DMT Diafold Magna-Guide?

J

JMFWSU

Joined
Apr 23, 2002
Messages
181
Hi,

I'm going to try to start doing my own sharpening and am considering the DMT Magna-guide.

I've read that the dimples in the diafold stones may make it difficult to sharpen the very tip of the blade. For example, the point being damaged by the dimples. Is this really a concern?

Could I use the continuous 4" diasharp stones with the magna-guide?

Can the magna-guide produce even bevels on both sides of the blade?


Thanks for your time!
 
Just get a dmt aligner, then you can use pretty much any stone. Puts a nice consistent bevel on a knife.
Russ
 
I have the DMT Aligner
I purchased the range of stones from EE Course to E Fine
I have used it for years in rebeveling Queen D2 slipjoints
the used to come with poor factory grinds, and I would rebevel them
D2 is hard and takes time
The DMT Aligner would create excellent results
I then use a strop and EF to maintain the edges, almost never needing to use the Aligner on the blades again

It is too small for longer blades as the angle changes too much from but to middle to point
I only use it an smaller slipjoints not my larger field knives
And of course not on Scandi grinds"
 
The dimples on the hones will only be an issue if the tip is leading into the sharpening pass. Keep the tip in a trailing orientation, so the hone's surface is always moving away from the tip, and not into it. Keep pressure at a minimum as well.

I've never had any issues with the dimples in using my interrupted-surface hones (Duo-Sharp, Dia-Folds, keychain sharpeners).


David
 
Thanks for the replies. My blades will range from 2.5" to 4.5". Should the magna guide be able to keep a consistent angle at those lengths?

Are the 4" consistent diasharp stones metallic? Would they work with the magna guide?

Thanks again.
 
JMFWSU said:
Thanks for the replies. My blades will range from 2.5" to 4.5". Should the magna guide be able to keep a consistent angle at those lengths?

Are the 4" consistent diasharp stones metallic? Would they work with the magna guide?

Thanks again.
Click to expand...

Those blade lengths will be easy for it.

The 4" Dia-Sharp hones are steel plate, 7/8" wide and about ~ 3/16" thick, coated with nickel & diamond. I have one of them in EF grit. Surprisingly, in just now testing the fit to the Magna-Guide rod, it fits pretty well; almost perfect width, with a tiny bit of side-to-side play (~ 1/32" to each side). The surface of the hone is just slightly low, as referenced to the rod attachment point, so there'd be some small potential for bumping the blade into the (plastic) attachment for the rod itself (EDIT: this is a non-issue, now that I've actually tried it with a knife in the clamped setup). But it might still be worth a try, if you're considering it. If you use them with the Magna-Guide, be sure to use only the one type of hone or the other (Dia-Fold), not both in one sequence, as their thicknesses are different, and they'll be operating in a different plane (meaning the working angle will be different).

Edited to add:
The only possible obstacle to overcome in using the 4" Dia-Sharp hones is, you'll want to improvise some means to hold/support the hone itself. This differs from using the Dia-Folds with the Magna-Guide, in that they have their own built-in handle, which keeps the hands clear of the blade. Without that handle to support the hone, it's a little dicey keeping the fingers out of the way of the blade as it's drawn across & down the hone.


David
 
Last edited:
neeman said:
I have the DMT Aligner
I purchased the range of stones from EE Course to E Fine
I have used it for years in rebeveling Queen D2 slipjoints
the used to come with poor factory grinds, and I would rebevel them
D2 is hard and takes time
The DMT Aligner would create excellent results
I then use a strop and EF to maintain the edges, almost never needing to use the Aligner on the blades again

It is too small for longer blades as the angle changes too much from but to middle to point
I only use it an smaller slipjoints not my larger field knives
And of course not on Scandi grinds"
Click to expand...
I’m assuming the Scandi grind, just lay it flat against it and use nice light circular motions. A lot of guys like Coalcracker and even the Casstrom factory video promote that technique for Scandi’s. I like the idea of full length passes on longer & wider stones like Bjorn does on his videos. But that would be hard for some longer blade on a 4” stone.
 
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