The How, Why, and When of Diamond Stones
Diamond Stones are the workhorses for sharpening and, luckily, are fairly low maintenance. We use diamond stones for several reasons
- Monocrystalline diamonds are the most abrasive, longest lasting diamonds available so your Diamond Stones will last between 500 and 700 sharpening sessions.
- Diamonds are harder than any metal and will be able to sharpen and produce a Wicked Edge on any blade easily and quickly, even on super steels.
- Diamond Stones don't require flattening like traditional whetstones nor do they require oil or water, meaning cleaner sharpening sessions.
To keep your Diamond Stones in proper working order, they do require periodic cleaning (we recommend every 25 sharpening sessions or so). For quick, on the spot cleaning, a little Windex or rubbing alcohol and a paper towel does the trick. For deeper cleanings, all you need is a toothbrush, some dish soap, and warm water. Simply scrub the stones with the toothbrush and soap, then rinse with warm water and stand on end to dry overnight.
If your Diamond Stones are truly clogged up, you can either soak them in some white vinegar for about 10 minutes to loosen all of the filings and debris and then follow the above procedure, or you can use an ultra sonic cleaner on the lowest settings.
Diamond Stones do have a break-in period. Diamond Stones are produced by electroplating the diamonds to an aluminum platen. This produces an outer layer of inconsistent, uneven diamonds that you can see and feel when you first start sharpening with new stones. This layer must be broken off to get to the consistent layer underneath. It usually takes around 20 sharpening sessions to break off this outer layer. We suggest using either the Practice Knife your sharpener comes with or a cheap blade that you don't mind roughing up. Once your stones are broken in, you'll see that they become smoother, feel more consistent as you sharpen, and produce much better, sharpener results. As you add additional stones to your line-up, you'll need to also break those in before adding them to your progression. You'll find that brand new, finer stones will actually feel rougher than well broken in coarser stones.
Tip: do NOT rub your Diamond Stones together to break off the diamonds. You will damage the stones and this is not covered under warranty.
Once the Diamond Stones are fully broken in, they tend to last between 500 and 700 sharpening sessions. The biggest factors in extending your Diamond Stones life are:
- The hardness of the steels your sharpening - harder steels require more time which means more usage of the Diamond Stones
- How often you're repairing or reprofiling knives - if you're only sharpening a small amount of knives and touch them up regularly, your stones will last longer than someone running a sharpening service who is constantly fixing damaged blades
- Keeping your stones clean - clogged stones don't perform as well. Keep your Diamond Stones clean so they can always work at their optimal level
- How much pressure you're using - it may sound counterintuitive, but the harder you press while sharpening, the more damage your blades will sustain, the faster the Diamond Stones will wear, and the worse your results will be. Use light pressure when sharpening to create not only Wicked Edges but also extend the life of your stones.
Eventually, Diamond Stones do wear out. You can tell that they have worn out when you start to see bald spots where the bare aluminum platen shows underneath the surface of the stones. This most often happens along the edge of the stones and in the middle where your stones are most heavily used. Once you see this, it's time to replace your stones as they will no longer be able to do their job. Normal wear on Diamond Stones is not covered under warranty.
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