Thread: My cheap DIY diamond plates

I have been looking at these for some time now and wondering how good they are so I guess I might give them a go. BTW did you buy the aluminium flat bar new and is so from where?

Yeah I bought it new from a local aluminium supply company. I bought 1 metre of flat bar and cut it to length. Just make sure its flat. It's easy enough to sand if it's not though.

Welcome to the forum.

I bought the same units based on that other post. Mine are mounted on thick glass plate.
They work fine and are lasting well.
I have a range of fine (40 micron) to very fine (1 micron) wet and dry on the other side of the glass plate - I was using those before I bought the plates.

Considering the situation your in
I think that’s a great starter kit.
I’m not going to go in to the debate on sharpening.
But what you have created works for and that is all that is important.

Cheers Matt,

Thanks for the tip as I cannot afford/justify cost of high quality diamond plates.
Just checked out some of the ~$7 plates on eBay & noticed they state “in order to avoid rust, please wipe the surface of water stains after using”. Are the plates you purchased the same or should I keep searching?

Thx
Peter

In my limited experience, even the more expensive ones will rust if you leave them wet.

Originally Posted by Pete57

Thanks for the tip as I cannot afford/justify cost of high quality diamond plates.
Just checked out some of the ~$7 plates on eBay & noticed they state “in order to avoid rust, please wipe the surface of water stains after using”. Are the plates you purchased the same or should I keep searching?

Thx
Peter

Yes they sound like the same plates. I give them a rinse and wipe them dry after use and that seems to be keeping things under control. If you leave them wet they would rust a bit. The steel that you remove while sharpening would rust too. It's just a minor cosmetic thing, doesn't affect use at all.

Originally Posted by Simplicity

Considering the situation your in
I think that’s a great starter kit.
I’m not going to go in to the debate on sharpening.
But what you have created works for and that is all that is important.

Cheers Matt,

Yes, I make no claims that this is the best option for everyone but it meets my needs of affordability/cleanliness/speed. I have stopped looking at other options for sharpening which is a solid indication to me that I'm satisfied. Hopefully this helps someone else too.

I have a similar set of “stones” recently purchased and waiting to be incorporated into my sharpening station. Mine arrived with a couple of rust spots on the reverse side but they rubbed off quickly.

I’ve never used water as a lubricant in my sharpening systems; I prefer to use WD40 in a trigger sprayer. The filings float off quite happily and the Rust Fairy never pops round for a visit when I get distracted by SWMBO and have to leave the job for two minutes... which usually takes the rest of the afternoon.

The Big Green Shed sells WD40 in the tool section in 4L containers.

Excellent news. You built up a system that's fast and economical as well.
Can't beat something that works consistently!

I have mostly curved wood carving edges, adzes and smaller.
I use sandpapers on mandrels, even a tennis ball.

I've done exactly the same thing Herbonius and I completely agree. It's an excellent cost-effective sharpening system and I couldn't be more satisfied.
I did lap my aluminium plates on some sandpaper-on-glass first to guarantee flatness and I used a thin coat of spray adhesive to glue on the diamond plates. I haven't needed to replace the plates yet but I expect when that day comes I'll just lever off the diamond sheet with a paint scraper blade, sand the plate flat again and glut the next sheet on. Far more economical that buying another EZI-lap plate.

I've been looking at these cheap plates for some time... they're still in a shopping cart for one of the online sellers

What I've used for some time now is an Aldi special! Four diamond plates mounted on a block. The grits are 200, 300, 400 and 600. They're 10 bucks a throw which is ridiculous cheap and they stock them at least once a year (AU). Now that's not quite enough to get to arm-hair-shaving-sharp but it quickly brings a dull or chipped blade back to life. The plates have oval perforations in them - holes - which makes them unsuitable for chisels under about 12mm, although it can be done.

After that I move to my scary sharp board: A piece of laminate benchtop that was originally the cutout for a bathroom basin! If the laminate isn't textured it should be quite flat. The 38mm top is a two piece laminated chipboard. Cheap - yes! Flat - yes! Four strips of 800, 1200, 1500 and 2000. The paper will tear but I find as I've improved my technique I only change them out every few months or so. (I usually sharpen my set of chisels weekly on average.) I don't use a sharpening guide.

I've used water for lubricant and the issue with rust is simple: steel rusts, diamond does not. So a rusty plate really cleans itself once you work up a slight slurry. Then again, WD40 as Chief Tiff suggests works - I just can't stand the smell of it that hangs around on my hands afterwards. I like Paul Sellers method and I've tried windex but water is just more convenient for me.

For a strop I glued a piece of leather to a strip of plywood. MDF is arguably better but for a strop it doesn't make a whole lot of difference. I have three of these, one plain, and two loaded with abradant: green and white. I usually use the green and I find that a few hits of the board is all it takes to get a mirror finish that's responsible for the bald patches on my arm! One tip here, stretch the leather a little when gluing it.