Diamonds are no good for steel?
- Thread starter woodpig
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Random Orbital Bob
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That was a very interesting piece.
Eric The Viking
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It must depend on how much pressure you apply into the diamond plate - light pressure shouldn't cause the effect.
Diamonds may well get ripped off the plates. Using a lubricant would make a difference to this, but all their sharpening seemed to be dry.
I've known professional woodworkers who swear by diamond plates, as being faster and easier than Norton India or whatever.
That said, I've never got better results than with "scary sharp", but I do keep an old, fine (cheap!) diamond plate in the kitchen for touching up the knives. It seems to work better than a steel, although using the steel first and finishing with the diamond plate gives the best results overall. I use the plate held in the hand, not on a surface.
Diamonds may well get ripped off the plates. Using a lubricant would make a difference to this, but all their sharpening seemed to be dry.
I've known professional woodworkers who swear by diamond plates, as being faster and easier than Norton India or whatever.
That said, I've never got better results than with "scary sharp", but I do keep an old, fine (cheap!) diamond plate in the kitchen for touching up the knives. It seems to work better than a steel, although using the steel first and finishing with the diamond plate gives the best results overall. I use the plate held in the hand, not on a surface.
Random Orbital Bob
Established Member
I'll chip in here with a Xmas pressie that's really impressed me for kitchen knives. That's a ceramic "steel". By which I assume you know what I mean ie its ceramic but is a handled tool exactly like a regular kitchen steel.
The reason I mention it is I have a set of global knives which I use daily and I love them a lot. The regular steel helps but it never really brings back the staggering sharpness they're capable of. The ceramic on the other hand is truly excellent and they've been sharper since xmas than since the last time I gave them a tickle on the Tormek which was a long time ago.
The reason I mention it is I have a set of global knives which I use daily and I love them a lot. The regular steel helps but it never really brings back the staggering sharpness they're capable of. The ceramic on the other hand is truly excellent and they've been sharper since xmas than since the last time I gave them a tickle on the Tormek which was a long time ago.
I wasn't at all surprised to hear this on the video. I've tried a couple of fairly coarse diamond plates and they did exactly as Ben suggested. Fine plates don't seem to react so badly but I wont be buying any more.
Racers
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I have an Ikea ceramic steel that works very well, better than a normal steel on my SS knives probably because its so difficult to remove the burr from SS.
The ceramic steel doesn't raise such a big burr, and it works well on my O1 steel knives.
The black build up on the ceramic can be removed with Cillit Bang.
Pete
The ceramic steel doesn't raise such a big burr, and it works well on my O1 steel knives.
The black build up on the ceramic can be removed with Cillit Bang.
Pete
bugbear
Established Member
Random Orbital Bob":1l5346d6 said:
Makes sense - Global (and many other Japanese knives) are too hard for the cold forging that a butcher's steel does, but sharpen fine under abrasion, which is what ceramic and diamond "steels" do. Diamond and ceramic steels are just rod shaped abrasives.
BugBear
paulm
IG paulm_outdoors
bugbear":2bqcqfyh said:
Yep, I've been using the Fallkniven diamond rod and the ceramic one with great success for the last few years. Normally use the ceramic rod in the main and the diamond just occasionally if bevels need a bit more refreshing. Not cheap but very effective and haven't used the normal "steels" since.
Cheers, Paul
