Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
Buying Diamond power
Jim in Burlington Ontario
>For those that buy Diamond powder how many carats at a time do you buy and what mesh are you buying? It get's a little complicated trying to figure out what exactly a carat of powder will do and looks like. I had bought it in a tube premixed and now run out so this looks like the cheapest option by far. Thanks Jim
Re: Buying Diamond power
Jeff Aldred
>Hey Jim:
About 2 pages down in this forum is a query about diamond sizing, a brief overview, and a pointer to www.Reental.com.
I have not been there, but the info in the email was pretty cool.
Can I highjack your thread a bit, to ask you to give us a low down on how you are using diamond paste? There was lots of good info a couple of months ago, then the forums seem to have gone quiet. In particular:
1) What substrate do you use?
2) What size of diamonds?
3) If you use more than one size of diamonds, have you solved the contamination problem? If so, do tell!
4) What jobs do you expect out of your diamond setup? Final hone? Back Flattening? Bevel establishment?
Thanks in advance!
Ice pellets here in Ottawa last night!
Re: Buying Diamond power
Jim in Burlington Ontario
>I bought the past in the 3 micron and 1 micron size. I used large pieces of hard maple that I put a little oil on. I flattened the maple by sanding it up to 1200 grit paper that was glued to a piece of plate glass. As for carryover I haven't noticed it but Bill Tindall says he has seen it thru a microscope. I do use norton stones for most of the sharpening then just polish with diamond paste I did use it on the back as well until I saw the David Charlesworth video and until I figure out how to replicate that back polishing method I'll stick with the Nortons. Overkill, maybe fast yes and IMO better than and alot cheaper than using mircroabrasive paper.
Re: Buying Diamond power
Robin Frierson
>I usually get 25 carrots for 25$ and buy 50 micron, 10 micron and 1/2 micron. I think cast iron works the best for diamond powder, I use old plane bottoms, but MDF will also work, though it seems to take more.
Re: Buying Diamond power
Don Thompson - Cutler Ridge, Florida
>Here are some old threads on the subject:
Good deal on the `bay.
Bob Hackett
>You can get 50 ct of 14000 mesh for $32.49 delivered to your door by searching the seller cutter923.He is selling it in 50 and 100 ct lots in buy it now auctions.
He also has 200 count 4" PSA mylar laps charged with diamonds for cheap for the power hone crew.
Hope this doesn`t break any rules.
Mainely,Bob
25 carats lasts a long time& OT UPS humor
bill tindall
>If you are using paste on a nonporous substrate, cast iron or acrylic, it takes no more than 1/4" "worm" from the syringe to recharge a 3 x 12" plate. No need to recharge until you can't hear it cut any longer. In the coarser grits the cast iron seems to ring during cutting, and on acrylic you can hear a definit scratch sound. Time to recharge when you can't hear cutting action. If it takes more than a few strokes then the starting grit should have been coarser. For just honing, a syringe should last years. I have gound dozens of plane irons and chiesls and have only used 3 grams of 60 micron paste. My finer grits have been barely touched. If you are going through diamond quickly then you should be starting with a coarser grit. (Agreed that a porous surface absorbs paste at a great rate and hence is not cost effective. A porous surface also cuts at a smaller effective grit size, I think because the grits are mostly buried).
25 carats of powder literally should be a lifetime supply for most people.
Five carates is 1 gram of diamond. Water is 1 gram per cubic cm. Diamond weighs 4X water so a gram is 1/4 cubic cm.
As an aside I ordered 50 carats of powders the other day and happened to be in drive when UPS arrived. The driver presented me with the small package and I thanked him for delivering the diamonds. "Diamonds" he exclaimed. Yea, I said casually, "50 carates of diamonds in there. You never know what's in these packages. "
answers
bill tindall
>1) What substrate do you use? Cast iron, experimenting with acrylic.
2) What size of diamonds? 80 grit pink grinder, 15 micron diamond, 1 micron diamond (I have a report that 1/2 micron is better for highly refined work)In any case the jump from 80 grit aluminium oxide to 15 micron diamond to 1 micron diamond goes very quickly. I use a plane as an alternative to a belt sander so I am not the person to ask how low to go for highly refined planing)
3) If you use more than one size of diamonds, have you solved the contamination problem? If so, do tell! Don't overcharge plates and problem is greatly less. I found nothing that will dislodge the carry over- sticky tape, ultrasonic blasting, rubbing on stuff. I just live with it. If concerned add a 3 micron "cleanup grit"
4) What jobs do you expect out of your diamond setup? Final hone? Yes definitly. Back Flattening? Yes but start coarser, 30 or 60. Bevel establishment? No, I use 80 grit very soft H open structure pink wheel, 3600 rpm grinder. Leaves hollow grind that takes seconds to refine to 1 micron finish.
Answers are what I currently do. Refinements and further optimization likely with more experience. It is very fast and very cheap , so worth more work to arrive at what is "best". Currently trying very cheap acrylic (Plexiglas) as substrate. Seems to work very well with coarser grits.
I certainly don't have the last word on any of this . I hope as others try it that they will share the experience such that we all can benefit from successes and failures.