DMT Dia-Paste

[KarlMaldensNose]

Haven't tried it yet because when I mentioned it a while ago one of the sharpening gurus (forget who exactly, but he knows his stuff) suggested I use another brand due to poor quality. I forget the problem exactly... maybe less (or more, not sure which is better) carats than other brands, or less diamonds in the paste, or something. Anyway, the DMT is all that's available to me in Canada, and I really want to give it a go. Has anyone had success with this particular brand? And by success I mean a crazy-ass laser sharp and polished edge, not just normal shaving sharp. BTW, it is available in 1,3 and 6 microns. Also, what substrate have you had the most success applying it to--leather, wood (if so, which kind), notepad cardboard, etc?

Thanks for your advice.

 

[Jason B.]

Its not that its bad its that it just works the slowest of the products I have tried. If its your only option then get it, its still faster and better than chromium oxide.

Use leather for best results

 

[cotdt]

Its not that its bad its that it just works the slowest of the products I have tried.

That's because Dia-Fine is finer than rated. Their 1 micron seems to be equivalent to another brands' 0.25 micron.

They work really well for me.

 

[Jason B.]

That's because Dia-Fine is finer than rated. Their 1 micron seems to be equivalent to another brands' 0.25 micron.

They work really well for me.

I wouldn't say that, they seem on target with their stated grit when compared to my other diamond compounds and 0.25 is a LOT finer than their 1 micron paste.

 

[gunmike1]

For pastes or sprays, the diamond sprays I bought from Japanese knife sharpening seemsto work the best, and it works better on leather than blank lapping film. I am used to my 3M lapping film over glass, which is Al Ox abrasive, and due to practice I get better edges with it than the diamond sprays. The diamond sprays I have are in 1, .5, and .25 micron and cut much faster than the lapping films, but I am ham fisted with leather and am prone to using too much pressure and rolling the edges. Also, my lapping film goes down to .05 micron, which gives it a bit of an edge in polished edges (all of these micron and below edges are so far overkill it's almost a joke, but sharpening OCD has a way of making you NEED to polish the crap out of a knife). The diamonds do leave a toothier edge at the same grit though, which is nice. I need to practice more on the strops I guess, because the diamonds do have a lot of good qualities. As it stands though I'm considering selling my nearly full diamond sprays due to my always using the lapping film. If I ever get S90V or S110V I may regret dumping the diamonds though.

 

[Jason B.]

For pastes or sprays, the diamond sprays I bought from Japanese knife sharpening seemsto work the best, and it works better on leather than blank lapping film. I am used to my 3M lapping film over glass, which is Al Ox abrasive, and due to practice I get better edges with it than the diamond sprays. The diamond sprays I have are in 1, .5, and .25 micron and cut much faster than the lapping films, but I am ham fisted with leather and am prone to using too much pressure and rolling the edges. Also, my lapping film goes down to .05 micron, which gives it a bit of an edge in polished edges (all of these micron and below edges are so far overkill it's almost a joke, but sharpening OCD has a way of making you NEED to polish the crap out of a knife). The diamonds do leave a toothier edge at the same grit though, which is nice. I need to practice more on the strops I guess, because the diamonds do have a lot of good qualities. As it stands though I'm considering selling my nearly full diamond sprays due to my always using the lapping film. If I ever get S90V or S110V I may regret dumping the diamonds though.

Try using the spray on MDF, you can push as hard as you want

I think it make the diamonds work about 2x faster but you gotta sand the surface smooth to get the best results. I would use it but I like my leather. Do you know what happened to the handamerican products?

 

[gunmike1]

Try using the spray on MDF, you can push as hard as you want

I think it make the diamonds work about 2x faster but you gotta sand the surface smooth to get the best results. I would use it but I like my leather. Do you know what happened to the handamerican products?

I'll try the MDF, what grit paper should I sand it with? Any excuse to let me use those expensive sprays (though I got them for almost half off) more is welcome. Years of using glass backing on lapping film gets you using too much pressure for a strop that has give to it.

I don't know what happened to the Hand American products. I really like the Diamond spray and strops (when I don't ham fist them), and their magnetic Corian base and glass top really have and continue to serve me great everytime I sharpen with my lapping films. Top notch products for sure. Hopefully they pop up again soon.

Mike

 

[Jason B.]

I used 320 and 600 on a palm sander, I guess you could go finer but 600 worked for me.

 

[Broos]

I bought the 3 tube set a number of years ago, and am still using them. They remove material magnitudes faster than CrO2. Worst thing about them is that you need to mix them with something that gives you a good feel on the strop (like mineral oil).