Difference is green compound is around 0.5 micron where the diamond paste you are using is 6 micron (the 6 on the bottom of the bottle) so it will cut faster. You will notice a big difference on supersteels vs regular ones due to the hardness along with wear resistance. If you only ever use normal or what is considered budget steels green compound will be fine, just takes longer to produce the same result. The micron range for diamond emulsion goes from 0.25 micron all the way up to 12 micton. The higher the number the more coarse it cuts. Lower the number the more fine it will be. 0.5 micron is around 45000 grit sandpaper, 1 micron = 22000 grit, 3 micron = 7000 grit, 6 micron = 3000 grit, and 12 Micron = 1500 grit. To give an idea as to what to expect from your compound compared to sandpaper. Thanks for the great vid and keep making sharp things fun and enjoyable.
I love all his videos. This has been my favorite bushcraft channel for a very long time. He is one of the very few creators whose long videos I actually enjoy.
I'm a decent hand at sharpening maybe because I've always tried to learn from people who have skills I don't. Dave, you've got a lot of skills. Your leather working and sewing, etc. are inspirational. I appreciate you. Give Nick a howdy.
I've learned so much about sharpening from you Dave. I still suck at it. Your methodical approach and patient teachers voice make for good instructional videos. Thanks for sharing your techniques.
Thanks Dave. I can't believe how much I've learned watching over the years. You just added to it again. I hope I'm not like Kelly Bundy and when something new comes in, then some of the old stuff gets pushed out! Aloha Nick!
I really enjoy your videos. My dad was a firm believer in Sharp Knives. He made his own knives...one in particular was his skinning knife out of a spring tooth drag. He stropped his knives with a river-bottom sand that he pulverized with flat stone and mixed with 3 in 1 oil and impregnated into cow hide.
I'm glad you like the videos Jerome and your dad sounds like the kinda guy I would have loved to learn his ways! Thanks for sharing that and thanks for watching brother
As always Dave, a real pleasure to watch & learn from your videos, a very interesting subject, and this video very informative ,many thanks for posting ,greetings from the UK to you & the family
I'm sure you already know too much pressure is a bad thing, and you can actually noticeably dull the edge. I use high grit diamond to finish with and it definitely works excellently, the most important thing is the edge needs to be keen before stropping. It's amazing what all can be used for stropping a blade lol, thanks for showing!
For edge stropping I use light pressure, for actually polishing a surface and making it look cool I use high pressure. Like on the convex surface of a blade.
I love these comparison videos. The results are normally subjective but, I will always take your word for such things. AND ... I never knew you could put two magnifying glasses together. I learn so much by watching your channel. Thank you for another informative, fair, and interesting video.
Around 59 years ago my older brother at 13, rolled diamond solution onto aluminum grinding wheels for an inventer. Called them Diamond Laps. The man found a market for them. I’ve been partial to diamond for sharpening ever since. I don’t remember anything being available to buy until mid 80s or later.Thanks for this interesting video.
Yep, you can see the difference for sure....if you can see it, then its doing it thing. You remind me of an uncle of mine.. that man KNEW how to sharpen a blade. Take care and thank you Brother Dave. Thumbs-up video ~John
Diamond grit leather conditioner... sounds like you could weaponize a jacket with it! "Stop rubbing your elbow on my face, it hurts!" "Don't worry, it'll make your piercings shiny.." And, that knife display is sick!
Very interesting test Dave! Green is what I always strop with, it’s supposed to be somewhere between 15-30,000 grit. I always used black on a sisal wheel for initial because, if memory serves, it’s around 600 grit. Green is great for leather stropping or on a loose muslin wheel. Great job, as always, have a great weekend my friend!
Putting a fine edge on metal is hard and a skill most people don't have. I've only had good luck with a smiths diamond sharpener and my old hickory knives. Good video. Hope to try this.
Your gear room reminds me of John Wick where he selects the tools of his craft. 😆. Everything is in a hidden compartment that flips out. Great video, Dave. I will have to try that diamond paste. I'm working on building a knife sharpener.
