Caring For Go Stones

    Keywords: Equipment

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.

Table of contents

Clam shell (white stones)

The main issue with this material is its sensitivity to acid such as oil (from skin, board, black stones, ...)

  • First time, wash stones; according to [ext] rgg, the water should not be too hot!
  • wash stones with a dry, 100% cotton cloth after play: natural oils from skin do no good to clam shell
  • wax to keep a protective layer

washing

Options to wash stones:

  • use a fresh egg (egg white)
  • mild detergent in tepid water
  • soapy water is fine too
  • try to avoid soaps with perfumes and dyes
  • milk? (not sure: contains fat)

rinsing

  • rinse thoroughly
  • consider final rinse with distilled water
  • beware of temperature changes
  • leave stones to dry overnight (note that with harder water, you risk leaving calcium residus behind)

Note: consider testing and balancing water pH (Any pet store or place that sells fish should have pH test kits for 5-10 dollars (US); once measured, water pH should not change much in your area). check that the chemical does not interact with Calcium Carbonate (main component of clam shell)

waxing white stones

  • put wax (white powder, ibotaro) in a plastic bag and gently shake around
  • acid-free wax polish made from mineral oils (stuff used for polishing cars is acid-free, mineral-oil-based and microcristalline, so it should be ok)
  • car shampoo soap with wax?
  • Carnauba Wax (see Links below)
  • in case stones become especially sticky or difficult to clean, seek the assistance of a specialist

care

One can get carried away in an attempt to preserve stones; best is to keep an eye on them and just wash from time to time.

  • remember
    • think of oil from board or hands - that's why both should be clean
    • keep stones in their respective bowls, preferrably in a protective cloth (see [ext] rgg)
    • 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
    • oil-based soaps?
  • contamination happens (oil gets transferred indirectly from black to white stones; a bit extreme, admitted... a way to avoid this is to use your other hand to manipulate prisoner stones)
    • while handling prisoner stones of the other color
    • when doing reviews and playing both sides
    • when switching sides (you play Black, then you play White)
  • avoid excessive temperatures (or temperature changes: think of washing - rinsing)

Slate (black stones)

  • First time, wash stones in warm soapy water
  • Do not use a metal strainer or container for washing or rinsing because the metal rubs off onto the stones
  • Leave stones to dry overnight
  • use a few drops of oil to bring back their original lustre
    • mineral, or even better: light machine oil (barber's or sewing machine shop)
    • store machine oil away from light (it can turn brownish gum and become unusable)
    • there would exist special oil for slate floors
  • put in a plastic bag with a few drops of oil and gently shake around
  • remove oil with a clean cotton cloth so that a thin protective coating is left behind

Glass

  • warm soapy water

Jade?

  • hot water and soap; just let it soak

Yunzi

  • see Yunzi,
  • Choosing the right oil (for yunzi stones)

Marble

  • Put the stones in a ziplock bag.
  • Fill the bag with warm water.
  • Put in a few drops of mild soap (such as [ext] Dr.Bronner's).
  • Swish the water in the bag, rubbing the stones that are especially dirty.
  • Empty the bag into a non-metallic strainer.
  • Dry each stone with a clean towel.

Links


This is a copy of the living page "Caring For Go Stones" at Sensei's Library.
(OC) 2016 the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.
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