gunk on the shell stones with a paper napkin while I was considering moves, but the gunk was sort of stuck on there.
Since I had the time this weekend, I decided to try cleaning the stones with egg. I separated two eggs and mixed the stones with the egg whites in a Tupperware container. Surprisingly, the gunk came off the stones quite easily. I didn't have to rub the individual stones. I don't know why, but it seemed to work really well. The mixture even seemed to bubble a bit, like a soap. I rinsed them off and laid them out to dry. I'll mix them in the bag with the ibotaro later. I'll report again in a few weeks to tell you if 1) the stones start smelling like rotten eggs or 2) anyone using my stones gets Salmonella poisoning. :)