I absolutely love the diamond stropping paste. On one of my camp knives I put that diamond paste on the edge of the leather sheath. It works fantastic when I need a touch-up out in the woods. Works a lot faster than the old emory stick I used to use. Awesome video sir! I learn SO MUCH from your videos. ✌️
For examining edges, I bought an inexpensive 40x24mm jeweler’s loupe off of Amazon. It has a built in white led light and a black led light. Works great
I've never tried diamond paste before. Once you get the edge you want. The easiest way that I've found to maintain it is with either a glass rod or if you can't find one of those is a polished steel. The bad thing is if you've never used a steel there can be a bit of a learning curve. While you're using your blade a couple of passes is usually all it takes to keep that polished edge you worked hard to get at home. That way when you get done with your work for the day it's much easier to repair your edge if you accidentally rolled the edge past the point of what your polished steel or glass rod could fix. Sorry for rattling on again. Great video and now I'm interested in trying out some diamond compound. God bless and stay safe.
I’ve heard good things about using a steel for a maintenance edge, Nick uses steels daily on his meat cutting knives. Thanks for watching and may God bless you too Rich
Good morning David. I enjoyed watching. I’ll have to give it a try. You have a very impressive knife and machete collection. I recently obtained a Disston US 1945 machete. That thing seems like a good machete. Good metal.I’m going to clean it up and sharpen it. Appreciate you friend!🙂👍
I have used various stropping compounds over the years and in my opinion diamond compounds are superior to all other compounds. With simple steels the difference in effectiveness is not great, but with super steels the difference is enormous. I have been using diamond compounds from Stroppy Stuff for some time, 6 micron, 1 micron and 0.25 micron. I also use various stroppings, soft leather, hard leather, soft wood (linden) and hard wood (oak). Of course the preparatory work is also very important, a well ground cutting edge, for the rough work I use diamond plates from Atoma (140 and 400 grit, I also have 600 and 1200 grit) and for the fine work I use Shapton Pro Ceramic Stones (1000, 2000 and 5000 grit).
BUENOS FREAKING DIAS DAVE ITS BEEN A WHILE SINCE I've watched you and your fantastic channel and content ! Nearly everytime I watch, I truly learn something new from you; case in point how you strop versus how I was and had been doing it. It ( your method) is much more advantageous than mine. Great info. Your applied knowledge is tremendously appreciated! Have a fantastic Thanksgiving my friend ! Big Time Regards from Arizona!
Hello Bruce and Im glad you liked it! I strop machetes and knives differently, and usually go by the blade size and length. Thanks for watching and a Happy thanksgiving to you too!
Another great video. I truly enjoy the videos in the gear room and appreciate the info. Thank you Brother and I hope that you have a great Thanksgiving!! Tom from Tn.
I have used a diamond 'steel' hone for years: it IS quicker than an oxide-coated strop. Both ways work fine enough for practical applications. My eyes on your video: the diamond paste took out more scratches BUT not necessarily along the identical edges. Your level of stropping is definitely for knife lovers and rainy afternoons!
Hi Dave, thanks for the video. I haven't heard of diamond stropping compound before. I'd like to give that a try. Take care and have a great Thanksgiving! 👍
Another good video a sharp knife is so important my Dad always said a dull Knife is the one that will cut you If it's easer to use then we will tend to use it more I tend to be a little laze with sharpening my blades I think this might move me along faster I do enjoy your videos
Right on Dave, I haven't graduated to stropping just yet. I can get my knives shave ya sharp with the stone now so it's probably a good time to start stropping them so they can be surgery sharp haha. Thanks for sharing Dave. I appreciate it man.
Haven’t tried a diamond compound yet. I do cheat for polishing by using a 1” belt sander with 2000 grit sandpaper and it works really well. I don’t get out in the woods much these days so my tools don’t get used to often.
