DIAMOND STONES: What's out there and for how much?

M

Mikel_24

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I am about to finish making my first knife. I don't have a sander so I followed the suggestion from a number of forumites and I made an Scandi grind knife (25cm overall with almost a 14cm blade).

Bevels al even and I have neat paralel file scratchs all over them. When I was about to sharpen it to get rid of those scratches I noticed I was lacking propper equipment (before heat treating it I mean). I only had my Sharpmaker and a Carborundum well used oval shaped stone (which is not flat any more, it is shallow in the middle from sharpenning narrow tools like chisels).

I had a bunch of sandpaper and I know that with a flat rigid backing I could sharpen it there. Anyway, I fear that being only able to use edge trailing strokes on the sandpeper, I would end up convexing the edge.

So, here I am, asking for advice in which diamond coated stones I should buy. I know that Fallkniven DC4 is a sure bet but it is just to small (I plan to get one of those por carrying along with the knife).

What brands are out there? How much they cost? Do you know about a store that has them in stock and can ship them to Spain? Any recommendations? What grits should I get?

I bought once a small diamond coated sharpening stone (don't ask me about the brand, it had diamond shaped cut outs in the diamond covered metal sheet) but seems like I didn't use it propertly and I scraped them all off the sone (waaay too much presure). It was like 14€ or so... (like $21).

I found some on Ebay that don't look that bad. HERE they are. Any clue if they are worth it? They sure seem cheap but I don't want to buy something that quits working after the first sharpening session. They have a big combo that seems interesting:
400 + 1000 in a 8”x 25/8” stone
If these grits are not the way to go I could get two different ones in 600 and 1200 in 6" stones that give me an even cheaper combo.

Any input will be wellcome,
Mikel
 
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I'm not familiar with that brand. I do have diamond hones from Smith's, Gerber, E-Z Lap and DMT. My personal preference is the DMT Duosharp series, but other people prefer the continuous surface Diasharp. Different strokes for different folks. I use the 2 x 6" hones, but for longer blades, the 8" or larger hones will be easier to use. The DMTs usually cost about $35 each with shipping here, but I don't know what international shipping and conversion to Euros will do to that. If you keep your pressure light and let the diamonds do the work, the hones will last a very long time.
 
yablanowitz said:
... The DMTs usually cost about $35 each with shipping here, but I don't know what international shipping and conversion to Euros will do to that...
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I guess I can afford that...

I always heard good things about DMT so I will probably stick to them. The problem is finding an online retailer who has them in stock.... where do you get yours yablanowitz? I bet you already found the best deal... I was thinking about getting two stones with two different grits. What do you recommend?
Thanks a lot,
Mikel
 
I would suggest a coarse (blue base) and a fine (red base) for general purpose. I also have an extra-fine (green base) that puts a pretty decent polish on the edge. I've bought these things all over, but this guy is my "local knife shop" (he's only 176 miles away) who also sells on line. Good people to deal with and fast shipping for online orders. I'm not sure about international orders, but you can ask.
http://www.knivesplus.com/DMT.HTML
 
I'll second getting DMTs, as well as getting a coarse and fine grit. I prefer the benchstones over the folding ones though, but of course they aren't as portable.

Usually I'll go from coarse to a medium ceramic though since I don't have a benchstone fine, just one of those small keychain models.....
 
Thanks a lot for the information. Knivesplus has a great selection of DMT benchstones but they don't ship them overseas... way to go to lose customers! I really liked the 8" combo (fine + coarse) over a policarbonate base with rubber feet.
The ones found on traditionalwoodworker don't look bad at all but being 11" they seem like overkill for me. I have to check the smaller ones and see if they ship overseas----> Just checked, they don't ship overseas either!

I will have to hunt for them somewhere else.

What's the main difference between the continuous sharpening surface of the Diasharp and the paterned sharpening surface of the Duosharps? I think that the more diamons contacting the blade... the faster it will sharpen! The cut outs in the Duosharps may help to keep the steel dust there so the stone doesn't clog... I am not sure.

I will keep on searching. Let me know if you find any good deals on the net!--->Just found some dealers on ebay that carry them... As soon as you guys tell me the difference in perfomance between the Diasharp and the Duosharp... I will hit the button!

Mikel
 
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Mikel,

You can always check with www.dmtsharp.com and ask their customer service folks for assistance with a local supplier/vendor. I've found their service to be quite helpful in the past.
 
Blues said:
Mikel,

You can always check with www.dmtsharp.com and ask their customer service folks for assistance with a local supplier/vendor. I've found their service to be quite helpful in the past.
Click to expand...

I finally got a DMT Duosharp double sided 10" stone with a policarbonate base on eBay from a seller who stocks up on a wide variety of them. I checked prices everywhere else and it seemed right. S&H was reasonable as well. A friend of mine asked me to buy him a Spyderco Native he found there so I hope that we both will get an even better deal with the combined shiping.
Thanks for your advice!
Mikel

PD: I want to craft a wooden base just like the one Vasili has in his videos but I will try to make one with adjustable angle. He uses Diasharps but Duosharps should do the trick as well (they are way ligther though).
 
The Duo Sharps don't seem to load up as fast, since the holes provide a place for the filings to go. They also seem to give a smoother finish, possibly because the holes prevent grit from being trapped between the diamonds and the leading edge of the blade. All I know for certain is I have used both, and I like the Duo Sharp better.
 
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