Diamond Stones, Sharpening, Blade Honing

In the previous sections on diamond stones (pt 1) and diamond stones (pt 2) I covered the DMT? DuoSharp? bench stone and the boxed version of the diamond stone called the DMT Diamond Whetstone?

This final section on diamond stones will cover the smaller versions which include machinist slip stones and diamond files by DMT? and individual diamond files that can be used to hone wire tools and place teeth in rakes, finishers and steels.

Diafold folding file showing the color code for various coarseness.

The DMT? Diafold? folding file is an all in one sharpening system for small rakes and finishers, it can also be used on larger wires but would be a little cumbersome on smaller wires. This particular model that I have has a combination of coarse diamond plate (blue) and fine diamond plate (red) making it an ideal traveling companion if weight is a factor when moving from job to job.

The overall width of the diamond plate is approximately one inch which gives plenty of surface to control the sharpening of your tools and with the fold back handle I find it perfect for controlling the filing stroke.

Diafold folding file with coarse side showing.

Diafold folding file with fine side showing.

The Diafold? comes in four combinations, extra coarse (black) and coarse (blue), fine (red) and coarse (blue), extra fine (green) and fine (red), extra fine (green) and ceramic (white). The ceramic plate has a 2200 mesh, 7 micron which will polish the edge of any tool to a razor sharp finish.

Leather slip case to protect the machinist Diamond Whetstone.

Another very good sharpening tool is the Machinist Diamond Whetstone? with its one inch of continuous diamonds, ideal for honing finishers and rakes. It is color coded to easily identify the diamond stone grit, the one shown is a coarse grit (blue). The mesh of diamond stones allows for rapid removal with the metal particles nestling in the open areas reducing the amount of clogging.

As with all diamond stones the easiest way to clean is simply with a bristle brush and tap water.

Back face of the machinist Diamond Whetstone, color coded to represent diamond grit size.

The four inch machinist Diamond Whetstone has one inch of solid diamond plate.

This nice little machinist diamond stone comes complete with leather slip case making it easy for transportation in your pocket. The one thing that you will find is how light these sharpening systems are compared to the older style of, diamonds on a heavy plate.

The final companion to the sharpening system would be individual diamond files that can be used for placing teeth in rakes and wire tools, these come in similar shapes to the Swiss files but tend to be more aggressive on the steel.

A set of diamond files.

This set of diamond files comes in various diamond grits, from fine to medium to coarse depending on the type of rapid removal you are looking for.

With this type of file it is easier to sharpen hardened material especially if you are making your own tools and have changed the structure of the metal through heating. I have on occasion done this when making my own tools and the diamond file has replaced the teeth easier than using a Swiss file.

The length of these diamond files are exactly the same as a Swiss file around five and a half inches with three inches of cutting surface.

Close up of the diamond files.

As you can see from the close up of the diamond files their shapes are the same as a Swiss file. The coating of diamonds give a nice overall finish that cuts with every stroke.

With a complete sharpening system supplied by DMT? you will be able to keep your tools in first class condition ready to tackle any job. They take up less room than conventional sharpening methods and at a great savings in weight. Check them out and let me know how they compare.