Question: tool sharpening

[tkelch]

i have a 2 dimond sharping plates a 1200 and a 2000 i am wanting to get a ceramice or some thing equivelant for better sharpening and polishing. I was woundering what to look for and what to avoid. i have also seen people talk about diomond spray or mesh and was wondering about that.
thanks tom

 

[Brian Marshall]

We use a space shuttle tile shimmed to the exact same height as the plates...

Spyderco makes some nice ceramic stones, but then you will have to shim your plates up to it's height.

Yes, the diamond spray - 50,000 mesh is standard to use with ceramic.



Brian

 

[Ed Westerly]

Brian, where did you get your space shuttle tile? I want one too! (Has it been to space?)

 

[Scottyd]

I found a white 8000x ceramic stone for $33 at lee valley woodworking. It is 2x4x1/2 and works great with the sharpening templates. It gives a pretty good smooth finish and is quick and is getting better as it gets broken in. It is not as polished as a ceramic disk with 50k diamond spray. I tried an 8000x diamond plate from DMT but it had a lot of bigger particles that left big scratches. I tried to break it in with a piece of steel but gave up after 1/2 an hour and sent it back.
Scottyd

 

[tkelch]

Were do you get a tile from the space shuttle? That would be cool just to have.

 

[Brian Marshall]

"Brian, where did you get your space shuttle tile? I want one too! (Has it been to space?)"



Hi Ed,


I dunno, but a lot of folks think I have...



As for finding them, I had a student who worked at one of places where they recycle stuff like that. Brought me a coupla dozen maybe 12 years ago?

Gave away all but the two I have left...

However, it looks like if you google "space shuttle tile for sale" they are fairly easy to come by. (I didn't have time to look and see what they ask for them)


Brian

 

[Ed Westerly]

My, that's incredible that they allow that stuff out, but don't let us have moon rocks! Well, maybe not that incredible.

 

[Sam]

eBay has everything.

Space Shuttle tile

 

[Ed Westerly]

Not moon rocks!

 

[Mike Fennell]

One of my brothers is a glass blower now that he has retired from the hospital and has turned his hobby into a second career. He uses shuttle tiles as doors on his furnaces and annealing ovens. It had not occurred to me to use them as ceramic stones. I'll try it the next time i visit his shop.

 

[unclejohn]

The best I have found is the ceramic lap with diamond spray. Instructions come with it. I first tried a cast iron lap trying to save some money, that was a mistake, but the nice people at GRS exchanged it for me to a ceramic one for just another $100.00. And you can do no better, just remember to strap it on some hard leather sprayed also with the diamond spray. I cut up one of my old belts to use and contrary to popular belief you don't have to push so hard when strapping all you will do is cut up the belt. A few more light strokes will work just fine.

 

[DKanger]

"Brian, where did you get your space shuttle tile? I want one too! (Has it been to space?)"

Hi Ed,
I dunno, but a lot of folks think I have...

Brian,
I think you must have misunderstood those folks. What they really said was they thought you were a "space cadet" not an astronaut.