I have five diamond stones (200, 300, 400, 600 and 1200 grit) that I have been using a lot recently. At first I was not using anything to lubricate them, but I noticed the grit getting fouled with steel particles very quickly.
As many people suggest, I tried using water to lubricate the stones. After a while, though, I noticed that water-logged pieces of steel got jammed into the grit and did not rinse off with a sponge and detergent. Instead, they stayed there and rusted!
I thought my stones were toast until the good folks at DMT told me to clean them with Comet (or some other mildly abrasive detergent) and a brush. Now they are like new again, but the lady at DMT also told me that petroleum-based lubricants (machine oil, kerosene, etc) are a no-no for lubricating these stones. So…..
1. What do you use for lubrication on diamond?
2. If you use water, do you get the same problem that I’m getting with rust?
3. If you use oil, kero or diesel, have you seen any problems with them?
Replies
Oil or an oil-miscible liquid can indeed be used for diamond stones, but once you do, you're pretty much stuck with it. The reason is that the ceramic backing will absorb the oil, and getting it back out will require soaking the stone in a strong solvent like Laquer Thinner, or possibly detergent and water, though that last option will take forever.
I use these stones on a regular basis, and I'd recommend exactly what the DMT folks said. When I'm done sharpening, I just wash the stones off in the sink with dishwashing detergent (the kind intended for hand-washing, like "Joy") and water. There's been no issue with corrosion of the nickel backing, so long as I let the stones air-dry in the dish holder at the sink.
I would bet it's also possible to wash these stones in a dishwasher, so long as the "cold" cycle is used and it's set on air-only (no heat) drying. I wouldn't want to stress the bond between the diamond-holding nickel and the ceramic backing by heating the stones excessively.
David
Like David said; A good scrubbing with hot water, a drop of dish soap, and a stiff brush works for me.
Mine have a plastic body bonded to the nickle plated diamond plate. So, I don't think a run through the dishwasher would do them any harm.
But, I doubt it would get them any cleaner, than the few minutes it takes to wash them up in the sink, and dry them off.
Q,
I use Camelia oil on mine, which are the larger plastic and steel backed ones. Camelia oil is a thin natural veggie oil I, believe; and works well as a sharpening lubricant in my experience.
When done sharpening,I wash the surfaces off using a one of those dishwashing sponges with one rough side, using a bit of liquid handsoap to loosen the oil and any metal muck. The oil still leaves a very thin coating so a rinse and a wipe gets rid of the soap/muck and dries it immediately.
I confess I'd be wary of using a dishwashing machine - the water is very hot and might distort the "stone" a little (but maybe not - don't know the temperature tolerances that the substrates are supposed to meet).
Lataxe
Lataxe, Camellia oil has been mentioned here a few times as a protectant for chisels and such. Your post prompted me to Google, which led to Wikipedia, which led to this description of Camellia oleifera.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Hmmm. From Sumo wrestlers, to tempura to rust protection. Now that's all purpose. My sister is moving to Hong Kong, I wonder if she can find it cheap over there.Andy
Wow, A monounsaturated oil that reduces LDL. Hone your tools, lick the stone clean and get your daily dose of Iron too. Yummy ;-)Work Safe, Count to 10 when your done for the day !!
Bruce S.
J, wow, now I know why I have low LDL and I haven't had a case of ring worm since that lady I dated in Taranto Italy ---err but that was back in the day before I got on the slippery slope of hand tools and their care and feeding. My kids say I will never get scurvy either due to the proper addition of at least a 1/4 fresh lime squeezed into a finely made rum beverage. I wonder if Phillip or Derek fry their chips in that stuff-very pricey fries, eh matey?
Paddy, the healthy sailor.
