Simple question about diamond hone

[Thomas Staubo]

When you use a whetstone to hone knife edges and other things, you would apply water or oil to the stone.
But when using a diamond hone, do you apply anything on it, or use it dry???


Thomas

[pcarpenter]

I use some of the little hand held diamond hones on my scrapers for thier regular touch ups. I use Kerosene and was just wondering about the wisdom of that as it just struck me that its a hydrocarbon compound. Actually, it didn't just strike me that kerosene is a hydrocarbon, but maybe that I should not be using it as a lube to float away the displaced carbide

Evan has pointed out here quite some time back that the use of diamonds as an abraisive on carbon containing materials like steel is a recipie for reduced life of the diamond abraisive. I read somewhere that this could be as much as hundreds of times less life for the abraisive. That's not very efficient and I suppose this is another lesson that sometimes the *right* tool for the job is more important than the most expensive or techy solution.

Paul

[lynnl]

I have a diamond whetstone from Smith's (the Arkansas stone people) and the instructions with it said keep it wet (water).

[Doc Nickel]

Evan has pointed out here quite some time back that the use of diamonds as an abraisive on carbon containing materials like steel is a recipie for reduced life of the diamond abraisive.

-That's true, but only at elevated temperatures; as in makin' sparks with powered grinding.

Hand honing obviously won't come anywhere near those temps, so carbon dissolution doesn't come into play.

Personally, I use a bit of WD-40 (essentially kerosene) simply to float the residues away and keep the stone/hone from clogging.

Doc.

[Alistair Hosie]

yes keep it wet even though it might immediately look worn when the colour changes its not so keep it wet I was told and I do keep the faith and good luck Alistair

[Your Old Dog]

Alistair,
Let me remind you old friend that any fool can work with good sharp tooling but it takes a special kind of a man to work with dull tooling and still get a good job done.

Diamond hones are for Women and children.

[SGW]

I use water, with maybe a touch of detergent in it to break the surface tension.

[Thomas Staubo]

Thank you ladies and gentlemen!

I will try with water or some CRC 5-56 (equivalent to WD40).
The intent was not to sharpen knives, as in my example, but to hone my turning tools.

PS. Speaking of CRC 5-56, I discovered that when turning plain steel (not sure what kind it was), I got a much better finish after I applied a tiny amount of 5-56 at the finishing pass. Just a few drops was enough, to get a the silk-smooth finish.


Thomas

[J Tiers]

The Glendo folks suggest the use of their special stuff, which is evidently really water and a surfactant to break the surface tension. This for low speed diamond wheels. Water and a little soap seems to work just fine.

For hand honing I have not used any lube on my "EZE-LAP" sticks, but I only use them on carbide.

[Norman Atkinson]

Diamond Hones

It would be rather nice to have a definitive answer because there is some wobbly thinking.
I have the usual diamond hones for which I have special oil- which is unspecified. I have diamond wheels for my T&C's and I have assorted diamond pastes.
On the past, advice has come to use the lot dry, to use water- with or without soaps and olive oil on the pastes.

I have used things like hydraulic oil and cellulose thinners and paraffin and all seem to work on the hones.

OK, so can someone actually give a definitive answer please.
Before I am shot down, I do know that steel and diamond are not supposed to be good bedfellows- but so far, nothing untoward has arisen.

Norm