# My new Ultra Sharp Diamond Sharpening Stone set



## Bud9051 (Nov 11, 2015)

Did sharpening for several years so I can understand your description and wood working with sharp tools is a pleasure. One of the unique items I used to sharpen was ice augers and strange as it may seem they had to be really sharp. I had a good list of regular customers that praised my blades. One day one of them mentioned my nice sharp blade didn't hold up very long. Concerned I told him to bring it back in and I would do it again. He said not a problem, he bought some new ones, as the ones I sharpened didn't do well when he hit that boulder at 12" into the ice. he was kidding me and he got me.

I was going to set back up and do more sharpening in my retirement but with today's litigious society giving people super sharp knives is bound to bring a lawsuit.

Enjoy
Bud


----------



## Drachenfire (Jun 6, 2017)

Bud9051 said:


> I was going to set back up and do more sharpening in my retirement but with today's litigious society giving people super sharp knives is bound to bring a lawsuit.
> 
> Enjoy
> Bud


That is really sad Bud. There is a dramatic difference between a professional sharpening and one does by an amateur. However I do understand your reluctance to re-engage in the craft.


----------



## chandler48 (Jun 5, 2017)

Dad alway said a sharp knife may cut you, but a dull one will hurt you. He spent evenings sharpening his favorite pocket knife.

I keep my chisels really sharp. Often striking them is not in the picture, they are that sharp. I loaned one to an electrician once. Got it back with a nick in the edge. Felt like having a Jimmy Hoffa minute, as they were pouring concrete next door.


----------



## Bud9051 (Nov 11, 2015)

Larry, it must be a thing with electricians. I had purchased a new 1/2" chisel, nothing fancy but I wanted a sharp straight one for some mortise work I was doing. The helper the electrician hired was working next door and without asking had borrowed that new chisel. Not really a big problem but when I went over there and walked past him he was using it to remove some concrete. I almost passed out. A year later I finally got set up and sharpened all of my chisels. 

Bud


----------



## Drachenfire (Jun 6, 2017)

This is why I am very selective to whom I loan my tools. One has to demonstrate they know how to treat them properly. It is for this reason my FIL will loan me any tool he has. He knows they will not be abused and will be returned precisely where he keeps it in his shop.

A number of years ago, I had a cheap Skil circular saw. I loaned it to a friend who was building a shed. When I got it back I noticed electrical tape wrapped around the middle. The brainiac accidentally cut the cord while sawing a piece a wood and spliced the cord back together.

I think what irked me the most, aside from possibly electrocuting himself, is he thought the whole thing was funny and made light of it. Granted it was not some high end Bosch or Makita, but that saw did cost me money and was in perfect working order when I loaned it to him.

I think another friend (who knows how I am about my tools) clued him that I was not at all amused about the incident as he never again asked me to loan him any tools.


----------



## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

Have you noticed when you drop one of your razor sharp chisels, they will almost 100% of the time hit the concrete floor right on the business end and most likely the corner. It makes my hair stand up just thinking about it. I get almost as much pleasure out of sharpening my tools as using them, it is just something I enjoy.

Once a blade is really sharp there is no need to sharpen it again unless it gets a nick, just a good honing will restore the edge razor sharp. I love wood carving and whittling, all of my knives and gouges are razor sharp. I left one of my vintage knives on my desk and caught one of our grandsons using it as a screwdriver. Needless to say he chipped the blade, I didn't panic.. outward, but inward I did.

I sharpen my carving knives on a very long bevel, just looking at it you can't see the bevel. That makes for a very sharp blade but a very fragile edge also.

I use a less tiring method when stropping, I will strop 15 times on one side then the other, next I will strop 14 times each side, then 13, 12 etc, by the time I get all the way down to one each side, I have stropped over 100 times. Doing that at 20 is over 200 times each side and it don't seem to be as tiring.


----------



## Drachenfire (Jun 6, 2017)

BigJim said:


> Have you noticed when you drop one of your razor sharp chisels, they will almost 100% of the time hit the concrete floor right on the business end and most likely the corner...


It is for this very reason that I made sleeves for my chisels. If they are not actively being used, they are in the sleeve. 

Basically it is thin foamed back vinyl which you can buy at a store that sells upholstery material. 

I cut a piece a little over 1/2" wider than the blade and twice as long. I fold it in half long ways and with the blade inserted glued around the edges. The seams are then clamped until the glue has dried. 

To give it a more finished appearance, I cut small 45 degree angles at the corners. To help prevent rust, I coated the chisel in paste wax and inserted into the sleeve. Holding the sleeve firmly, I slid the chisel in and out a few times to transfer the wax to the inside of the sleeve. 

You could try coating the sleeve before gluing but if you get wax in the seam area the glue might not adhere.

Another method is to get a can of Plasti Dip in the dip can. Wrap the chisel blade in painters tape sticky side out. Dip the the blade in the Plasti Dip. For a thicker sleeve, let the Plati Dip dry and then dip it again. You can repeat the process until you have the desired thickness of sleeve. (I did not use this method as I could not find Plasti Dip in my area.)

If you do not want to spend the time with either of these methods you can buy silicone tip guards like these;










Being made of silicone, I have no idea how long they will last especially if they are around any petroleum products (silicone does not hold up well to petroleum).


----------



## chandler48 (Jun 5, 2017)

Slightly off topic, but the old man that sharpens my saw blades (sometimes 40 at a time) walks them through a pool of melted wax to keep the tips from clashing and to keep me from cutting myself. They are super sharp.


----------



## jlhaslip (Dec 31, 2009)

Have a browse through this site.

http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=67177&cat=43072,67175


----------



## Drachenfire (Jun 6, 2017)

I considered water stones, but they require more care and upkeep than diamond plates and are messier to deal with. In addition to the stones themselves you need to purchase a flattening stone to keep the water stones from hollowing.


----------

