Diamond stone question
#11
I finally pulled the trigger and got a pair of DMT diamond stones. I got the coarse and extra fine. They arrived this morning and I unboxed them. Tried out the coarse stone, and was very happy with it's performance. It is a bit coarser than ideal, but I understand the break in, and believe it will settle down to a little finer scratch pattern.

The extra fine is a disappointment so far. It felt like there were some large grains of sand on it right from the get go. Feels much grittier than the coarse, and sounds coarser. Yes I double and triple checked the marked grit on the side of the plate. I went ahead and spent some time working an older knife to hopefully get it to settle down. Still doesn't feel right.

Did I get a bum stone? Will it settle down with use?

This thing is supposed to be 1200 mesh. I would expect a relatively fine scratch pattern, even before break in. And it just doesn't feel right when honing. Will call DMT if it doesn't settle down.
"Mongo only pawn in game of life."        Mongo
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#12
I just went out and tried flattening the side of a small card scraper. The coarse gives a consistent scratch pattern and flattens very nicely.

The extra fine has a very coarse deep scratch pattern that almost looks like there are a handful of larger grit diamonds sticking above the rest. Scratch pattern is much coarser than the coarse stone.

I will try and call DMT tomorrow.
"Mongo only pawn in game of life."        Mongo
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#13
(12-15-2020, 02:44 PM)clovishound Wrote: I just went out and tried flattening the side of a small card scraper. The coarse gives a consistent scratch pattern and flattens very nicely.

The extra fine has a very coarse deep scratch pattern that almost looks like there are a handful of larger grit diamonds sticking above the rest. Scratch pattern is much coarser than the coarse stone.

I will try and call DMT tomorrow.

......................
I have a 3000 grit diamond lap on a Worksharp...even at 3k, it will leave a scratch pattern..But I can take it to a leather wheel or belt with compound or micron diamond paste and in a few minutes the pattern disappears and a mirror polish comes to life.
Often Tested.    Always Faithful.      Brothers Forever

Jack Edgar, Sgt. U.S. Marines, Korea, America's Forgotten War
Get off my lawn !
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#14
Is it the diasharp plate or the one with the dots? I have the extra fine Diasharp. It doesn’t have wayward large diamonds, but it’s not fine enough to use as a finishing stone. I feel like I’d send it back if it’s not consistent.
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#15
I now have a full spread of the DMT Diasharp stones. The coarsest of the lot (about 120 grit) can leave some pretty severe scratches. The extras fine is rated at 9 microns. Mine is quite new and replaces an Ezelap that I pretty much trashed before I know how to use a stone.If yours us leaving some obviously deep scratches and they do not go away shortly then I would proceed with the return. DMT has been known to have such problems in the past if my reading is any judge.
Thanks,  Curt
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"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards."
      -- Soren Kierkegaard
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#16
Diamond plates always wear. They always say "use modest pressure" but you still gotta put metal to them. I had no trouble wearing out impregnated diamond plates. I think it was DMT. A pricey plate for diamond paste on the back. It gave no satisfaction. I went on a stone hunt after that. Settled on Japanese water stones. King stones were so-so. I think I listed my favorites on a sharpening post here, earlier in 2020. 

Diamonds cut fast--I use TFWW paste on LV steel plates, less the former DMT, in the finer grits. But diamond can be harsh and cause a lot of subsurface deformation. I use a 360-400 diamond plate that Stu offered for coarse shaping. After that it's water stones. 2) 1000 Besters (they flatten one another), a 3000 Suehiro, an 8000 Something; and I just got a 10000 Naniwa(?) that is supposed to be the cat's meow. Normally, I use 5 micron and under diamond after the 8k. Recently, I have been sold on leather strops.

PM-VII is brutal on coarse diamond. A grinder will be cheaper. I flat shape and hone laminated Japanese steel. The Besters work well with Oire nomi. Besters wear quickly; I'm always flattening them. Diamond is the only thing I have found to shape PM-D2. 

Another forum has found the "Unicorn Method" to be quick, easy, and incredibly durable for $7 Home Depot Bucks to $100 Veritas V-II's. It uses a rough shaping to 20-degrees, a small land at 1000 grit; and then, a charged cotton buffing wheel over the tip's micron or so, for 15 to 20 seconds. Crazy simple. Google it. They make a fuss over it but I think it is simply a developed keen edge that every straight razor user knows.
Heirlooms are self-important fiction so build what you like. Someone may find it useful.
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#17
(12-15-2020, 10:53 PM)hbmcc Wrote: Diamond plates always wear. They always say "use modest pressure" but you still gotta put metal to them. I had no trouble wearing out impregnated diamond plates. I think it was DMT. A pricey plate for diamond paste on the back. It gave no satisfaction. I went on a stone hunt after that. Settled on Japanese water stones. King stones were so-so. I think I listed my favorites on a sharpening post here, earlier in 2020. 

