This is probably the silliest question ever, but I’m just curious what you use to wipe the fluid off your diamond plates when done using.
I just received a Trend 1000/300 diamond plate and noticed no matter what I used (paper towel, lint-free rag, microfiber cloth) there are bits of fibers left over.
I know this is typical, but it’s annoying rubbing it all off. Do these fibers interfere with the sharpening or am I overthinking this?
Thanks! Josh
Replies
Fibers shouldn't bother anything. I use my diamond plates dry, and brush them off after.
I use a worn microfiber, that has been washed a few times. I know they say not to machine wash and dry but I do, they last years. Another tip is to spray with Simple Green and blot dry, it will keep them from rusting. If they do rust or start to turn colors and not cut as well, Make a paste of Bar Keepers Friend, Oxalic Acid let it sit for 15-20 minutes and scrub with a stiff brush, I use a fingernail brush. It will be as good as new and cut quick.
I have use all brands, and except for the real cheapos, they all cut the same, some may be flatter than others but that does not make all that much difference since you usually will not be finishing on a diamond plate.
A hand full of plane shavings, out of the bag you may have to dump them in, works well. With diamond plates and 3M "sand" papers, this is what I use after spraying them with a generous squirt of WD40 or similar.
The fibres of the wood shavings seem to readily absorb the WD40 and the metal sludge it's diluted then taken up from the sharpening grit. Rubbing the shavings about a bit provides a fresh wood surface as the shavings move in your hand, sucking up the maximum amount of WD40-sludge.
But the fibres of shavings are relatively coarse and don't leave anything much of themselves that will clog the diamond or other grits. Any bits of wood remaining drop off by themselves as the residual WD40 evaporates.
Lataxe
During use, I lubricate my diamond plates with Simple Green (diluted). When I'm done, I rinse them off in the basement laundry sink and pat dry with a paper towel.
And just to be sure, I stand them on edge for good air circulation and allow them to dry overnight before putting them away.
Mike
I use either a regular or blue shop towel with the same fluid that I use to sharpen, which is car window cleaner. Been doing this way for the past 5 years and seems to work fine.
I put them in the sink and use a nylon nail brush under running water. I just use water for lube to sharpen.
I think I must wipe them off with whatever is handy because I don’t have a go to that I can think of. However I clean up dry diamond plates with an eraser. Surprisingly effective
Yeah, my trend plate even came with an eraser for this.
I use window cleaner with my Trend 300/1k. Then, if they really get filthy looking, I'll run it over to the sink and clean it off with water and a sponge. Haven't had to use any kind fo detergent yet.
I live in a very arid environment now, so don't really have to worry so much about rust any more.
Your question is not silly and there is a simple solution for your issue. Sometimes Trend will pack a simple “rubber” eraser with the stone. They sell them separately but you can buy them at any office / school supply place. Trend’s eraser is white rubber but the standard pink rubber eraser works well. That’s what I use for my diamond stones. It gets them very clean and will remove those leftovers from paper towels or cloths completely. It also polishes the nickel plating as well. Seems kind of silly at first but it really works.
Caution, if you use any water based products to clean your diamond stones be sure to dry them thoroughly since they tend to rust if left wet and ruin your stone. Even though the diamond grit is sealed in a nickel plating the water can get under the nickel and ruin your diamond stones. I’ve been using Windex successfully for more than 20 years on my diamond stones both as a lubricant and basic cleaner. As someone mentioned earlier you can use the stone dry if you like. You should always dry them thoroughly before putting them away. For an intermediate and final cleaning I use the eraser. It works just like the cleaning rubber for belt sanders. That material also works well if you have some. Rubber erasers are cheaper by far.
Good luck, hope this helps.
Depending on the amount of dust I'll either vacuum with a brush or rinse off in the sink. The paper towel fibers should come off easily once dry but I prefer to avoid them as well.
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