@ your reply made me doubt my post. I’m sorry but I was wrong. I went out to the shop this morning and saw it’s 1500. It still helps to get a mirror finish. You really need to watch the heat. I do still use a strop I picked up at an estate sale. It’s quite old and came with a thin box that included a straight razor which was a bonus. I haven’t added any compound to it and it does the trick. Have a great weekend Dave!
I always enjoy your content. The diamond paste is amazing. I've been using a Lansky setup for a while now and found the blue sapphire (20K grit) stone does the same to my edges as you found with the diamond. I deburr on a piece of bass wood. I know one CS knife is razor sharp because I cut my hand on it when it flipped over in the vise when setting it down. I reached for it again, but didn't see it was blade edge up. It didn't even hurt. It only stung a little, but cut a 6" long razor edge cut on the swell of my palm. That blade has a mirror polished edge.
Neat video Dave! I'd be curious to see you take a blade and use the green compound first, and follow up with the diamond compound after. Have an awesome weekend and say hello to Nick.
I made a strop out of aluminum bar with leather glued to each side. One has a black emery compound on it and the other red rouge compound. I start with black side to polish out scratches and rouge side to produce a mirror finish on the edge.......takes a minute though...diamond paste seems to be quicker.
I think the diamond works better on the axe due to it being softer steel .6, I think, means the micron scale ,God bless you and your family and happy camping 🏕 😀 😊 😄 🙏. Lee
I think a diamond paste impregnated strop is kinda like a diamond plate X strop hybrid. It's basically just using different bases for the same cutting material. I would expect the diamond dust to cut way better than the abrasives used in stropping compounds. It was an interesting comparison I think. I've always liked that style of axe and hatchets more than other types. Some people call it a German style axe. They just seem to work better to me except for really big axes of that style. They cut deeper than the others but then stick. So you spend more time than its worth constantly getting them unstuck.
Good points, and they do seem to cut faster. I think the German style of axe shape is called Rhine pattern. At least thats what my Ochsenkopf is called. Thanks for the comments and thanks for watching brother
Thank you for doing this comparison. I’ve wondered if there would be a difference between diamond and oxide stropping. The difference between the two seems to be the leather conditioner. I would expect leather conditioner in the diamond compound to act like a lubricant thus making it easier to strop the edge. I’m planning to use leather conditioner on my strop before applying my oxide polishing compound to see if it makes a difference. Thank you again for giving me this idea.
I’ve wondered the same thing about leather conditioner and oxide, I’m curious to hear about your results! It definitely seemed easier to me. Thanks for the comments and thanks for watching
I wonder if there's a certain ratio if you mix those were you would get the ideal combination like how they have the right ideal mix of alloys to get a super steel. If you ever get a chance with some extra compounds left over mix it up with some other that you have on hand and see if it makes a difference I would too but my idea of diamonds dropping is letting the weight of a diamond sharpener drag across the Apex feather touch as much as possible to improvise definitely not a strop but the leather belt after that helps some. Thanks for the info.
