Diamond sharpening stones

[mfarrar]

Hi,

I'm looking into Diamond stones for tool sharpening, mainly for chisels and plane blades. Are the cheap stones any good or is it best to get from someone like Eze Lap? How many do I need bare minimum to get me going can I get away with using just two grades to start with? If so what grades would be best?

Cheers,

Mark

 

[Baldhead]

#-o oh no, it's a sharpening question #-o
I use a marble chopping board and wet or dry, search YouTube to see how it's done, Paul Sellers uses the same method.

Baldhead

 

[Ed Bray]

Have a look at the 8" x 3" stones from ITS see here: 8-x-3-ultex-double-sided-diamond-bench-stones-from-its-t82386.html

For £84 you get a pair of dual sided Diamond Stones with grits 300/600 and 1000/1200, they also come with a free Honing guide, but personally I don't like that sort as I once ruined a diamond stone with the steel wheel running up and down the stone, I prefer the Stanley ones with double plastic wheels (they can be found for under £10).

 

[marcros]

I got a pair of dmt stones from the USA. Even with duty it was worth doing. I don't know how they compare price wise with the ultex because I got 10x5 (I think- the largest anyway). I use chisels straight from ultra fine diamond. A bit of diamond past on mdf afterwards may make a difference but my chisels seem usably sharp.

 

[mfarrar]

I guess sandpaper would be the cheapest option. The ITS stones do sound good value especially with being a good size of stone. How about using sandpaper for coarse and then just the one double sided stone for fine/extra fine? Do you only need to use coarse if there is visible damage to the edge?

 

[Ed Bray]

If I was just going for one dual diamond stone I would go with the 8x3 Ultex coarse/fine (300/1000): http://www.its.co.uk/pd/210082-Ultex-8- ... 210082.htm followed by a polish using honing compound on a leather strop.

Sandpaper/wet&dry is the cheapest option in the short term (provided you have got a flat surface to mount them on) but can work out more pricey in the long run. Plate float glass can be picked up from a glaziers but depending on the size you want may also cost a bit.

 

[Harbo]

I've got a pair of DMT Duostones which covers the range extra fine, fine, coarse, extra coarse (1200 to 220 mesh).
I too bought them in the States where they are much cheaper.

Rod

 

[Silverbirch]

Another vote for DMT stones from the USA.

Ian

 

[Mar_mite]

I have a cheapo £10 faithful stone that I bought when I was desperate one day. It's fine. My chisels are sharp. I would love a nice stone. But I can't justify buying one whilst my bargain bucket one does the job.

 

[karfeef]

Various grades of wet n dry from toolstation, very cheap, on a marble cutting board from Argos. Then autosol on an old leather belt glued to mdf. Sharp enough to shave my arms :-D

Sent from my GT-I9300

 

[nicguthrie]

Sticking to the OP's actual question -

If you beleive the Hype, DMT are the brand worth getting - for their single crystal daimond construction, but in all seriousness I can't speak against the ultex brand - simply because I've never seen one. I've tried cheapo brands in the past and found that not only are they often a lot more coarse and uneven grained than they claim, they can be warped rather than flat, and wear pretty badly. The uneven grain leaves deep scratches in your tools and the warp messes with any attempt to keep a flat or straight edge.

Even DMT will seem a bit coarse on first use - I find that gently rubbing them over with the back of an old kitchen knife conditions a diamond stone well, removing any loose or badly positioned grit, and leaving it ready to give the proper finish.

Having said that, and returning to the gist of many of the comments, using wet and dry on a good flat backing like glass or a granite tile or something, works at least as well if not quite a lot better. I do a lot of sharpening like this, but keep a small ultra-fine diamond stone in my pocket when doing a lot of chisel work - to touch up the edge occasionally if it feels like it's dulling.

Nic.

Edit:- Oh, and Diamond stones are very handy for sharpening scrapers, where having to sharpen a 90Degree edge on the steel usually rips any paper abrasive you try to use.
Edit2:- You also don't *need* any finer than about 240-400 grit, unless it's for carving tools, but finer makes the blades nice and shiny, marginally sharper, and (debatably) stay sharp longer.

 

[Mike Wingate]

I have 4 Eze Lap 8 x 3 stones, 250 to 1200 grit with an 8 x 3 8000 grit ceramic stone, plus strops and oxides for getting a good shaving edge on my tools. I did wear out a medium stone very quickly flattening a Samurai laminated plane blade.

 

[Sean Hellman]

No one has mentioned the Axminster 400/1000 diamond stone at I think about £23. Very good value and has been serving me for a few years now, I have no issues recommending it and is far cheaper than DMT, which I also own.

 

[Mr T]

I don't use diamond stones much but I have seen the Axminster ones which seem OK for the price. Quite course on first use so need some breaking in they may be good followed by stropping with rouge on leather. The Faithful ones don't seem very flat, I suppose you could stick them to something flat. Wet and dry on glass works OK but constantly changing the paper gets a bit boring. Another Option is the 3m finishing film (as used in scary sharp - I hate that term!). Although more expensive they cut better and last longer than wet and dry.

As Nicgutherie said before diamond stones are really useful when sharpening cabinet scrapers as honing the edge can ruin wet and dry or water stones. I have managed it on the 3m though (carefully).

Chris

 

[Brian18741]

I use the 8 x 3 Ultex diamond stones from ITS. They're often on special offer so keep an eye out. Think I paid about £10 each for a 300g, 600g and 1200g. I finish on a leather strop with some buffing compound and get very good results.

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