I've been using the same DMT stones for over 20 years. I use a spray bottle with water and keep the surface very wet. Never done anything but wipe them off with fresh water and paper towels after each use. I've never had a sign of rust. The plates will rust if put away wet. I don't want any oil around my tools or shop. It always finds it's way on to something I don't want it on.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
Hammer, one of the things I wonder about is if it might be wise to use distilled water.... Water in so many communities is hard, and leaves yucky stuff after it evaporates. Would this matter with these stones???forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Good question. We do have clean, clear water here. Water high in iron content or certain minerals may leave deposits. I would think cleaning the stones with a little detergent and keeping them dry would do a lot to alleviate any build up. I have an electric tea kettle with a chrome dome in the center, heats the water in about a minute. Deposits form on the dome over time. A little CLR removes it easily. Even if scale did build up on a stone, it would be easy enough to remove. I have abused my diamond stones terribly. I've flattened other stones, rusty planes, re-shaped bevels on everything from chisels to lawn mower blades, flattened motorcycle parts like heads and used them on various metals, aluminum alloy to laminated steel. They just keep going and stay flat. I must have 20 other stones of various kinds I've used and collected over the years. Other than a fine water stone, I only use the diamonds and I use them a lot. I think the key is to wipe them clean and dry after use.Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
FG, I wouldn't think that hard water would be too much of a problem. The act of sharpening would probably abrade any minerals that settled out of the water off the surface of the stone/diamond plate. The swarf being pushed around might actually have a cleaning effect for the surface.Even shaking off the water after rinsing and letting the excess evaporate would probably leave so little residue, it would not be noticeable. Just my theoryAndyHere we go a-postulating
Guesney,
If you have an automotive machine shop near you that has a flywheel grinder, and they use the diamond stone on it, see if they can get you, or sell you a small amount of the coolant that they use. The coolant we use with ours is a synthetic and mixes with water. It has a rust inhibitor and works very well. Only problem is it only comes in gallon jugs and it mixes something like 50 to 1 so you would not need much for what you are doing.
Bill Koustenis
Advanced Automotive Machine
Waldorf Md
I use water for lubricating my DMT - just a splash every now and again clears the swarf. Recently though, I've been working in the laundry sink below a trickling fauces which continually clears the swarf. When I'm done, I rinse the stone off with water and give it a wipe with my hand if needed. Then I let it air dry.
Chris @ www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
1. What do you use for lubrication on diamond?
I'd say use nothing but I'm not from the Diamond cartell! I'd just clean the diamonds after using it!
quesne,
I use DMT diamond stones. I keep a "spritzer" bottle of water around, like the one that is used in conjunction with a clothes iron.
After I use it, I wipe it off with a towel, and let it air dry overnight before putting it away.
I clean it the same way I clean my ceramic stone - Bon Ami (or Barkeeper's Helper) and a plastic scrubbie. After cleaning it, I rinse it off, wipe it off with the towel, and let it air dry overnight before putting it away.
They haven't rusted at all.
Diamonds are Forever.
Mel
Measure your output in smiles per board foot.
LOL Diamonds are Forever.Except for the receivers point of view!
I bought my wife a 2 carrot back in the early 60's.. She said it was lovely BUT it would have made a nice down payment on OUR HOUSE.... YOU FOOL!
SHE was right! Thinking back!
One comment about using Camellia Oil - I use a bottle of the stuff from Lie-Nielsen on my tools to prevent rust, but it does have a significant drawback that mineral or machine oil does not - it will slowly cross-link in air, which leaves behind a somewhat brownish, sticky residue. It doesn't "dry" as fast as boiled linseed oil, but after 2-3 months it'll be much more difficult to wipe off then it was when it was put on.
You can get the residue off with a solvent such as mineral spirits or laquer thinner, but I wouldn't advise storing a diamond sharpening stone with Camellia oil on it unless it's regularly used (and thus the camellia oil gets refreshed often).
Once, I told a lady that I had bought a diamond stone. Their response was: "Who did you give it to?"Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
"but the lady at DMT also told me that petroleum-based lubricants (machine oil, kerosene, etc) are a no-no for lubricating these stones."
Well, that is new to me. I have used kerosene from day one which was ahellofa long time ago-same diamond plates, still work very nicely.
But then I also use kerosene on my Kingstone against the direst of predictions-what a wondrous stone.
I wouldn't want to use diesel becuase the smell permeates everything.
(;)Philip Marcou
Edited 5/19/2008 3:10 am by philip
From DMT's FAQ section of their website:Q. I know it says to use the sharpener dry or with water, but can I use oil anyway? Can I store my DMT stone in kerosene?A. While we recommend you use DMT¯ products dry or with water only, it is acceptable to use a variety of lubricants when sharpening with DMT¯ products. Mineral oil, mineral spirits, kerosene, WD40 can all be used without harming your DMT¯ sharpener. We do not recommend storing your DMT sharpener in kerosene. DMT¯ recommends that you always wipe your Diamond and Unbreakable Ceramic Sharpeners clean and store dry after use.
Charles,
You should not be reading such subversive literature.
Actually I think the op was not concentrating on what the "lady at DMT " was telling him.
How come nobody has bombed me for using kero on the sacred Japanese stones?Philip Marcou
Because Japanese water stones are so soft, they must be flattened often, which renews the surface. Using kerosene on them seems to be a stinky option to using water, and I would think the stone's surface would clog rather quickly with kero. Nevertheless, since you're removing the top surface every time you flatten them, I'd think kerosene would do little harm to the stone itself.
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