I'm not real experienced but it sounds like the 'diamond' paste would be excellent for Magnacut, D2 and other hard metals. Should be great for axes too with their thicker profiles. I'd be cautious about using the diamond paste on high end knife edges of standard metals - may lead to excessive wear via metal removal as diamond sharpeners tend to do. I do know that much as I've seen what excessive sharpening with diamond based sharpeners can do. Great gear shop Dave! 👍
You are absolutely right, diamond paste is best used on the harder steels. But, at least this paste is a very micron and not too aggressive. I'm glad you liked it and thanks for watching Paul
Having an abrasive suspended in leather treatment for leather strop seems like a good idea to me...> Variable between the knives & axe = type of steel = different effect on stropping = lines vs mirror + more bevel surface on axe...🤔 Guessing the axe is 1075 or 1095...??? Knives = 80CrV2(Had to look it up on the Terava Skrama...🧐) Just following a path of logic with more of a mirror finish on axe...You have probably sharpened & stropped more different types of steels & grinds using various methods than most of us. 🤓
Diamonds in leather conditioner is definitley a good idea in my opinion. I have no idea what that axe material is but its a Council tool from North Carolina. Thanks for watching
Champagne and Tryptophan loaded turkey Should be outlawed! I had fresh brewed Dalmayers and desert ready and we fell asleep. I woke up and it’s dark outside, the coffee is cold and Chris is talking in his sleep ZI watched and ‘Diamonds are a girl’s best friend.’ My Helle Viking has more lines than What he’s mumbling right now. I made fresh coffee, we’ll watch it again together. Amanda
if you want to get the lines out, use a finer stone when you sharpen. do it be grits to 3000 grit then strop. much smoother without so many lines. JMHO
I agree 100% whenever I'm sharpening with stones. I had to use a factory grind with no touching up on this video so I could evenly compare these two stropping compounds
Nice video, Dave. It would only make sense that the diamond paste would polish the edge. And any polishing / stropping is gonna make the edge sharper. I use the green then white on my stropping. But there are compounds that would take an edge on sharper. I've just never gone further than the white compound. I tried red jewelers rouge, nice but makes a mess. It's nice to have that "razor" edge on some blades. And if you use that blade, of course it'll need sharpening again. Makes you wonder if that's the reason we use a knife, just so it can be sharpened again. God bless y'all and stay safe out there in the wilderness. Y'all have a nice Thanksgiving.
Thanks for the great comment! Glad you enjoyed it. I've never seen a need to ho finer that the green or white. I think they make a pink? Black or red on denim really slicks up an axe. Take care and thanks for watching Brian
I just use the red and black stick on different leather strops. 1,5 micron and 0,6 micron. Mora and kitchen knives. Works excellent. No need for gadgets. I use what works and is not overpriced.
@@Reallybigmonkey1 I get that. I was wondering about the diamond paste myself. And as another mentioned Outdoors55 claimed it to be 'better'. Better is relative. A comment on a razor shaving forum: On most razors the .50 Cr is going to give the overall best, and smoothest results.... Some of us use a combonation on the razor, with a .50 Diamond followed by the .50 Cr Now to be fair there are certain razors and certain steels that really shine from a .25 diamond paste, they will hold that fine of a edge, and not mircochip, or breakdown too fast. But in general, and for most people, the .50 Cr is a perfect finish......
Valliant effort at using the magnifying glasses. The difference in the sound when on the same piece of wood is interesting. I would like to suggest that you use a more indirect or diffuse lighting when trying to video shiny metal. The light does not have to be bright in order to see the surfaces of the metal. Probably the eye compensates better than the camera with wide variations in brightness. The brain apparently works better at removing glare. Always instructive and entertaining. Thanks for another great video.
I need to get some new compound. I’ll try the diamond stuff. I want to make a strop too but I have to find some leather. I keep my eye out if someone wants s throwing out a leather couch or something like that. Coats.
Thanks for the comparison. Do you think those remaining vertical score lines act like a saw when cutting? Seems like when sharpening knives and chisels using diamond coated whetstones VS Arkansas whetstones, the diamond goes a lot easier (also). But the Arkansas stones last years longer.
Just for looking you'd think those score lines would act like a saw but, the very edge is truly like a smooth razor. I did a very lousy job of capturing that edge on video under magnification so it doesn't show well. I absolutely love my Arkansas stones for certain blades. Thanks for the comments and thanks for watching Ken
Free tip for anyone who is reading comments, when on the go, I'm not sure if light weight and durability makes a titanium spoon seem worth it, but the mat finishing makes it really good for slight resharpening or at least bur removal from the knife blade, it does wear down and titanium in food is not better than in toothpaste, just needed to point out that just to be sure and safe; washing after stroping is recommended. Long handled might be best for thia purpose, but Even Light my fire spork with no straigt parts is long way better than tryinh to use a fingernail or actually prettu much anything that is not meant for the purpose.
