Knife sharpening

J

j.man

Joined
May 1, 2012
Messages
67
Is a diamond stone a good stone for sharpening? What are the pros and cons of using diamond stones. What other good stones are out there?
 
There are many opinions regarding the best sharpener/sharpening method.

Some of us have played with lots of methods/stones/hones/devices/contraptions. I could argue for and against almost any of them.

I'd suggest that diamond hones work quite well. I'd also suggest doing a few searches both here and on YouTube.

You can learn quite a bit in quite a short time if you are willing to put forth the effort to learn, experiment and practice
 
hop over to maintenance. this early, a diamond-impregnated nickel slab is good for high-vanadium steels. the standard extra-course and course carborandum stone in the local hardware is as useful as ever. those soft smooth green stones that produce a lot of mud are ok. a lot of guys simply use sandpaper of varying grits (there's a trick there if you want to convex your edges but i'm not that much of an expert in convexing yet.)
 
I find that diamond hones make quick work of reprofiling a blade...the medium Lansky diamond is what I use for that purpose. I also use the fine diamond hone to smooth the work of the medium.
Diamond hones work very well but like anything else you have to practice to learn and develop technique and to learn how to use the hones properly.

I use the two mentioned diamond hones, Arkansas stones and the ultra-fine and blue sapphire ceramic hones...all from the Lansky system.
I watched a lot of YouTube videos and read a lot of forum threads regarding the pluses, minuses of the Lansky system and others. I decided on the Lansky system as it fit my budget and the positive comments, etc. I read and watched.

Whether you decide to use a fixed angle system such as Lansky, etc. or go the free hand route the key is practice, over and over until you learn.
I've been using mine for several months and have finally "started" to become comfortable knowing how an edge will turn out but all knife blades are different...shapes, sizes, etc...and you have to learn how to best use whatever tool you decide on.

You don't have to spend a fortune to get some stones that will do a fantastic job but you do have to spend a lot of "time" becoming proficient in using them...
 
I find that diamond stones can cut very quickly and, as a result, may not be the best choice for those just starting out. That's just my opinion, though.

Diamond stones certainly have their place, but if you're new to sharpening as you seem to be (just making an assumption, here), you may be better off with whetstones in varying grits and a pasted strop before progressing to diamond stones.

That said, diamond stones - especially DMT - can work phenomenally if they're used properly.
 
i have a feeling many people will find learning how to freehand rewarding in terms of results, pride of work, and sheer convenience. i don't mind taking time to learn a valuable skill.
 
Hmmm maybe to be a bit more clear in my response. My opinion is that diamond stones do make very good sharpening stones. There are a variety to choose from whether free hand or system.
I can get a very good edge with the Lansky fine hone but for me that is only the beginning to the final finish.
 
Diamond is my favorite as an all-around versatile sharpener, especially for quickly grinding new bevels on blades. The finishing touches on an edge can often be done by other means. The 'catch' in trying to learn with diamond, is it can be very, very different in how it performs, compared to other sharpening media. Because it's so much more aggressive, trying to get a feel for applying the right pressure can be challenging. Especially if you've become accustomed to using other media, like natural (Arkansas) stones in particular. It's real easy to press too hard with diamond, which is counter-productive (removes way too much metal), and can also damage the hone itself, by scrubbing excess diamond abrasive off of the nickel substrate.

Diamond is most useful on very abrasion-resistant steels like S30V and D2, but can be almost too aggressive on 'softer' steels like 1095 and 420/440 grade stainless alloys. That's not to say it won't handle them, but it takes some getting used to, to go about it very, very gently with these steels.
 
Well, I made the experience, that a diamond stone is good for the "last step" before using leather (an old leather belt would be good for the beginning to make a strop, but that´s anonther task).
I always sharpen in the way, depending on how the blade is worn or used down (I hope you know what it means):

- a skythe stone (wet - water) for really broken out blades grit 80 - 150
- a 300 grit water stone for phasing an edge
- 1000 grit arkansas oil stone or 1000 japanese waterstone for making a good edge
- 3000 grit water stone or diamond stone for making a real good and fine edge
- leather strop with or without compound (depends on the mood I´m in)

Ready is the fine razor sharp edge. To the skythe stone, all I can say - it takes away so much material. Be careful of it.

I use to sharpen on a 15 - 20° per each blade side.
When the edge is a little dull, but nothing bad - I start with the 1000 grit or 3000 grit - depends on the blade. So it needs a little experience. You need to feel the blade and the edge (sounds stupid - but alright it is how it is)

Hope this could help a little.

Kind regards
Andi
 
Thanks for the help I actually have a lanskey diamond stone system and I finish my blades with the yellow colored hone (not quiet sure what grit it is) and finish with stroping. Just wondering if this is a good system? I also am wondering if you can call a manufacturer and get the blade angle of a knife?
 
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