Is it time to use my diamond stones

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Emersonman91

Joined
Aug 15, 2020
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So hey guys I have been scouring the forums and I’ve realized that based on other sharpmaker users I should at least be able to shave or lift fingertip skin if I drag the blade


I seem to not be able to get past butter knife sharpness


I suspect that’s because I started a reprofile and then didn’t have my diamond stones


Basically I’ve already taken the knife and dragged it horizontally across the brownstone which completely flattened out the edge because I was going to start from scratch


But without the diamond stones o can’t get any type of edge back


I can use the sharpie method and see that I’m actually taking off the sharpie on both sides but still it’s dull as a butter knife to where I can’t even slice skin




So my question is : If after trying to reestablish an edge with the brown stones I’m left with butter knife level sharpness does that mean I need to move to the diamond stones to really really profile this edge now?


Like the thing reflects light horribly to where it looks blunt lol normally I’m used to the reflective spots being flat spots on the blade not the whole blade being flat ( I assume I did this when I dragged the blade across the brown stone like a saw to flatten the edge )
 
What type of steel are you sharpening? I use diamond stones when ever I’m reprofiling. They cut quick and make things easier. Depending on the steel type you shouldn’t be using anything but diamond stones unless you’re just doing a touch up.
 
What types of steel should I avoid diamond in


It seems like almost all of my knives Get a much more actually sharp edge from the first stone with the diamond stones and you’re right they definitely work perfectly fine and cut much quicker so there’s a much better option to start with


Is there a specific steels that I should be looking at that are weak enough that they can’t handle diamond
 
Emersonman91 said:
What types of steel should I avoid diamond in


It seems like almost all of my knives Get a much more actually sharp edge from the first stone with the diamond stones and you’re right they definitely work perfectly fine and cut much quicker so there’s a much better option to start with


Is there a specific steels that I should be looking at that are weak enough that they can’t handle diamond
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No. Ive used diamonds on steels like 8cr13mov, to 1095cv, to M4.

I would probably not use diamonds for cheap gas station knives. They would probably just melt on them... Lol
 
I'm no expert but I have used diamond stones and I've only used them to "reshape" a blade when a lot of steel had to be moved -- not for fine sharpening.

The best comparison would probably be between using an electric grinder and a file. The ginder will take a lot of metal off FAST but a file (even the coursest one) will take the steel off more slowly and with much more control.

A diamond stone (like a grinder) can quickly ruin a piece of metal as a result of improper use.

So, you should always use diamond stones w/caution and not take off more metal that you need. Once you remove the steel, there's no going back.

If you have NO familiarity w/using a diamond stone, then I'd suggest you "practice" on a cheap knife or one that's already ruined before you try to use it on a favorite or more expensive verision.

Good luck!!!
 
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The diamond and CBN rods are roughly the same grit as the brown ceramic, you can get finer diamond grit abrasives in other sharpening setups, some well above 1500 even.

Low grit diamond abrasives really warm their keep with >4% Vanadium steels, especially stainless ones like the S__V family.
 
John_0917 said:
The diamond and CBN rods are roughly the same grit as the brown ceramic, you can get finer diamond grit abrasives in other sharpening setups, some well above 1500 even.

Low grit diamond abrasives really warm their keep with >4% Vanadium steels, especially stainless ones like the S__V family.
Click to expand...

The diamond and cbn rods are noticeably coarser than the brown ceramic... 400 mesh per @Sal Glesser.
 
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If you get a Lansky Turnbox you can get basic diamond rods for under $30, they’re round and fine for small folders.

It’s a more economical option to consider, the new Gauntlet is really quite expensive as well (nothing wrong with that, just not in everyone’s budget).
 
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