Ha! Great thread...can't wait to see the responses (and pictures)!

It's always good to see things as they really are!

My soapstone doesn't show coffee rings, watermarks, etc. Seriously. I swipe with a damp rag and I'm done, no big deal. It can get crumbs on it, but what can't?

Sorry, I wish I could help, but I don't think I could catch a coffee ring on camera. I'd have to look for it.

Someone recently posted a photo of her honed black granite with fingerprints all over it. But I can't remember what the thread was called. Maybe do a search combining granite and fingerprints?

A while back I asked for photos of soapstone with lots of patina. Most of the folks here haven't had the stone long enough to develop a worn surface. One person replied with a photo of her lab counter (very scratched up--but didn't look bad to me). And this week someone posted a photo of her soapstone that has a chip on the edge near the sink.

Now, how can we find these photos again? I'm not sure...

Francy

Here's the soapstone from my clinic lab. It was installed in 1939 and as far as I can tell, it has never been oiled or sanded. The brighter lines are from tape removed a few years ago.

Here is a link that might be useful:

Maybe try your question at the cooking forum? I did that when I wanted to find out if an appliance lift holds up and got a few good responses.

Ah--thanks momj! In the future, I'll remember to just search for "lab."

:-)

Btw: I *finally* found a substance that stains soapstone: sharpie marker. Not sure how to get it off.

Francy

I have honed absolute black in my laundry room. It shows everything and spills seem to soak in and still show even after they have been cleaned up. There are dark blotches where the spills were, kind of like finger prints. I have a sewing desk in there and the edge of it gets covered with greasy blotches from the palms of my hands as I maneuver the fabric. I can get these stains and greasy marks up with VERY heavy scrubbing with a scotchbrite scouring pad and Bon Ami scouring powder ( it does not scratch)
I would not use it again.

bayareafrancy,

if you can't get rd of the sharpie marker.. may be you can camouflage it, bu using one or more new sharpies, whose colors when mixed with the original - give a color close to that of the counter-top. Doubt it would work.. but just a thought :-)

/venkat

Francy, have you tried Amodex ink remover? It works great for removing Sharpie marker stains.

Oh--I should have said that the marker isn't actually on my counter (not installed yet), but just on my sample. I was curious to see how impervious to stains ss really is, so I drew a big smiley face on it with a sharpie! It is still smiling at me.

Once my counter is *finally* installed, I will ban all sharpies from the house!

:-)

Francy

great thread idea, jb1176. I've been looking for the same info myself.

If I could add one question to yours it would be: what about chipping along the edge of your stone?

Just sand off the marker and re-oil, simple as that.

thank you sleepyhollow, soapstone is non porous. . . the marker is only on the top of the stone. Take 220 sandpaper and sand it off in a circular motion. It will come off quickly. As sleepyhollow said simple as that.

Ny kids use those oil based paint markers a lot. If I don't feel like sanding, I use Goof Off and reoil the area. Works great. Seriously, soapstone is amazing. The ability to sand out whatever you want and not have a change in the reflective value is paramount.

I don't have a pics of my soapstone after 6 weeks of use-my camera broke. I do get watermarks around the sink though. If I need to even out the color quickly, I rub some Pledge on it. It is easy and quick if I have unexpected company. Also, I do have several deeper dings from dropping things (really heavy things) on the counter. They are too deep to sand out. I know I can fill them with the seam epoxy when I want so it doesn't bother me.

I've used Sharpies to camouflage a couple of chips on the edges of my soapstone. It works great!

Try rubbing alcohol to get the Sharpie out- it will take longer, but you probably have some already.

getting back to the OP! My questions hasn't been answered so I'm going to bump this thread.

Bump! Would love to see more pictures of soapstone that has some age and wear. I love it, and plan to use it, but graceful I am not! Thanks.

Francy,
Isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) gets out some waterproof markers. Pure ethanol would definitely do it, but it's not a household item (except maybe in frat houses)! I use 200 proof ethanol as a "sharpie eraser" in my lab (which does not have soapstone counters...). For household solvents, acetone should definitely get rid of the sharpie. I guess you'd either get it from a hardware store, or if you have old fashioned nail polish remover, that would be acetone.

When the installers finished with the epoxy and caulking of our soapstone counters, they did a swipe-down with acetone and followed along with razor blades to scrape away all specks of debris. Of course this will also completely remove all vestiges of oiling too, so get out the bees oil when you're done.

I'm wondering how sharpie would react with a vein of white talc in soapstone? maybe more porous and the marker may go deeper there. hmmmm