Buy another stone or try "Scary Sharp"?

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Tom Dunn

New User
Tom Dunn
I have one DMT 6 inch bench stone, Fine grit(red).<br><br>I was trying to sharpen my CRKT Ignitor the other evening and the fine stone just didn't seem to be getting me anywhere.<br><br>I'm wondering if I should buy a medium DMT benchstone, or if I would be better advised to invest in the plates/adhesive/glue needed for the "Scary Sharp" approach?<br><br>I have no experience with the SS method, and I pretty much suck at using stones. I need to attend one of Mike's workshops sometime.<br><br>Aside from various knives, I'm planning to get a few wood chisels for a project, and obviously those will need to be kept sharp as well.<br><br>I know the full diamond plates are pretty much regarded as "the nuts", but truth be told, the budget is a mite tight for them. &nbsp;&nbsp;<br><br>Opinions/comments appreciated!<br><br>
 

Mike Davis

Mike
Corporate Member
red is 600 grit too fine for shaping

Go ahead and get a 325 blue and if you can swing it get a black which I think is 220.

Those three will get you going much faster.

Sandpaper is the least expensive way to get started and the most expensive long term.
 

nn4jw

New User
Jim
I use the scary system for plane irons and chisels but not for knives. For that I use various stones, mostly Japanese water stones. The scary system is better suited for flat blades like plane irons and chisels IMHO.
 

Mark Gottesman

New User
Mark
Check Amazon for warehouse deals - open box/ returns. Sometimes you can find sharpening equipment at discount. Do be sure to check the new stuff since they often offer free shipping and some attractive bundles.

For instance, they have a 3 piece DMT 8" continuous diamond plate set for ~ 150 shipped. Those would probably take care of 90% of you sharpening needs for years to come.
 

KenOfCary

Ken
Staff member
Corporate Member
Or just buy from Klingspor and get our 10% members discount every time. They carry trend which is at least as good as DMT if not better in my opinion.

- Ken.
 

Tom Dunn

New User
Tom Dunn
Am I correct in assuming that the continuous diamonds are preferable to the ones with the "dotted" surface? The red stone I have now has the "dots".
 

smallboat

smallboat
Corporate Member
After attending one of Mike's workshops I treated myself to a coarse and a medium DMT Diasharp. (Happy Birthday to me!)
I found a deal from an online shop called Knife Hog.
It's the only order I've placed with them but there were no problems.
The deal seems to come and go.

As for sharpening, my skills aren't A+ but I can sharpen single sided flat tools like plane irons, chisels, and my CRKT Kiss knife.
I use the Coarse if needed , followed by Fine, a yellow Japanese water stone and an Arkansas stone
The Japanese stone I got a while back before I had a clue what to do with it, the Arkansas stone is a hand me down from my grandfather.
I follow that up with a leather strop I made from scrap leather stuck on scrap wood and dressed with green compound.

The ritual is quicker to do than to read about and the results will shave your arm.

I highly recommend attending one of the sharpening workshops.
No amount of reading will get you there as quick as a good hands-on.
You'll also get to try different products and see alternative techniques.

If the workshops are too far afield, perhaps one of the members here can give you a how-to.

Final word- sharpen frequently.
Not only will your tools be sharp, but just as important for a beginner like me, your skills will stay sharp as well.
 

Mike Davis

Mike
Corporate Member
The continuous is better simply because it has more diamonds per square inch, but the other kind work as well and cost a lot less.

if you are on the fence because of cost get the less expensive ones but go ahead and get the black and the blue.
 

Jeff

New User
Jeff
Am I correct in assuming that the continuous diamonds are preferable to the ones with the "dotted" surface? The red stone I have now has the "dots".

Yes, that's correct. The SS method works well with coarser papers glued to a flat granite surface. That's a start. Then move on to the DMT stones that Mike recommends. I like their 10" DuoSharp collection with the DuoBase for knuckle room. The Veritas MKII Honing Guide is a good investment for consistency with chisels and plane irons.

Technically, the total diamond count is not that important and the polka dot variety is better imo. See point 2 below for the reason.

http://www.dmtsharp.com/applications/woodworking/

The DMT line is a one time investment so it's a "pay me now or pay me later" scenario.
 

KenOfCary

Ken
Staff member
Corporate Member
Well I agree with Mike that the solid diamond stones are much better than the polka-dot variety. But that both work very well.

DMT recommends wetting the stones with water as a lubricant. I find this to be bad advice. (You'll know why if you ever forget to dry them thoroughly.) I prefer to use a few drops of very light oil like camelia or Trend makes a special super light honing oil just for Diamond Stones. WD-40 in a pinch, but it tends to get gummy, not really recommended unless you have no other good choices.
 

Jeff

New User
Jeff
DMT stones work well with or without a lubricant. Yes, water is the recommended lubricant because the honing swarf floats in it and keeps the diamond surface clean so it is not "bad advice".

Failure to properly clean and dry the stone results in rust-not from the nickel plate but from leftover swarf. I wash and clean mine with water and a toothbrush followed by a rinse with Dollar General rubbing alcohol. Air dry before storing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8NVvLTwKr8
 

Tom Dunn

New User
Tom Dunn
Well, I do appreciate all the advice!
I bought a 6" DMT Coarse continuous stone that arrived the other day, and I ordered the same in Extra Coarse today. Not exactly the "delux cheesburger" of stones maybe but I'm eager to try them out. Have not even opened the coarse stone yet, this week has been "something else".
 

Mike Davis

Mike
Corporate Member
I use my stones dry and clean frequently with WD-40 and a rag to rub off the swarf. Keeping metal bits stuck in plastic dots is no advantage that i can see.
 

MarkE

Mark
Corporate Member
I am in the process of going from scary sharp(which really does get the job done) to diamond stones.

Two double sided stones (extra coarse/coarse & fine/extra fine) will be replacing 12 individual grits of sandpaper. Buying sandpaper for scary sharp gets expensive really fast. Diamond stones cost more up front, but should last for many, many years. And the diamond stones get the job done much faster.
 

MarkE

Mark
Corporate Member
FYI: I would not use any kind of oil as a lubricant on stones, diamond or otherwise(oil stones being the obvious exception). Oil will form a barrier between what you are sharpening and the abrasive you are sharpening with. Use plain water, or water with a wetting agent such as dish detergent or Simple Green, etc. Any lubricant used with any stones should only be used to help float away the swarf so that the metal being sharpened always stays in direct contact with the sharpening medium so that the sharpening medium can effectively remove metal from the edge being sharpened. Oil will form a film on the sharpener and the edge to be sharpened keeping them microscopically apart. That is what oil does and why we love it, just not for a sharpening lubricant.
 

Gofor

Mark
Corporate Member
The best balance I have found to keep the swarf suspended and not evaporate too quickly is diesel fuel, but it does stink and the rags are flammable. I mostly use soapy water, though, on both DMT and wet/dry paper. For my arkansas stones I use WD-40, but wash them in soapy water using an abrasive mat to clean them occasionally.

Definitely prefer continuous diamond stones to the slotted. All the rust that gets imbedded in the plastic (or the plastic coming unglued from oil) plus the much shorter use life has soured me on the slotted except for a fold up touch-up stick for my pocket.

Lots of different ways to skin the proverbial cat.

Go
 

Sealeveler

Tony
Corporate Member
I use the DMT stones dry (I use a stiff brush for frequent cleaning during use) and use SS with water with just a toothpick touch of Dawn,just enough Dawn to break the surface tension as someone stated before.
Tony
 
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