Are DMT stones right for me?

[sierra11b]

I use a set of Nortons 220,1000,4000,8000 for my work knives and love them for that purpose. But i'm wondering if these are the best stones for my pocket knives, especially my customs that I carry regularly?

I guess i'm mostly concerned about the built-up mud (or whatever you call it) scratching the finish of my blades, not the stones ability to sharpen the edge.

Do DMT stones create a lot of this leftover "grit" or mud that can damage the blades surface? It would seem that they wouldn't create as much seeing how whetstones wear with use.

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If DMT stones are the answer then which three should I get and where to get them online?

Thanks,
Eric

 

[thombrogan]

Replace your Norton 220 with a DMT 220 or DMT 120 (the infamous D8XX) and keep using your Nortons. Otherwise, keep using your Nortons. I've got DMT's D8XX (120 grit), D8F (600 grit), D8E (1200 grit), and D8EE (8000 grit) and a Norton 1000/8000 combo stone. The D8XX (and sometimes D8F) flattens the waterstones and does the work which would be done by the Norton 220, but Norton's 1000 waterstone cuts faster and is more forgiving than DMT's 1200 and Norton's 8000 is easier to use than DMT's 8000 (which has a very slow break in process).

 

[matt321]

Thom,
When you say the Norton 1000 is more forgiving, what do you mean by that? Forgiving of what?

Thanks,
...Matt321

 

[sierra11b]

Thanks. How are the DMTs in regards to scratching the blade's surface during repetitive use? I know the waterstones slag scratches the finish a lot of times as the stone material wears away as it cuts.

 

[thombrogan]

Thanks. How are the DMTs in regards to scratching the blade's surface during repetitive use? I know the waterstones slag scratches the finish a lot of times as the stone material wears away as it cuts.

After they're broken in, there's less swarf (mixture of steel dust and worn abrasive) to scratch the surface, but it's still there. With waterstones, scooping a handful of water on the stone and wiping away the mud and then doing the same to the blade (gentler to avoid scratching and carefully to avoid bleeding) takes away that problem. You can probably get away with leaving the steel/stone buildup on your 4000 and 8000 waterstones as the scratches they'll leave are much smaller than the ones from the 220 and 1000 waterstones.

When you say the Norton 1000 is more forgiving, what do you mean by that? Forgiving of what?

Why forgiving of my inability to hold a steady, consistant angle. For some reason, every wobble in my hand is reflected in the finish left by my 600 and 1200 grit diamonds, but in my 1000 grit and 1200 grit waterstones, it's just a smooth transition unless I've really screwed up or didn't flatten the stone enough.