Do you prefer Diamond or Arkansas sharpening

W

weldboss

Joined
Sep 1, 2009
Messages
14
Just looking for personal preferences on which surface you like to sharpen and why or why not.
 
weldboss said:
I have had good luck with both but the fine diamond seems to wear quicker than stone.
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Yeah they get finer and finer, not very consistent as it wears quicker in the center. Diamond waterstones don't have this problem, the diamond particles are in a clay binder instead of a single layer on top of nickel plate.
 
I have started using 320 grit auto body glue back sand paper rolls! Glue it down to anything flat and enjoy the ride. Loads up, toss it and tear off another piece. $30.00 woth of sand paper should last me about 20 years.
 
Diamond...it stays flat. Stones all dish out sooner or later...

I only use it for touch ups and dressing burrs though.
 
Diamonds are perfectly flat and cuts faster. No oil or water needed either.
 
Hey Ed,

Great to see you on here. I know you were a big fan of the Fine India for many years.

How does the 320 grit compared? And do you use kerosene or water or just use it dry?

Thanks,

John
 
I use it dry. The paper I use is 3M Golc Fre-cut A wt. P320 NP there is another number - 216U. It is 3 inch wide and the roll is about 4 1/2 inches in diameter. That is many feet of sand paper. About the width of a dollar bill you can tear off a piece, fold it so the glue is back to back and place it in your wallet between dollar bills and it is convenient to carry, you don't even know it is there.

I have never had to use it in the field on one of my knives, but once in a while demonstrate how to sharpen a knife to folks I meet in town or at a show. All you need is a hard surface to lay it on. I have used the sole of a boot or stick and it worked fine.

I do love the Norton India Stone for putting on an edge on blades before they leave my shop. The sand paper is best for touch ups. It could be used in place of the stone, but the stone works best for major work.
 
I agree with using diamond stones. They stay flat and true, but most of all they are harder than any material we could ever make a knife from so they will sharpen knives made of ceramic, they will sharpen sintered cerment kinves such as tungsten carbide etcetc. Try that with other sharpening materials and youll rub allot for no effect :)
 
I use a diamond to rough an edge into shape or correct a flawed edge. Then I use a arkansas stone to finish.
 
I use diamond almost exclusively. If you use water with a little dish soap your diamond will not load up (which is actually what is happening whenm they seem to wear out )
Always use lubricant (water, oil whatever) when sharpening. A metallurgical engineer measured the temperature right at the cutting edge with microscopic size thermocouples and found that right *AT* the cutting edge the temperature was over 1000 (yes that's 3 zeroes) fahrenheiht. If I remember the lecture correctly it was in the neighborhood of above austentizing temperatures ) whereas the temperature of the same zone when lubricated/cooled with water or oil was under 200 f. In addition to plugging up a stone by not using lubricant, you ruin the actual part of the edge that needs to be good

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Thats Correct page it was Dr Roman Landes. This is why it is important to protect the heat treat by doing any machine or polishing or sharpening work post heat treat with cooled gear, or by doing it by hand.
 
nullack said:
Thats Correct page it was Dr Roman Landes. This is why it is important to protect the heat treat by doing any machine or polishing or sharpening work post heat treat with cooled gear, or by doing it by hand.
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Yes it was. Dr Roman Landes did a very informative presentation on the metallurgy and science of sharpness at the Ashokan seminar.
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