Let me preface this with i personally have all the diamond stones strops and assorted compounds and have had alot more over the years never had any of the gizmos that you bolt a blade into to get that perfect angle always just freehanded , i just sometimes wonder how we got here , my grandpa was an old farmer that actually shaved with a straight razor if us kids were there we had 2 choices dont move or go outside while pa was shaving :) he did have a strop for his razor . Anything else saws,shovels,hoes,axes never went beyond a file , chisels , planes , knives he had one of those 2 sided stones that he used for those , the rule of the day seemed to be get it cutting and go back to work :) Remember Paul Sellers saying once that most of the oldtimers when he was a kid sharpened planes and chisels with a belt sander :) Not knocking you or the vid like i said i've got and use all the compounds and diamond stones strops , just no guides . Hand sharpen saws , planes , spoke shaves , knives scissors , chisels and pretty much anything that cuts . I just sometimes think to myself when i'm honing and stropping up into the thousands of grit looking for that pristine perfect edge Pa and all the other old guys i grew up around would've probably scolded me and said something like boy get that done and go back to work quit wasting time are you planning on shaving with that axe :) I'm 67 now lost pawpaw when i was 18 guess i still just miss him and those lessons in life he was more than happy to give :) I think i'm very lucky that i had someone like him in my life that farmed with mules never owned a tractor milked 15 cows by hand and put out milk for the truck that came by everyday had a small blacksmith shop made most of his own tools sometimes i think we've left alot behind with all the modern improvements that weren't so bad after all he basicly raised everything he needed and only bought some salt and spices at the store .
@@9957nite I think the main difference is years ago tools were actually used to acquire heat and food. Firewood, crop harvesting and possible for fish and game. Nowadays our tools are collectable, hand made hobby implements so we shine strop home and polish everything to show quality standards. The advent of super steels didn't help much either. Thanks for the comments and thanks for watching
@@Reallybigmonkey1 Love your channel and content been watching for years now . Just got me thinking about Grandpa today , like i said i'm glad i grew up in the time i did and place too with him and his 3 brothers all within shouting distance of each other their whole lives those old guys could teach you some stuff and give you grief if you got outta line too . He taught me everything i know about using and maintaining hand tools and how too behave also , his rule was tell you once then reinforce through your backside if you forgot , learned not to slam his screen door that way and several other lessons :)
‘Honing’ and ‘stropping’ are technically two different procedures. But realigning an edge Will remove some material. I stared at lithic materials under a microscope sorting out if they cut animal, mineral or vegetable ( and missionary) were they retouched or even cultural artifacts until I wasn’t sharp enough to use correct terms in my notes- and I was a lit minor. It’s just semantics
I've experimented with stropping, honing and polishing edges then viewing them under a microscope. Some methods achieve incredible results and some do nothing. I tried using my camera on my microscope for this video and it didn't work
Are all green honing compounds the same. I know there's white and red rouge and brown and black and they're all different. I have two different white compounds and they're different. Happy Thanksgiving Dave. Gobble gobble gobble!
I’m not sure but I've always heard the color is supposed to be vindictive of the grit it is. Each manufacturer might vary. Thanks for watching and a Happy Thanksgiving to you too Ralph
dave, i find that if you sharpen just one side of a knife it gets sharper that if you sharpen both sides,,,,,am I missing something or is this true ? my SILKY NATA knife is sharp on one side only,,,,,,,,is there something to this ? let me know your thoughts about this sharpening technique.....
There's two different Natas. The one sided version is for chopping slicing and carving. Theres another double sided version for splitting. Generally if you strop one side you can get by with that but if you stone sharpen one side only you'll likely leave a burr
Dave, you really need to write a book!
Id love to one day! Thanks for watching
YES ...... great comment. I would definitely pre-pay for it. It would be the bible of outdoorsmanship.
