Dry or wet Diamond stones?

[MTHall720]

Should I use water when sharpening on my Diamond bench stones? Unclean them with comet. They tend to load very fast.

 

[Ben Dover]

I use them wet, and wash them often.

 

[HeavyHanded]

I use water and few drops of dish soap - more because I feel it increases feedback than to prevent loading. If I'm using it dry I just give it a scrub with a scotchie under running water. Are your bench stones continuous or interrupted surface?

 

[Komitadjie]

I use a small amount of water with a drop of dish soap added as well on my DMTs.

Barkeeper's Friend is a remarkably useful tool for getting off the crud when it starts to build up, incidentally.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

I've been using mine dry. But I wipe them down every 10-20 passes with a microfiber towel, which does a good job picking up virtually all the steel dust. Even so, I still wash them in hot water & liquid dish soap afterwards. I've been giving some thought to trying out some dish soap & water while in use, for the same feedback mentioned by HH above. I experimented with using a little bit of mineral oil on a ceramic hone yesterday, for the same reason.

 

[Ben Dover]

I've been using mine dry. But I wipe them down every 10-20 passes with a microfiber towel, which does a good job picking up virtually all the steel dust. Even so, I still wash them in hot water & liquid dish soap afterwards. I've been giving some thought to trying out some dish soap & water while in use, for the same feedback mentioned by HH above. I experimented with using a little bit of mineral oil on a ceramic hone yesterday, for the same reason.

Perhaps I am letting my imagination run rampant, but wet diamond hones seem to cut faster and smoother.

 

[MTHall720]

I use water and few drops of dish soap - more because I feel it increases feedback than to prevent loading. If I'm using it dry I just give it a scrub with a scotchie under running water. Are your bench stones continuous or interrupted surface?

Not quite sure how to describe them. They are DMT Diamond stones and looks to me like the surface is slightly raised over the layer beneath.

 

[MTHall720]

I think I will try wet and also have a towel as a stand by. Does Bar Keepe work better than comet for cleaning?

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

I think I will try wet and also have a towel as a stand by. Does Bar Keepe work better than comet for cleaning?

It does, for a very specific reason. It uses oxalic acid, which actually dissolves the steel particles embedded in the hones. Use it as a paste, mixed with water. It works VERY well, but has to be used with care (read the warnings on the container). I've occasionally used it on my diamond & ceramics, when I feel they need some more 'serious' clean-up. Otherwise, I usually stick with dish soap or the Comet/Ajax. The Comet/Ajax cleansers are actually what DMT recommends, for cleaning their diamond hones.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Not quite sure how to describe them. They are DMT Diamond stones and looks to me like the surface is slightly raised over the layer beneath.

The 'interrupted surface' DMTs are the ones with the colored 'polka-dots' all over (black/blue/red/green/tan, depending on the grit). The 'continuous surface' hones look more like shiny (nickel-plated) steel plates (and they're much heavier).

 

[unit]

I usually use my DMTs dry, but I have been doing some reading recently that would indicate that water used as coolant (for non-powered sharpening on diamonds) will yield superior edges....though I have tried it both ways and can not detect any difference in the polishing process, the results, or the edge holding abilities of the steels I have used.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Perhaps I am letting my imagination run rampant, but wet diamond hones seem to cut faster and smoother.

That thought crossed my mind yesterday, when I was trying out some mineral oil on my ceramic hone. I'd been touching up one of my Spydercos on it (dry), and kept feeling some of the grit/steel particles under the edge on the hone, sort of like rocks underneath it. Felt too bumpy, didn't really care for that. That's what prompted me to 'lube' it a bit. The feedback is definitely different, and it FELT like it was working better, more smoothly anyway. I'll have to re-visit it a few times to see if that's the case. As a side benefit, the hone wasn't as quick to load up, and cleaned up more easily (used Windex & paper towel). This has been a known benefit to oiling hones generally (keeps particles suspended ABOVE the hone, so they don't embed & clog it). That suspension of the particles is certainly enough to improve cutting performance, since the particles aren't embedding as easily. I think oiling/lubing/wetting the hone has it's merits, so long as any oil is cleaned off regularly.

 

[Jason B.]

The XXC, XC, and C hones really don't need to be used wet because the diamonds are so large the swarf does not affect the grinding action. If used with the F, EF, and EEF it help to keep them cutting fast but I don't see much other benefit. With the EEF I actually think it works better dry and loaded a bit, seems to polish better.