DMT 8x3 Diasharp Diamond Stones

[wizer]

Hello

So when I sold my waterstones, my intention was to go for diamonds. I looked around and found a really good deal on US eBay. They arrived today and the whole deal worked out very good. After postage and customs they came out at £42.50 each, which i thought wasn't too bad, not a massive saving but definitely worth it over UK prices.

From Left to Right:
Extra Extra Fine (8000 Mesh)
Extra Fine
Fine
Course
and my EZE Lap Extra Course (that I already had).

I didn't get much time to play with them, just a few swipes with a chisel. They are all surprisingly smooth, but the 8000 mesh is completely smooth! I can't feel any grain at all on it. But it does cut, it's weird.

I'll continue to post my comments on them as I get used to using them. Next thing is to find a good way to hold/store them. I thought I could just attatch them to a board, but that won't really work for back flattening. So I guess they'll have to be held in their own holders.

:-k

 

[Paul Chapman]

Hi Wizer,

I'd be interested to hear what you think of the Extra, Extra Fine stone after you've been using it for a while. I've thought of getting one but, as I seem to get what I want from the Extra Fine followed by a leather strop, I've never felt I could justify the cost.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[wizer]

I will certainly document my results Paul. As I never really got anywhere with waterstones, it's going to be hard to compare it to other methods.

As I said above, the extra extra fine stone feels smooth, almost polished, to the touch. But when you put a clean chisel back to it, you can clearly see it cutting/polishing.

 

[Mr Ed]

I'm also looking at the 8000 mesh DMT as a replacement for my King 6000 grit waterstone. Its £89 in Axminster so you managed to find a good deal - was buying from the US any trouble?

I already have a DMT duosharp coarse/fine which I have been very happy with and was thinking that this combined with the 8000 mesh would give me all I needed. I am also getting bored of flattening waterstones...

Cheers, Ed

 

[wizer]

Buying was extremely easy. Just the same as a UK eBay purchase. You have to wait a couple of weeks and you run the risk of getting stung on customs. My customs charge was £24 I think, so on one stone it should be a bit less. Not sure how the system works, so don't hold me to that. I buy a lot from the states, so it's quite a normal process for me.

This is the seller I used. There are others on there.

http://shop.ebay.co.uk/merchant/frankmya951

 

[wizer]

I have been mucking about in SU. What about this for a sharpening board?

The stones are parked in their holders and can be bevel honed where they are, but for back flattening the stones can be placed on the platform. The only thing that just occurred to me was the addition of a leather strop.

 

[woodbloke]

Wizer - forget the stones for back flattening. Go and get hold of a bit of 250x60x10mm float glass and use the scary sharp Charleworthian method to flatten the backs of chisels etc and you'll end up with minutely...

concave blade backs. It takes only a very short time to do and means that you don't have to make any special arrangements to use your rather posh new diamond stones. Btw, you need a 10000g Spyderco now as well :lol: :lol: - Rob

 

[OPJ]

Tom, have a look at some of Gidon's videos on YouTube (search gidonreid). He has a wooden stop at one end of the stone and a cam lever, to secure it, at the other end. I'm pretty sure it's in his videos, anyway. I think it's a great idea as you only really need to make one "jig" and can store the others in their cases when not in use.

 

[Argus]

Wizer - forget the stones for back flattening. Go and get hold of a bit of 250x60x10mm float glass and use the scary sharp Charleworthian method to flatten the backs of chisels etc

Can you elaborate on the method in question, please?


.

 

[woodbloke]

Wizer - forget the stones for back flattening. Go and get hold of a bit of 250x60x10mm float glass and use the scary sharp Charleworthian method to flatten the backs of chisels etc

Can you elaborate on the method in question, please?


.

Secure the glass in some sort of frame along the edge of the bench as in the pic. Use some Spraymount adhesive to stick a bit of coarsish paper (depending on how bad the back is) 220g say, w/d paper to the glass and then work down thru' the grades...I finish at about 1000g
Hold the chisel at 90deg to the long axis of the glass ensuring that all the vertical pressure is applied to the blade...do not touch the handle under any circumstances or it'll lift :x off the paper :evil:
The width of the glass should only be about half the length of the chisel blade so that roughly half the blade is in contact at any one time. The blade is moved back and forth along the paper so that when the main body of the chisel is being flattened, the edge section is overhanging and is only brought into contact with the paper for about 50% of the time.
It sounds complicated but it's not. The main thing is to have the section under the blade flattened for only about half, or even less of the time. The other absolutely essential thing is that you never hold the chisel by the handle - Rob

 

[wizer]

sounds like the same method he uses in his chisel sharpening video, except with scary sharp.