@@ColinNew-pf5ix me too
@@r.jacksonmacready3879 I second that motion
Difference is green compound is around 0.5 micron where the diamond paste you are using is 6 micron (the 6 on the bottom of the bottle) so it will cut faster. You will notice a big difference on supersteels vs regular ones due to the hardness along with wear resistance. If you only ever use normal or what is considered budget steels green compound will be fine, just takes longer to produce the same result. The micron range for diamond emulsion goes from 0.25 micron all the way up to 12 micton. The higher the number the more coarse it cuts. Lower the number the more fine it will be. 0.5 micron is around 45000 grit sandpaper, 1 micron = 22000 grit, 3 micron = 7000 grit, 6 micron = 3000 grit, and 12 Micron = 1500 grit. To give an idea as to what to expect from your compound compared to sandpaper. Thanks for the great vid and keep making sharp things fun and enjoyable.
Thank you for the info Todd!
Can you hone straight razors?
Ive grown to hate most super steels
There are a couple strsight razor forums online . They have serious experts
I do learn a lot from these types of videos you make in your gear room. I know they aren't the most popular, but I do appreciate it.
Fantastic to hear that man!
Hey! They’re popular with all if us. Dave’s subscribers are better looking , 6” taller and have higher IQs
Amanda
I don't know about all of his subscribers, but I'm also named Dave, and I certainly fit that profile.
You know they aren't the most popular?
I didn't get that at all.
I love all his videos. This has been my favorite bushcraft channel for a very long time. He is one of the very few creators whose long videos I actually enjoy.
I'm a decent hand at sharpening maybe because I've always tried to learn from people who have skills I don't. Dave, you've got a lot of skills. Your leather working and sewing, etc. are inspirational. I appreciate you. Give Nick a howdy.
I really appreciate that, I'm always learning new things myself. Nick says Heeyoo and Thanks for watching!
Dave, you are my favorite youtuber!!! You cover everything that a guy at home or in the the woods , needs to think about. Thanks.
Fantastic to hear that my friend!
Mine too!
Dave , your knowledge is pure gold for the rest of us!!! Thank you for sharing with us !!!!!!
Fantastic to hear that and Im glad you liked it!
I've learned so much about sharpening from you Dave. I still suck at it. Your methodical approach and patient teachers voice make for good instructional videos. Thanks for sharing your techniques.
Fantastic to hear that Steve and Thanks for watching
Thanks Dave. I can't believe how much I've learned watching over the years. You just added to it again. I hope I'm not like Kelly Bundy and when something new comes in, then some of the old stuff gets pushed out! Aloha Nick!
Im glad you liked it. Lol, lets hope you aint like Kelly Peg or Al Bundy! Thanks for watching Steve
I really enjoy your videos.
My dad was a firm believer in Sharp Knives. He made his own knives...one in particular was his skinning knife out of a spring tooth drag. He stropped his knives with a river-bottom sand that he pulverized with flat stone and mixed with 3 in 1 oil and impregnated into cow hide.
I'm glad you like the videos Jerome and your dad sounds like the kinda guy I would have loved to learn his ways! Thanks for sharing that and thanks for watching brother
You know Dave's a machinist. He knows sharp and how to sharpen medals. Thanks Dave.
That and my years of tool and die work, everything has an edge to hold there. Thanks for watching JJ
This is like a Neeves Knives video...but the country edition...LOVE IT...👊
Thanks!
Thanks, Dave, for that bit of info. Very useful. The more you know the more you benefit. Well done.
You’re welcome, my friend. Thanks for watching James
Another great video by an experienced person sharing some knowledge. Thanks Dave
@@TressaZimmerman Thank you Tressa!
Thanks for sharing Dave! Interesting topic. Greetings from Germany Torsten
You are very welcome Torsten and Im glad you liked it. Thanks for watching
As always Dave, a real pleasure to watch & learn from your videos, a very interesting subject, and this video very informative ,many thanks for posting ,greetings from the UK to you & the family
Thanks Gerald, Im glad you liked it. Thanks for watching
You always present great videos that always get me thinking! Thanks again Dave!
Fantastic to hear that! And thanks for watching Phillip
Pretty cool for sure. The leather conditioner sounds like a great idea.
Looks like the diamond wins for sure.
I'm kinda a dull guy though.
