Dressing EP diamond matrix stones

huntyukon

huntyukon

Joined
Dec 30, 2023
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Hey guys. I just ordered some diamond matrix stones and they need to get dressed borrow use. . From what I learned dressing the finer stones 240grit ALOX powder is the preferred method. Can I use the same grit powder for the coarser stones as well? Or should I use carbide powder instead?
 
huntyukon said:
Hey guys. I just ordered some diamond matrix stones and they need to get dressed borrow use. . From what I learned dressing the finer stones 240grit ALOX powder is the preferred method. Can I use the same grit powder for the coarser stones as well? Or should I use carbide powder instead?
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Yes, eventually with lots of use. You will need to dress and flatten them the 240 grit AlOx powder will do.

Use a mr clean magic eraser (melamine plastic abrasive) to clean any load up off the stones, this becomes important when using the finer grits.
 
Thanks for the replies guys. I had been under the impression that the guy that makes those (Diemaker?) said in a video I watched that it helps dressing them even when new to remove some of the excess resin. I’m glad to know this doesn’t need to be done to new stones yet. I’m quite exited about using them. My only other experience with diamond stones is with the electroplated Kme stones. Those are some nice stones, but I hear the feedback should be better yet with those resin bonded ones. No complaints about KME though.
 
huntyukon said:
Thanks for the replies guys. I had been under the impression that the guy that makes those (Diemaker?) said in a video I watched that it helps dressing them even when new to remove some of the excess resin. I’m glad to know this doesn’t need to be done to new stones yet. I’m quite exited about using them. My only other experience with diamond stones is with the electroplated Kme stones. Those are some nice stones, but I hear the feedback should be better yet with those resin bonded ones. No complaints about KME though.
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They are more precise tools, but since they are less aggressive, don't expect them to remove steel as quickly. You will enjoy them.
 
Blues said:
They are more precise tools, but since they are less aggressive, don't expect them to remove steel as quickly. You will enjoy them.
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I’m looking forward to working with them. They are still on their way here. On another note, do you know of any 1x6 stones that compare more to the KME Gold Series? Thanks
Hauke
 
DeadboxHero said:
Yes, eventually with lots of use. You will need to dress and flatten them the 240 grit AlOx powder will do.

Use a mr clean magic eraser (melamine plastic abrasive) to clean any load up off the stones, this becomes important when using the finer grits.
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On my KME diamond stones I’ve been using honing oil. I really like that better than water (drop of soap) and certainly better than dry. Can I do this on the resin bonded EP stones too? I found that with the oil it was so easy to keep them clean.
 
huntyukon said:
I’m looking forward to working with them. They are still on their way here. On another note, do you know of any 1x6 stones that compare more to the KME Gold Series? Thanks
Hauke
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I don't. I have an EdgePro which sits lonely alongside the shop sink. I like that I can use the stones freehand or on the EP.
 
I never thought of using them freehand. That could be really handy out in the field. I’m still trying my hand at freehand with mostly poor results. Just like with most things, I’m sure I’ll get better over time. Even though I haven’t been using fixed systems overly long yet, I suspect that freehand will bring its own satisfaction.
 
Diemaker said:
The Matrix stones come dressed and ready to go. But you should play with them when you first get them using different pressures including too much pressure. The stones will not really reach their prime until they have been dressed a few times, at least the 650 through 4k, and then only after sharpening a few knives!!! After dressing they are abnormally aggressive and leave a more pronounced scratch pattern. Once you sharpen a bunch of knives you should get to the point that you only dress the finest stones every 50 or so knives, the 650 less than that, and the 250 and 80 maybe once every couple years. That is how I do it. If they get black from use it does not affect how well they work. If you don't like the cosmetics then clean them with a paper towel and rubbing alcohol. I have played with Comet, Ajax, and Barkeepers Friend but think that the abrasives affected how the stones worked so ended up dressing them. I have never had that happen when cleaning with alcohol, which I only do to show how it works, not for performance. I don't care what my stones look like, only how they are working. Keep in mind I only do edge trailing passes, if you do edge leading you will have to dress a lot more often, like 10 fold or more.
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Initial Dressing or flattening –

This is the big one. How these stones are dressed will have a huge effect on how well they perform. The only way I dress them is with loose abrasive on a flat plate with enough water that the abrasive doesn’t clump up or run away. All you want to do is wear away some of the resin to better expose the diamonds, which when done right does not change measurably change the thickness of the stone. I think the best way to show how to dress these stones is to do a few in a video.

My YouTube video on how to dress these stones I also have many videos where I sharpen different knives with my stones on this channel.

The abrasives I use to dress the different stones:

160m – 20 grit

80m – 60 grit

40m – 60 grit but fresh 240 grit works too

20m through 5m – 240 grit
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huntyukon said:
Thanks for the replies guys. I had been under the impression that the guy that makes those (Diemaker?) said in a video I watched that it helps dressing them even when new to remove some of the excess resin. I’m glad to know this doesn’t need to be done to new stones yet. I’m quite exited about using them.
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The stones are really nice. I use them for about 90% of everything I sharpen.
Eventually you'll want to get a glass plate and some aluminum oxide powder. The stones will dish, and the exposed abrasive will dull. Aluminum oxide will fix that. It's what's recommended by the manufacturer.

Once a stone develops perceptible dishing, there's no reason to not fix it. It's like drill bits: keep them sharp and you'll do better work with less effort.
 
RustyIron said:
The stones are really nice. I use them for about 90% of everything I sharpen.
Eventually you'll want to get a glass plate and some aluminum oxide powder. The stones will dish, and the exposed abrasive will dull. Aluminum oxide will fix that. It's what's recommended by the manufacturer.

Once a stone develops perceptible dishing, there's no reason to not fix it. It's like drill bits: keep them sharp and you'll do better work with less effort.
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Thank you for the reply. Do you also use 250 grit AOX powder?
 
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