Diamonds cut fast--I use TFWW paste on LV steel plates, less the former DMT, in the finer grits. But diamond can be harsh and cause a lot of subsurface deformation. I use a 360-400 diamond plate that Stu offered for coarse shaping. After that it's water stones. 2) 1000 Besters (they flatten one another), a 3000 Suehiro, an 8000 Something; and I just got a 10000 Naniwa(?) that is supposed to be the cat's meow. Normally, I use 5 micron and under diamond after the 8k. Recently, I have been sold on leather strops.

PM-VII is brutal on coarse diamond. A grinder will be cheaper. I flat shape and hone laminated Japanese steel. The Besters work well with Oire nomi. Besters wear quickly; I'm always flattening them. Diamond is the only thing I have found to shape PM-D2. 

Another forum has found the "Unicorn Method" to be quick, easy, and incredibly durable for $7 Home Depot Bucks to $100 Veritas V-II's. It uses a rough shaping to 20-degrees, a small land at 1000 grit; and then, a charged cotton buffing wheel over the tip's micron or so, for 15 to 20 seconds. Crazy simple. Google it. They make a fuss over it but I think it is simply a developed keen edge that every straight razor user knows.
.........
I think it is simply a developed keen edge that every straight razor user knows.

Old technology discovered again..I built my first stropping station around 1965 or so..ball bearing arbor driven by a 1/4hp motor worked wonderfully..Hard stitched six inch muslin buffs charged with Linde A...or chrome oxide..many people give up on power stropping because without lots of practice, an edge can be blunted instantly..They are not forgiving...but once mastered, they can be a time-saver for sure.
Often Tested.    Always Faithful.      Brothers Forever

Jack Edgar, Sgt. U.S. Marines, Korea, America's Forgotten War
Get off my lawn !
Upset





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#18
(12-15-2020, 06:26 PM)adamcherubini Wrote: Is it the diasharp plate or the one with the dots? I have the extra fine Diasharp. It doesn’t have wayward large diamonds, but it’s not fine enough to use as a finishing stone.  I feel like I’d send it back if it’s not consistent.

Dia sharp. I'm not a big fan of the ones with dots.

I'm convinced there is something wrong with this stone.

I was under the impression that DMT was one of the best diamond stones out there.
"Mongo only pawn in game of life."        Mongo
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#19
(12-15-2020, 10:53 PM)hbmcc Wrote: Another forum has found the "Unicorn Method" to be quick, easy, and incredibly durable for $7 Home Depot Bucks to $100 Veritas V-II's. It uses a rough shaping to 20-degrees, a small land at 1000 grit; and then, a charged cotton buffing wheel over the tip's micron or so, for 15 to 20 seconds. Crazy simple. Google it. They make a fuss over it but I think it is simply a developed keen edge that every straight razor user knows.

http://www.woodcentral.com/cgi-bin/reada..._958.shtml
Credo Elvem ipsum etiam vivere
Non impediti ratione cogitationis
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#20
(12-16-2020, 01:41 AM)clovishound Wrote: Dia sharp. I'm not a big fan of the ones with dots.

I'm convinced there is something wrong with this stone.

I was under the impression that DMT was one of the best diamond stones out there.

Send it back without another thought about it.

Heard a guy at work quote his father as saying: Companies have made their customers, their Quality Control departments. I think there are lots of good manufacturers out their with good products, but bad quality control. They have these liberal return policies and we're like "wow, that's a great return policy, that's a great company who stand behind their products" No. That's a company that laid off their QC team and we now serve that function for the company at our expense and inconvenience. I feel like I hand wring (maybe like you are doing now), about sending things back. I shouldn't.

That said, I've been very happy with my 6 Diasharp plates. Whatever stories I heard about the grit peeling or falling off at first use, wasn't the case with me. I've had the super coarse plates for 10 or 15 years. They don't cut as quickly as they did, but still cut acceptably well. I also think they are all flat enough for my use.

Oh, and we literally get what we pay for. We shop for lowest possible price, not highest possible quality, so...my friend's Dad has a point, but I think we are really the culprits. Can't complain too much. I say send it back and move on, but be sure to write back and tell how you like the new one.
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