I just purchased a DMT Diafold aligner and I'm wondering if there are any tips or things I should be aware of? I can get pretty good edges freehand but not tree topping. I'll mostly be using this for re-profiling and setting new clean bevel's then prob finish on my Spyderco 306 UF stone and strops. Any tricks or tips You guru's:thumbup: care to share?
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Tips for DMT Diafold aligner?
- Thread starter jwolf90
- Start date
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- Apr 12, 2009
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- 13,442
"Let the grit do the work."
That's sums up the most important aspect, as I see it, of using diamond hones. Light pressure is always, always better. The hones will work better this way, and they'll also last longer. Heavy pressure will take too much steel from your edge, leave it coarser than is ideal, and it'll also scrub some of the diamond abrasive off the hones, which shortens the life of the hones. If you find yourself feeling compelled to scrub hard to make a significant change, it probably means you need to be using a coarser grit, to get the job done. With the appropriate grit, heavy pressure isn't necessary. And in the finer stages, lighter pressure will have a much more positive effect on the finished edge, which becomes progressively thinner and needs to be handled gently as it does so.
And with the Aligner clamp, make absolutely sure the blade is secure in the clamp, and doesn't move at all. If the blade moves, either by pivoting up/down, or by slipping to the side, or in/out of the clamp, the angle won't be consistent. Keep the inside faces of the clamp flush to the blade; it can't hold tightly if they're not flush. Some worry about keeping the sides of the clamp parallel to each other, but this is self-defeating (blade will move) if the sides of the blade aren't parallel, such as with a full flat-grind blade, where the blade's thickness tapers continuously from spine to edge. The inside faces of the clamp must always be in full, flush contact with the blade's sides. If that means the clamp's sides aren't parallel, so be it. If you need a little more 'grip' on the blade, to keep it from moving in the clamp, some masking tape, painter's tape or similar on the blade often helps.
Once you start sharpening, don't advance beyond the first hone until you've formed a complete burr from both sides of the blade. This is the best indicator that the edge is fully apexed, and not doing so will mean wasted time & effort with the subsequent hones, if the edge isn't ready for them. Once the burr is formed at the first stage, use the subsequent hones to gently remove it and refine the edge. I'd bet that stopping short of the apex accounts for the greatest majority of sharpening troubles, and is usually the answer to the question, "Why won't my edge cut?"
That's sums up the most important aspect, as I see it, of using diamond hones. Light pressure is always, always better. The hones will work better this way, and they'll also last longer. Heavy pressure will take too much steel from your edge, leave it coarser than is ideal, and it'll also scrub some of the diamond abrasive off the hones, which shortens the life of the hones. If you find yourself feeling compelled to scrub hard to make a significant change, it probably means you need to be using a coarser grit, to get the job done. With the appropriate grit, heavy pressure isn't necessary. And in the finer stages, lighter pressure will have a much more positive effect on the finished edge, which becomes progressively thinner and needs to be handled gently as it does so.
And with the Aligner clamp, make absolutely sure the blade is secure in the clamp, and doesn't move at all. If the blade moves, either by pivoting up/down, or by slipping to the side, or in/out of the clamp, the angle won't be consistent. Keep the inside faces of the clamp flush to the blade; it can't hold tightly if they're not flush. Some worry about keeping the sides of the clamp parallel to each other, but this is self-defeating (blade will move) if the sides of the blade aren't parallel, such as with a full flat-grind blade, where the blade's thickness tapers continuously from spine to edge. The inside faces of the clamp must always be in full, flush contact with the blade's sides. If that means the clamp's sides aren't parallel, so be it. If you need a little more 'grip' on the blade, to keep it from moving in the clamp, some masking tape, painter's tape or similar on the blade often helps.
Once you start sharpening, don't advance beyond the first hone until you've formed a complete burr from both sides of the blade. This is the best indicator that the edge is fully apexed, and not doing so will mean wasted time & effort with the subsequent hones, if the edge isn't ready for them. Once the burr is formed at the first stage, use the subsequent hones to gently remove it and refine the edge. I'd bet that stopping short of the apex accounts for the greatest majority of sharpening troubles, and is usually the answer to the question, "Why won't my edge cut?"