How can you tell when its time for some new stones?

S

skippz

Joined
Feb 12, 2006
Messages
76
I know someone's gonna say "when they aren't getting your blades sharp anymore"... but I am gonna ask anyway.
I think my sharpmakers stones are about gone, but I haven't noticed any dips or grooves in them yet, they just look REALLY rough and it seems to take me twice to three times as long to get the normal results... my dmt stones I've had forever are beginning to take a bit longer to touch up my blades as well... is there anything I can do to spring some life back into these stones or am I just gonna have to bite the bullett and buy new ones?
 
With the risk of being obvious , have you tried cleaning them ?

1234,,,,,:D
 
Chances are, they're just loaded up with swarf (metal particles from sharpening). If they haven't been cleaned in a very long time, a product called Bar Keepers Friend will be useful. It's a powdered cleanser, similar to Comet or Ajax, but with an added chemical component (oxalic acid). The oxalic acid will dissolve the steel particles embedded in the hones, which will get them much cleaner faster. Make a paste with it (mixed with a little water), and scrub the hone with it. A green Scotch-Brite pad works well for this, or an old toothbrush works too. Rinse it very thoroughly afterwards. The oxalic acid is corrosive itself, so you want to be sure you don't leave it on the hones (the diamond plates in particular). It works great, when used correctly (read the directions & warnings carefully).

To keep them from getting loaded up excessively in the future, clean them after each use, with dish soap & water (or Comet/ajax with water).

DMT hones are a lot more durable than even I would've assumed. I thought I'd ruined one a while back, using it to flatten a ceramic hone. It did remove a good deal of the diamond, but to my surprise, there's still a lot of life left in it. In some ways, it performs even better (finish produced is more uniform now).
 
I had tried dish soap and water but never tried ajax or comet... I'll have to try that!!!
thanks a bunch.
 
skippz said:
I had tried dish soap and water but never tried ajax or comet... I'll have to try that!!!
thanks a bunch.
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DMT, in particular, actually recommends doing it this way. So long as it's done fairly regularly, it should work well for you.

To quote their advice (found at http://www.dmtsharp.com/dmtdiff/faqsfeedback.php#Care ):

Clean your DMT® sharpener after each use with water and wipe dry. After several sharpenings, use a mild kitchen abrasive cleanser and a nylon scrub brush (an old toothbrush works well too). Comet, Ajax, and Zud work well. Make sure the sharpener is dry before putting it away.
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remember what was advised about diamond hones years back---if you think diamonds are gone take a glass ash tray & see if rubbing on the hone still cuts.---dennis
 
HOT WATER and soap ...
clean them right on up ... years back I had diamond hones that did just fall apart.
These new ones seem to retain the coating much better than their older models did.
wish they didn't cost so much.
 
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