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50 grit not working?

Recent Forums Main Forum Techniques and Sharpening Strategies Abrasives 50 grit not working?

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  • #16297
    brian kerns
    Participant
    • Topics: 1
    • Replies: 3

    Seems odd but while working on my third knife using the 50 grit it just stopped working. Slick as snot. The 80 throws all kinds of healthy metal dust into the air.I have used all my other stones a lot more and they are all working great.I cleaned it with a toothbrush and a little soapy water to no avail. Any suggestions?

    Thanks

    #16299
    blacksheep25
    Participant
    • Topics: 2
    • Replies: 68

    do you have pics of the 50 next to your 80 stones? what blade steel did you or are trying to sharpen?

    #16302
    brian kerns
    Participant
    • Topics: 1
    • Replies: 3

    Hey Blacksheep,
    Can’t really get anything to show up in pictures.It just seems like it glazed over for lack of a better term.The knife is an older cheapie I think.
    Thanks

    #16305
    tcmeyer
    Participant
    • Topics: 38
    • Replies: 2095

    A few years ago, I wrecked one of my diamond plates that I used for freehand sharpening. It’s a 3″ X 8″ plate with 400 grit on one side and 1200 on the other. The grit looked really uneven when it was new and it seemed that as I sharpened on it, the bits of grit that stood proud of the substrate would break off. I assumed that this was just part of breaking in the stones, but eventually the stones became less effective. I concluded that I was applying too much pressure.

    The diamond grit is usually attached to the substrate with some sort of plating process – often nickel plating. It’s important to remember that the grit is not part of the substrate, but attached to it. Too much pressure (or a poor plating job) can knock the grit loose. Unlike a homogeneous stone, once the grit is gone, it’s gone.

    When I first saw Clay stoning a blade in the promo video, a light bulb flashed in my mind. I realized that driving an edge into a diamond plate could knock grit off the substrate more easily than an edge drawn backward across the same plate at the same pressure. I now avoid drawing my diamond blocks down into an edge, except at very light pressure.

    That said, I suspect the diamond bits in your case weren’t solidly attached and broke free. Perhaps a case of contamination somewhere in the plating process?

    #16306
    brian kerns
    Participant
    • Topics: 1
    • Replies: 3

    Thanks TC,
    I wondered about drawing the stones into the edge but saw videos and read a lot about people using scrubbing motions that I started using a scrubbing motion so that may be it.It makes sense to me that drawing into the blade could take off grit more easily.I really liked the 50 on the few I did and I didn’t find it too bad to get the sratches out so I will miss having the 50 grit.I was thinking of dipping in to my kids inheritance and trying the atoma 140.

    Thanks again TC

    #16307
    Leo Barr
    Participant
    • Topics: 26
    • Replies: 812

    Makes perfect sense what you are saying plus from using bench stones I always use the pressure on the blade when it is going up the stone away from me with the edge facing me and little pressure on the return stroke so avoiding much pressure on scrubbing strokes makes sense.
    The stones seem to work best when speed outdoes pressure – think belt sanders for instance.

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