Dieter Schmid - Fine Tools

Dieter Schmid - Fine Tools Georg-Wilhelm-Str. 7 A - 10711 Berlin Tel ++49 30 342 1757 - Fax ++49 30 342 1764 Website: www.fine-tools.com

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Diamond Sharpeners

What can we expect from diamond honing stones? Ads for diamond honing stones frequently claim that they are 100% flat and will not hollow with repeated use. To determine whether such claims are accurate, we need to understand the processes involved in their manufacture. Backing plates for diamond sharpening plates are laser-cut from stainless steel in thicknesses from 2 mm (.084 in.) to 3 mm (1/8 in.) thick. After deburring and honing, backing plates are coated with diamond particles of a uniform size. However, laser cutting also introduces slight deformation of the backing plate, unavoidable in this process. Other, more precise methods of production are not used because of their cost. Coated backing plate are attached to either a substantial milled aluminum base or to a synthetic plate, with the intention of making any distortions unnoticeable. We offer diamond honing stones without bases, which allows the user to attach the stone to a base of his choice, or to use it "as is" to save weight and space. This also makes for an attractive price advantage compared to diamond stones with supplementary bases, the more so because in our stones 100% of the surface is diamond-coated, which is not always the case in those offered by others. If you choose to attach your diamond plate to a supplementary base, we recommend the use of a two-part epoxy with a fast hardener; base material is your choice. Simply coat the base with the adhesive, place the stone on the base, align it, place a caul over the stone, clamp it lightly(!), and remove the caul assembly in 16 - 24 hours, depending on temperature. Contact cement is not recommended because parts bond immediately, possibly before they can be correctly positioned. Its important to note that manufacturers have a different concept of "dead flat" than woodworkers. Everyone who has ever tried to flatten the back of a plane iron on a stone that is not "dead flat" knows that this is an exercise in frustration! Realizing this, we understand that a diamond honing stone can not replace a truly high-grade stone, e.g., a well-flattened Japanese waterstone. Diamond honing stones do have their uses. For example, I use them for coarser sharpening tasks, and for sharpening high-speed steel tools, and those made of other lower-graded steels, which are more difficult to sharpen with other stones. Finally, a word about durability: a diamond stone is not comparable to waterstones or oil stones, which wear as they are used and constantly expose new, sharp grain at the work surface. Diamond stones are more like sandpaper in that they have only a thin coat of abrasive. The comparison is of course not exact because sandpapers wear much more quickly, but the process is the same: initially, the abrasive is very sharp; in the middle stage of the abrasive's usefulness, the surface retains fairly good abrasive characteristics; near the end, the abrasive qualities decline. The good news is that the middle stage lasts for a very long time. Dieter Schmid