Diamond Sharpening Pastes

M

me2

Joined
Oct 11, 2003
Messages
5,097
Anybody tried this stuff? The sharpening paper by Verhoeven on rec.knives says the 1 micron diamond gives a finer edge, just a bit, than CrO when used on leather wheels, and are slightly sharper than Gillete blades. I found a shaving site that sells 0.25 micron diamond, but finer than CrO seems good enough.
 
My first sharpest edges (cutting arm hair without touching skin) were the result of 0.5 micron diamond paste on a leather sanding belt. Did 'em with 52100 and S30V.

Diamonds, cubic boron nitride and boron carbide are the trinity of sharpening compounds. Their higher hardness than most everything in the steel you're sharpening makes everything go faster. CrO can get the job done, but it had better have AO in its mix (light Veritas/Lee Valley and the regular green from Spartan Buff) or you had better have patience.

If you use so much that cost is an issue; switch to cubic boron nitride or Linde A. Otherwise, diamond paste should leave you happy. It'll cut faster than similar sized CrO/AO compounds, but when comparing 0.5 micron to 0.5 micron, it'll still be slow if you haven't already got a sharp and polished edge.
 
I was thinking of using it on leather on the belt sander. I'm using white "stainless" buffing compound now, and can get hair whittling edges after 320 grit. I just wondered if diamond was any better.
 
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