Diamond plate life?

D

Darteres

Joined
Feb 4, 2008
Messages
380
I recently bought a diamond plate along with some knives from Ragweed Forge. This is my second order from them, and the service was great and shipping was speedy! I picked up the course/medium diamond plate show here for $19 to use as an axe and machete sharpener for field use. I sharpened a hatchet for about 15 minutes with the course side using honing oil and a fairly light touch, and it's now smoother than the medium side :eek:. Is this normal for this kind of sharpener? Not crying that I got scammed. Just curious as to whether or not this is normal. The plates are the perfect size for field use.

If this is normal, what would you recommend for similar use that would have a good life.
 
Out of curiosity, why would you use oil with a diamond sharpener? Just use it with a light touch, and you should be fine.
 
normal break in.
use the medium side for something just as rough and it'll smooth right down, too.
 
1066vik said:
normal break in.
use the medium side for something just as rough and it'll smooth right down, too.
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Oh, yeah, I meant to mention that, too. All of mine have seemed to "wear in" at first, but they all still sharpen just fine.
 
My experience is mostly with the DMT brand plares. They last virtually forever.

as said above, they "settle in" after a bri9ef break-in period.

I've never used oil, but IME, they cut better and smoother if used with copious amoumts of water, and if the swarf is rinsed off often. :thumbup:
 
Ah, good to know about the break in! This is my first diamond "stone" and I assumed that oil would be good to use with it to keep it from getting blocked up like a normal oilstone.
 
no need for oil or water - unless you want to use a lubricant.
just remember to wipe it down before/after each use to keep it from clogging - an old sock or scrap of jeans is fine for that.
 
Be careful of the amount of pressure you are using with the diamond hone. Using fairly light pressure may still be too much and actually the less pressure you use the better the finish on the edge will Become. Any more than say the weight of the stone and your using too much pressure and will damage the stone.

Soapy water would be a better choice of lube.
 
Thanks for all the responses! I tried to use the least amount of pressure I could with such a small stone. I may be better off getting one of the stones that has a folding handle to better control my pressure.
 
The literature with spyderco diamond sticks indicate for their product that high pressure during sharpening can dislodge the diamonds. They recommend using light pressure for this reason. This may be true for a lot of diamond hones. Spyderco does not indicate a need for replacement of the diamond sticks as they due for their ceramic sticks.
 
1066vik said:
no need for oil or water - unless you want to use a lubricant.
just remember to wipe it down before/after each use to keep it from clogging - an old sock or scrap of jeans is fine for that.
Click to expand...

I guess my experience has been a bit different. My DMT plates seem to cut faster and smoother when very wet, and keep on cutting fast if rinsed off every couple of minutes. :thumbup:

OTOH, if dry works well for you, more power to ya! :p There probably isn't any hard and fast "right way" or "wrong way" as long as one gets the blade sharp! :D
 
They will seem to become smoother with use but they will still cut. I have one that is maybe 17 years old in the kitchen and it feels like it wouldn't cut but it does. For something like an axe or machete I would use a crystolon or india stone to establish your edge and then finish up with a few passes on the diamond plate. I don't think you have to use water but as stated before frequent rinsing will prevent them from becoming clogged with metal. I use mine dry just for touching up an edge and then rinse them when I'm done. And very little pressure is needed. I wouldn't use oil on a diamond plate. It's just going to make it messier. Water works fine.
 
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