For a long time I have been using s Scotch Brite wheel on my drill press to sharpen hoof knives. Recently I saw something that caused me to question my choice of knife sharpening methods. Someone posted on Facebook that using a buffing wheel or a Scotch Bright wheel could anneal the blade due to excess heat buildup - making the edge wear faster because it is softer. After thinking about it, I think that is exactly what happens with my knives. So now I'm looking for a tapered diamond hone. I've used the diamond hone made in Aus, and it didn't last very long and was very expensive ~$65. I've used the SaveEdge hone and it also wore out very quickly. Seems the diamond abrasive flakes off of the substrate on these. OTOH, I have a diamond flat hone made by DMT. I use it for sharpening planes, chisels, and regular kitchen knives. I've owned the DMT hone for 30 years and it is just as good today as the day it was new, despite using it to sharpen extremely hard tool steel. So now I'm looking at the DMT tapered diamond hone designed for serrated knives. DMT probably has a trade secret or patent on the technology they use to bond diamond abrasives to steel. Apparently many folks have tried to copy them and not succeeded in getting it right. Having spent literally $hundreds on various brands of diamond hones and being disappointed by every brand EXCEPT DMT, I'm feeling confident in my next purchase. See here: http://www.amazon.com/DMT-FSKF-Diafold-Serrated-Sharpener/dp/B00004WFTZ/ref=pd_sim_hi_11 Anybody else tried one of these?
Tom I use a buffing wheel but have a pot of water on hand , 3 seconds on wheel dip in water , quick wipe , 3 secs wipe etc , i use cheap old frost knives for everyday work and have never had a problem since i started doing it this way
Thanks, I'll try that Chris. It didn't occur to me because the steel never appeared to get hot enough to change color, but I can see where that could be happening on the edge of the blade and then it gets polished off at the same time so it is never visible.
Tom there is a dimond by Gerber for a fraction of the Paul Mitchel sharpner. As chris says cool it out.
Chris, or anyone else who uses a similar method what rouge are you using on the wheel, and what grit do you use for rasps. thanks ray
I use the grey steel removing soap on the Knife and finish it with a blue soap. There is a good you tube by Londery forge of Steven Beane doing it.
Its a good vid that. I feel a Ray knife sharpening kit coming up. I think a topless model in the vid to test to see if a bit of glamour helps sales.
Tom, try putting your "worn out" diamond hone in the dishwasher; could be it's just loaded up. I try to remember to clean mine every couple of months. I think I got mine at the first IHCS. I use the hone for touch up sharpening between horses during the day. In the morning, I use the green compound from FPD on a buffing wheel with my finger on the back side of the blade to feel for any heat. I also use an air hardening steel, A2, to make my blades, so I really don't think I could draw the temper, soften the hardness, even if I wanted to. I
Brian they didn't clog, the coating holding the diamond on those inferior hones peeled off like old paint on both of them and I discarded them a long time ago. I will check out the Gerber hones though. Thanks.
I ve used the diamond rotary hones(fits in a Dremel like rotary tool) for several years. The only time I m aware of the diamond abrasive being removed was by a man who applied pressure against the hone and also pulled the edge back against the abrasives on the tool, thus slicing the abrasive off. Ray
I tried a diamond rotary in my Dremel, but it got pretty unstable at 10k rpm which is the slowest speed on my Dremel. It would probably work great in a die grinder at around 6k rpm.
Tom, not knowing exactly what the unstable is ,i ll venture that the shaft might be bent, which might be the cause . I know sometimes mine do that and it is just a matter of trueing it up. I run 10000 rpm all the time, have tried 20 but don t see a value . Just a thought. Ray
Tom Tractor Supply Company has a tapered diamond hone for about 10 bucks. I've been using mine for about three months with no problems. If it wears out, well, it was cheap enough not to worry about it.
