The ceramics just arrived! Can’t compare as I’m not at home but are they exactly the same thickness as the diamonds? I don’t need to change the angle when I transition from 1k diamonds to 1200 ceramics do I? Because I don’t have the ball-joint arms so I can’t micro-adjust angles.
Not sure that they are “exactly” the same thickness. There are always manufacturing tolerances at play and I never measured them. I can tell you that I don’t typically change the angle that I am using when going from the diamond plates to the ceramic stones. I usually check the angle with the cube when I change types of stones. I guess the difference was not enough that I was concerned. Use your cube on the ones that you got and see what kind of difference you see. If it is more than you like, adjust the angle. I used the original arms for quite a while and was able to set exact angles (within the measuring errors that are caused by the accuracy potential of the cube) between the several different types of stones that I use. Precise adjustments are definitely possible with your setup.
I thought of something… long ago I reversed the base bar on my setup. I do not use the dimples machined into the bar for set angles. This allows for the kind of adjustment that I was talking about above. If you are using the presets, I still think that you will be OK.
The other option is, just go for it and see what your results are. I think that you will be fine, but you can always go back and set the sharpening angle to exactly match the diamonds if you are not happy with your results.
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