Thread: Considering a switch to Diamond Plates

Originally Posted by Luke Maddux

I'm pretty over it. I hate the mess and I hate the flattening process.

Now you're talking!

I switched to diamond paste on MDF and then upgraded to cast iron blocks about 3 years ago. You do get some very grey paste waste but it's super easy to control it NOT messing up other things because it's viscous. The edges are sharp - as sharp as you want to go. I finish with 14k paste but could go up to 100k if I wanted.

One of the really neat things is that of you think there is still paste on the blocks but it's too thick, you can just add a drop of Camellia oil and off you go again..

Advantages of paste system:
very quick to set up & execution
very cheap entry cost
very cheap ongoing cost
vastly reduced mess

Disadvantages of paste system:


A member was talking about making some more cast iron blocks been he's obviously been sidetracked, so I can stir him up if you're interested.

I'd suggest starting with MDF and see what you think of the edge. I purchased mine at Gemcuts for $15 per 5 gram syringe, but it seems that Rubyvale are only $11 per 5g (diamond concentration difference??).

So, $44 plus postage will get you 4 grits (1200, 3000, 8000, 14000). Cheap huh? And they last for ages.

Too cheap not to try....

I use Sellars system but with diacomp stones I find that the finest is too course to go to the strop straight off so I use a 2000 grit scary sharp in between. It could be somethng to do the compound i strop with. All the same I find the system fast and easy and I get sharp enough results.

OR ...

Consider a 1200 grit Eze-lap diamond stone as your coarse stone, and then add Medium (approx 3k-5k) and Ultra Fine (approx 8k - 10K) Spyderco ceramic stones. The latter are HARD like oil stones, as durable, but cut any type of steel. The downside is that they are only available in 2" wide x 8" long stones, but that is plenty if you freehand hone (as I do).

They are featured here: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Woodwor...ningSetUp.html

Since this article, I do not bother with anything higher than the UF Spyderco.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Originally Posted by FenceFurniture

Now you're talking!

A member was talking about making some more cast iron blocks been he's obviously been sidetracked, so I can stir him up if you're interested

I would be interested also Brett. Has anyone got a machine top that is broken or no good that could be cut up?

Welcome over to the dark side!

I have a big collection of waterstones but I now pretty much exclusively use ezelap diamond hones.

I have been getting very good results stropping with green chrome compound right after the 1200 grit diamond hone. Once it's properly broken in, it cuts fast like a 1200 grit but polishes much finer. If I were exclusively hand stropping I might consider 1 finer hone before stropping but it's very doable right off the well broken in ezelap superfine hone.

Some people really hate the diamond hones and others say they don't last long at all. I have had the exact oposite experience with them but each to there own I guess!

I migrated to the double sided DMT plates a few years back and have been very happy with them. Got the 10" X-Coarse/Coarse and 8" Fine/X-Fine and they chew through my Japanese chisels very well. I still finish on a 12000 Shapton waterstone, but the mess from that is minimal.

Cheers, fellas.

I've picked up a fine and extra fine DMT plate today. I also have a leather strop with chromium oxide abrasive. I ran my PM-V11 block plane blade through the lot of them today and had fantastic results extremely quickly with no mess. Granted, this was little more than an "out of the box" test, but it shows considerable promise.

Luke

Originally Posted by Chris Parks

"Originally Posted by FenceFurniture
A member was talking about making some more cast iron blocks been he's obviously been sidetracked, so I can stir him up if you're interested"

I would be interested also Brett. Has anyone got a machine top that is broken or no good that could be cut up?

That member would be me.... and yes, I haven't given upo on it just got side tracked.
I keep looking at the cast iron plate set aside for the trial and will get to it soon.

To recap:
The cast iron plate I have is 12mm thick and will reduce to around 10-11mm when cut and ground. The intention is to cut pieces the size and shape of waterstones (around 250 x 65mm or so) and have a plain ground side and a ground side with shallow, narrow grooves. We want to examine if the grooves in commercial lapping plates are necessacry with diamond past or not.
A few people with much more sharpening experience than me have put up their hands for a trial. Once we know which is the more efficient surface and the pros and cons, I'll cut the entire plate up, giving us maybe 50 or more honing/lapping plates. I will then offer them here for people wanting to go to diamond paste for sharpening.

I found this link which I have yet to fully explore http://www.kemet.com.au/products/flat-lapping

Apparently tin lapping plates are very good with diamond paste as they are soft and absorb the diamonds.

Lapping with a machine at speed and honing by hand are two different things. You want something more durable for honing by hand (and harder).

Cast iron is to diamonds about the same as soap is to sand.
How long after going camping can't you find sand in your soap any more?
I use a cast iron facewheel on a 1440rpm motor to hone tungsten carbide scrapers. The 10micron diamond paste I put on it still hones after weeks of use. It would stay even longer on/in a bench lap I would think.

I'm following along on this one
One quick question would old bbq plates be re used and cut up
If there to thin could they be laminated onto say MDF

Should be Ok I would think. Glued to something dimensionally stable would be good if less than say 5mm thick after machining/grinding

That is a good idea Joe, cast iron flywheels on manual cars, give the clutch face a lick on a mill and you have a flat plate, get a truck one and you have many plates.