Every so often you will need to sharpen your knives and tools to ensure they continue working effectively. Some people use a grinding wheel to sharpen their tools, but this can burn away the temper and cause the blade to chip or crack. The safest and most effective way to keep tools sharp is by using a diamond honing stone. This guide explains what diamond honing stones are made from, what they can be used on, and how to maintain them so they continue to be useful for a long time.
What Is a Honing Stone Made From?
Diamond honing stones feature a surface layer of monocrystalline diamonds that range from 120 microns in size to 3 in the smallest range. These monocrystalline diamonds are of the highest quality and are uniformly sized to ensure even sharpening. The diamonds are affixed to either a nickel, steel or hard plastic backing layer giving the stone durability and a long lifespan. The stone can be used either dry or wet, although wet honing is much more effective. The grit size will indicate the coarseness of the stone, with 120 microns being extra coarse for aggressive metal smoothing, to an extra fine 3 microns for careful refining and polishing.
What can Stones Be Used On?
Diamond stones can be used on the following:
Straight non serrated blades can be sharpened with a coarse grit stone if nicked or very dull or sharpened with a fine grit stone if slightly dull.
Small tools need a flat stone for sharpening, although it is best to use a fine stone or use as little pressure as possible when sharpening.
Serrated blades and hooks are not suitable for use with flat stones and will need a different type of sharpener suited for this type of object.
How to Maintain diamond honing Stones
Break in the stone by sharpening it with cheaper knives at first. After sharpening about 30 knives the stone should be smooth enough to be used on more expensive tools.
Use a sharpening fluid such as a honing oil or even water to keep the sharpener clean and to dissipate heat.
Handle the stone with care and do not drop it.
Store the stone away carefully and make sure it is well protected when not in use.
Use some extra oil or water to wipe the stone clean after each use.
Clean your stone periodically to eliminate the build-up of debris. Use soapy water if using water or water-based oils, or kerosene if using petroleum-based oil.
Kayson Green
Here at Kayson Green, we have a variety of honing stones for use when sharpening blades and other tools. These stones can be used for short-stroke honing on bearing tracks, long-stroke honing of cylinder liners and bores for engines, and thru-feed superfinishing of cylindrical and taper roller bearings, piston pins and bearings. To talk to our experienced team of abrasive specialists, Contact us today.
