Thread: Sharpening setup

Suggest you look at Fence Furnitures thread on FAGCIBs and diamond paste

Cast Iron blocks and Diamond paste for honing

Thanks for that - will consider it

Where can one get FAGCIB? I did a google and couldnt find it.

Also, does it have to Camellia oil or can any oil work fine?

If you want quality long lasting diamond plates that can have the diamond substrate renewed use Atoma brand plates, way better than all the others. In fact the diamond substrate can be bought separately from the base plate and applied to any flat surface with the supplied double sided tape they use. You can even buy Atoma foils now quite cheaply in many grits as shown on thhe Tools from Japan site. Stu is an expatriate Ozzie who supplies only the best stuff and will always give advice when asked. Somewhere on his site is a video showing how to replace the plates but a better idea has come along recently, it was on WoodCentral posted by Patrick Chase. He put the Atoma plates in a 400F oven and the tape adhesive broke down. Have a search through here....Hand Tools - Message Index


Tools from Japan showing the foils....
Tsuboman Atoma 'paper'. : Tools from Japan, Japanese woodworking tools direct from Japan.

Hi mate,

I'm not sure if diamond plates are a "cry once" solution unfortunately. They can and do wear out as well.

Although it's purely a subjective opinion, I would advocate for a set of water stones and an Atoma diamond plate to flatten the stones. Stu at Tools from Japan used to sell a good set of Sigma Power Select stones that included 1000, 6000, and 13000 water stones as well as an Atoma diamond plate to flatten them. I have a set, after starting with King stones and then Suehiro Cerax (also nice), and really like the Sigma stones.

A friend of mine bought a set of DMT 8" diamond plates from coarse to extra extra fine and did not like the feel or finish he was getting. The finest diamond plate was still nowhere near as fine as the 13000 Sigma. He recently switched to the Sigma set as well.

Do you have a grinder for establishing a bevel? I don't, but am saving for a Tormek as establishing or changing a bevel on stones / diamond plates takes forever / is very labour intensive. I have a 10" DMT Extra Coarse / Coarse plate and this is still nowhere near fast enough for establishing a new bevel or repairing a chip without a heap of time and effort.

Again, just my opinion so do what's right for you, but I would suggest going the japanese water stone route over the diamond plates.

Cheers,

Dom

Originally Posted by DomAU

Hi mate,

I'm not sure if diamond plates are a "cry once" solution unfortunately. They can and do wear out as well.

And usually fairly quickly as I said above Atoma diamond plates can have the plate replaced if it wears out and the foils can be applied to a substrate of your choosing. I have the set you mentioned including the Atoma and using a hollow grind a chisel can go from a serrated edge to razor sharp in under five minutes, that 13000 stone is just awesome. No matter how you look at it water stones are a PIA creating mess unless you have a sink in the workshop then it does not matter so much.

Yeah they are a bit messy. I made this little sharpening station and it allows me to sharpen in my garage where it makes sense to, without making a huge mess. I flatten the stones in the laundry sink first.

Agreed, the sigma stones, and the 13000 are great.

Old photos before I had the sigma set.

20170326_185458.jpg

20170326_185416.jpg

Cheers, Dom

I go DMT xcoarse, coarse, fine, xfine, them polish on Shapton 12000

I bought a selection of plates from here and glued then to 8mm glass plate

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/W-80...ceBeautifyAB=0

I do not recommend diamond stones for sharpening. They are (1) too coarse - they go up to 1200 grit, which is where most "sharpening" begins, (2) they wear out - nothing is forever, and (3) they are often not flat. Diamond stones are useful for the initial preparation, but one needs to be aware that they can leave deepish scratches, which take more time to remove.

When most look at diamond stones for a sharpening regime, they want a medium that remains flat and requires minimal upkeep. Someone like Paul Sellers will use them because he is teaching beginners. He, however, finishes on a green compound strop, and needs to spend about a minute working it until the scratches from his 1200 stone are gone. There are better stones available.

If you want a diamond stone for the initial medium, try a Ezy-lap 1200. Then get Spyderco Medium and Ultra Fine ceramic stones - these are about the same price as a diamond stone. Just be aware that they are 2" x 8" - you can still run a honing guide on them (I freehand). Spyderco may be used dry. I spritz a little soapy water to keep them lubricated and clean. They do not need flattening (some do when they come out of the box). I finish with green compound on planed hardwood (or MDF).

I would like to emphasise that sharpening is made so much easier when there is only a little steel to remove. To do this, hollow grind blades (I use a CBN wheel on a bench grinder).

My article on the process used: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Woodwor...ningSetUp.html

Regards from Perth

Derek

To be honest the only time I use diamond stones is flattening the backs of blades, the rest of the time it is hollow ground and finished on water stones. I like the sharpening pond Dom, I might do something similar. Beware of flattening too many water stones in sinks as the sediment pools in the bend and enough blocks it if done enough times.

Diamond plates go finer than 1200.

Originally Posted by Lappa

I bought a selection of plates from here and glued then to 8mm glass plate

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/W-80...ceBeautifyAB=0

How did you fix them to the glass? For flattening the backs of blades they seem an economic solution if they can be fixed to a flat substrate.

Originally Posted by Lappa

Diamond plates go finer than 1200.

Yes they do. I have some that were designed for the jewellery industry (available cheaply as disks through eBay). However, they do not last long. Plus, you can get sticky back diamond mesh that attaches to glass - I have these in 0.3 microns. You have to be careful as the film tears easily.

Regards from Perth

Derek

I bought grit size 150, 1500, 2000 and 3000 which are on metal plates. They seem to be lasting O/K.

I glued them to the 8mm glass plate with loctite glass adhesive.

I originally started with a cheap Aldi block that went up to 1000 and some green lapping paste on a hardwood block. I bought a double sided unit that is 400 and 1200 later on as it was on special.
To get a finer hone I bought some sheets of micro finish adhesive lapping film in 15, 5 and 1 micron which I also stuck to glass plate.