Cleaning Kyanite

[1esoteric]

I recently bought a nice piece of Kyanite. It has a lot of clay and iron/rust still on it.
What would be the best way to clean it?

[WynterWynd]

First of all....let me say that I am just green with envy over the piece! Gorgeous!! I have to ask, what did that cost...and will they ship? :lol:

I would try plain water and a soft toothbrush first, and then you could try the soft toothbrush with mineral oil to loosen up the 'stuff'.....then a mild soap, water and the toothbrush again.

[lightdragon]

I would try plain water and a soft toothbrush first, and then you could try the soft toothbrush with mineral oil to loosen up the 'stuff'.....then a mild soap, water and the toothbrush again.
also be careful as kyanite is fragile and a good drop could shatter it. I`ve seen a piece this large before.

also there might be a residule of power being dispersed while cleaning it. i would suggest to leave the "stuff" alone.

[WynterWynd]

I didn't even think about the 'dust' ......just the mildest thing to clean it with.

I've never cleaned my kyanite before. I like the way it looks ala naturale' :P

[1esoteric]

I got it on ebay. :hahugh: :boing: I got a really good deal on it. I've been watching larger pieces for a while now.
I plan on displaying it (along with a few other choice pieces) in a fish tank I'm setting up. It would be nice if I could clean it up a bit more.

[~Elise~]

OMGs--That is LOVERLY!!!! I'm green with envy too.

Elise

[WynterWynd]

Maybe just putting it in water for a long soak will loosen up what ever shouldn't be there, and then you can just gently rinse that big honkin' beautiful piece :D

I am going to scope out ebay now :p

[lightdragon]

I didn't even think about the 'dust' ......just the mildest thing to clean it with.

P

I was refering to energy residule. sometimes you get a powerful discharge of energy shot at you when you loosing material from a raw piece. Mainly with quartz crystals.

[Cindlady2]

If you plan on putting fish in with it make sure it's OK for the fish! Even if it's been in water doesn't mean it's OK for fish.... some fish are sensitive to to some minerals.

[1esoteric]

I am not so worried about the Kyanite itself as I am the clay and iron. Though, I do have some concerns over the sharp edges. It will, however add to the beauty of the setup. My tank will primarily be a Discus tank. I think this piece will look great in their with them. I'll also add a huge piece of petrified wood and some clear quartz. I might put a large piece of aquamarine in there also. This is all going in a 125 gal tank.

[Wolfsong]

There are many chemical "baths" which you can use to clean it.... I have used baths meant for Quartz on gem quality kyanite but I don't think you want to use one that powerful for your kyanite. The clay would come off easy using a warm soapy solution and letting it sit in it for a few days changing the water several times a day. Depending on how it is bonded to the kyanite the iron may take a somewhat stronger bath and depending on where you live some ingredients may not be available or even legal.

[lightdragon]

There are many chemical "baths" which you can use to clean it.... I have used baths meant for Quartz on gem quality kyanite but I don't think you want to use one that powerful for your kyanite. The clay would come off easy using a warm soapy solution and letting it sit in it for a few days changing the water several times a day. Depending on how it is bonded to the kyanite the iron may take a somewhat stronger bath and depending on where you live some ingredients may not be available or even legal.

that would normally be a good suggestion. You can NOT use any soap on items for an aquarium that will contain live fish. It will either get the fish sick or kill them. There are cleaning fluids designed for fish tanks. You could use those. also since it has iron in it , it could be harmful to fish.

[Wolfsong]

that would normally be a good suggestion. You can NOT use any soap on items for an aquarium that will contain live fish. It will either get the fish sick or kill them. There are cleaning fluids designed for fish tanks. You could use those. also since it has iron in it , it could be harmful to fish.

Never had fish before... except for dinner :p So does that mean that some soap particles will remain on the stone even if it is washed a few times after the bath which would effect the fish? You would think that after the cleaning you could do repeated rinses to get rid of any residue.... but like I said.. never had a fish tank of any type so no idea what is required for them....

[lightdragon]

Never had fish before... except for dinner :p So does that mean that some soap particles will remain on the stone even if it is washed a few times after the bath which would effect the fish? You would think that after the cleaning you could do repeated rinses to get rid of any residue.... but like I said.. never had a fish tank of any type so no idea what is required for them....

if it was a few drops no big deal. the soap stays in it. like if you ever washed out a tank with soap or other cleaning agents then you could throw out the tank. it's ruined. There's bacteria in the tanks which stays there even after everything is removed. and becomes active once water is added. this bacteria is good for the fish.
polished and/or tumbled stones are another matter. but i wouldn`t use soap once you have it in the aquarium. raw stones have too many groves where the soap will hide. It would be good for an elixir thou.
That's why there are special cleaning equipment for aquariums which will not harm the fish. and this is what she should use to wash the stone.


I usually put in polished stones in my aquarium. I have rose quartz, red jasper, moss agate, heat treated citrine, quartz and onyx in my tank. no harm to the fish

[Wolfsong]

good thing I dont own any fish :weirdsmil