Elmax Stropping

I use DMT diamond pastes and they work well on all steels including M390, Elmax, S35VN, and S30V.
 
Great question and great answers, I have been using BRKT black and have yet to get it where I want it. I'm a rookie so I just keep trying. Where are you guys buying your diamond paste ?
 
Chromium oxide works great even on high carbide steels. I find that too much stropping can actually detract -- a few licks is all that's needed to refine that microscopic cutting edge. Too much stropping and I find my blades lose that hair-popping edge.
 
1 micron diamond spray on balsa. If your technique isn't great, you can round off the apex by stropping. So if you are stropping correctly, other than wasting time and using up the life of the stropping compound, I don't think you can over-strop. However, if your technique (too much pressure, wrong angle) is off, then the more passes you do, the more you round off the edge.
 
I've used many different types of pastes and sprays. I've settled on DMT for availability, price and quality. I really like the 3 micron on balsa or leather.

There are "better" diamond products out there but at upwards of $50 a bottle I find the DMT paste to be the more practical option.
 
Leather is less sensitive to the angle of stropping than wood. So you may want spray diamond on leather to reduce the chance of overstropping.
 
I just stropped my Elmax Speedform 2 yesterday using the Washboard and Martin's diamond compound. It came out great.
 
How does diamond spray on leather ontop of a wood block do?

I think "overstropping" is when people accidentally round the edge.
 
Lapedog said:
How does diamond spray on leather ontop of a wood block do?

I think "overstropping" is when people accidentally round the edge.
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This is actually how many strops are set up. It is a bit more forgiving for the stropping angle. My stropping angle is often a tiny bit steeper than the bevel angle so that I make sure the apex is stropped rather than the shoulders. One key thing is the light pressure. Another is to constantly check yiur stropping result.
 
I bought i think its dmt, not sure label is ripped off, from knifecenter. Diamond paste in a syringe type dispenser. I heat the leather up with a hair dryer, run a bead down the center of the leather then rub it in. Re heat and rub some more.
 
DMT as stated above.
Yes you can over strop. It rounds the edge (when done at the wrong angle). Also, some people get more life out of an aggressive edge on steels like ELMAX and M390 which are similar. I also opt for toothy edges for S30V blades. This all depends on what you are cutting.
 
I've come to like my EDC edges to be a 320 or 500 grit Shapton Glasstone followed by a few light passes with the 16000 grit Glasstone at a little higher angle. That finish has bite along with very respectable push cutting sharpness. I've had better luck with edge leading passes, hence finishing on the 1 micron Glasstone rather than a strop. That finish has worked for me on everything up to S110V.
 
+1 for diamond compound. I've got the 6, 3, 1 from DMT, the 0.5 from venev industries, and 0.25 from chef knives to go.

I think diamonds work well for high carbide steels, especially high CR carbide steels, as they cut and form the carbides as opposed to burnishing them.

For some reason, i find diamond abrasives just don't do that well on low alloy steels like 1095.
 
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