But why is this better than using the stones I allready have? I know I'm known for splashing out, but I'm not sure it's worth buying glass and sandpaper if the diamond plates will do it?

The spyderco is in my sights. I want to get my head around sharpening in general first and experience the need for an even finer stone.



Olly thanks for reminding me of gidon's video. I think his stones are double sided which would be useful. I like the idea of having them all laid out, but that's going to take up quite a bit of room. The stones don't come with holders, so I'm going to have to make or buy some. I don't know wether to do as I posted above, or just make the platform and pull wach stone out as I need it. This would reduce the size of the board, I could maybe store the unused stones on edge... :-k hrm.. more thought needed.

 

[woodbloke]

sounds like the same method he uses in his chisel sharpening video, except with scary sharp.

But why is this better than using the stones I allready have? I know I'm known for splashing out, but I'm not sure it's worth buying glass and sandpaper if the diamond plates will do it?

The spyderco is in my sights. I want to get my head around sharpening in general first and experience the need for an even finer stone.

It's probably not any better but it means that you can set up your diamond stones permanently on your sharpening table in one position... which will mean that you don't have to reposition them somewhere else to do back flattening. The cost of a small lump 10mm glass and a few sheets of w/d is going to be a coupla squids at the most...nothing :wink: to one who can afford a Jet SS :lol: - Rob

 

[Harbo]

I use a longish piece of glass with various grades of paper stuck on it - using both sides. They are in grade order and so just work my way down them.
You really need to access them as Rob has pointed out ie laterally l as well as longitudinally.
I still use my DMT Duo XCoarse, Coarse, Medium or fine? (Black, Red, Green I think?) for the rough work but use the papers/film for the blades.
I now only use waterstones for my Japanese Kitchen knives but they come with the Edge Pro "Apex" Portable Knife Sharpener system I have.
Have not bought a Spyderco yet but was thinking about buying one in the States but with the pound in free fall, maybe not?

Rod

 

[wizer]

When I bought the 4 DMT's from the US, I checked the US price of the Spyderco and it worked out the same if not more as the UK price.

 

[Harbo]

Even less likely at $1.62 to £1

Rod

 

[wizer]

I just spent a couple of hours playing with them. I'm very impressed. I honed all my spoke shave blades and achieved a better edge than when they were new. They cut like a dream. I think this is going to be enough for me. I'm not going to get obsessive about sharpening. Now I have a kit which will do everything I want, I'm happy. I may put the spyderco on my recurring xmas list and eventually end up owning it, but not too fussed tbph.

 

[Escudo]

Wizz,

I like your sharpening board idea, I made something similar, you may remember here is the link;

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=26945

It was very easy to make and only takes a short time to set-up on my bench when needed.

Tony.

 

[woodbloke]

I just spent a couple of hours playing with them. I'm very impressed. I honed all my spoke shave blades and achieved a better edge than when they were new. They cut like a dream. I think this is going to be enough for me. I'm not going to get obsessive about sharpening. Now I have a kit which will do everything I want, I'm happy. I may put the spyderco on my recurring xmas list and eventually end up owning it, but not too fussed tbph.

If you've got the Extra Super Fine DMT (8000g I think) you probably won't need a Spyderdco 'cos for the extra money you may not see that much of an improvement...the gains would be negligible. When I got my Spyderco I don't think DMT had yet produced the really fine stone that you've got, though I see now that Axminster do it for about £90 :shock: or thereabouts - Rob

 

[gidon]

Wizer
Looks like you got yourself a good deal!
The extra extra fine stone is a good stone but it's still not a polishing stone, it's not easy removing all traces of the burr on it. I find the Spyderco good for that or some honing soap on some MDF, or some microfinishing film. Having said that, I don't think you'd be disappointed with the edge straight off the EEF!
A light touch is what's needed - it still cuts pretty fast (which can be handy too).
You just need to get yourself the extra extra coarse now ! For your primary bevels!
Cheers
Gidon

 

[Neil]

You just need to get yourself the extra extra coarse now ! For your primary bevels!

Which is (or was anyway) very cheap from Dick Fine Tools - much cheaper than Axminster.

Cheers,
Neil