Its definitely faster! Thanks for watching
I'm sure you already know too much pressure is a bad thing, and you can actually noticeably dull the edge. I use high grit diamond to finish with and it definitely works excellently, the most important thing is the edge needs to be keen before stropping. It's amazing what all can be used for stropping a blade lol, thanks for showing!
For edge stropping I use light pressure, for actually polishing a surface and making it look cool I use high pressure. Like on the convex surface of a blade.
@Reallybigmonkey1 right lol I knew that wasn't new information for you 🤣
I learn a lot from you and your channel Dave,thanks all the best from chilly England ❤
Glad to hear it! And thanks for watching Peter
I love these comparison videos. The results are normally subjective but, I will always take your word for such things. AND ... I never knew you could put two magnifying glasses together. I learn so much by watching your channel. Thank you for another informative, fair, and interesting video.
Fantastic to hear that Mark and Im glad you liked it Brother!
I always like to see the gear room. Nice comparison between the compounds.
Thanks! Im glad you liked it James
Around 59 years ago my older brother at 13, rolled diamond solution onto aluminum grinding wheels for an inventer. Called them Diamond Laps. The man found a market for them.
I’ve been partial to diamond for sharpening ever since. I don’t remember anything being available to buy until mid 80s or later.Thanks for this interesting video.
Thanks for sharing that story. Diamond laps sound pretty cool!
Yep, you can see the difference for sure....if you can see it, then its doing it thing. You remind me of an uncle of mine.. that man KNEW how to sharpen a blade. Take care and thank you Brother Dave. Thumbs-up video ~John
I think it looks slicker and was a lot easier to do! Im glad you liked it. Thanks for watching Brother John
I always appreciate these technical videos from Mr RBM1! Happy friday and blessings to all!
Thanks, Im glad you liked it. Thanks for watching
Very interesting and informative video. Thanks for teaching us something new to try
Thanks Matt, Im glad you liked it. Thanks for watching
Dave , I love your stuff. Good to see you man. Thanks for your efforts.
Thanks for watching!
Diamond grit leather conditioner... sounds like you could weaponize a jacket with it!
"Stop rubbing your elbow on my face, it hurts!"
"Don't worry, it'll make your piercings shiny.."
And, that knife display is sick!
That is one way to think about it, good one! Lol.
Nice one Dave. Most interesting THANKS 👍
Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for watching David
Really cool comparison testing. I might need to get some of the diamond paste
As always... thanks for the great information. #keepitburning Dave! 🔥🔥🔥
I'm glad you liked it and give it a try if you can! Thanks for watching brother
Very interesting test Dave! Green is what I always strop with, it’s supposed to be somewhere between 15-30,000 grit. I always used black on a sisal wheel for initial because, if memory serves, it’s around 600 grit. Green is great for leather stropping or on a loose muslin wheel. Great job, as always, have a great weekend my friend!
Green does most chores but I was wanting to try this diamond paste. Im glad you liked it. Thanks for watching
Always learn something different with Dave’s videos.
Fantastic to hear that my friend
Thanks for everything Dave. 🙏🏼
Thanks for watching Wes
Putting a fine edge on metal is hard and a skill most people don't have. I've only had good luck with a smiths diamond sharpener and my old hickory knives. Good video. Hope to try this.
It definitely takes time to learn how and Im glad you liked it. Thanks for watching Sam
Your gear room reminds me of John Wick where he selects the tools of his craft. 😆. Everything is in a hidden compartment that flips out. Great video, Dave. I will have to try that diamond paste. I'm working on building a knife sharpener.
I wish my gear room was that cool! I need some hidden compartments now. Lol. I'm glad you liked it and thanks for watching
I absolutely love the diamond stropping paste. On one of my camp knives I put that diamond paste on the edge of the leather sheath. It works fantastic when I need a touch-up out in the woods. Works a lot faster than the old emory stick I used to use. Awesome video sir! I learn SO MUCH from your videos. ✌️
Thanks, I'm glad you liked the video and thats a great idea adding the diamond paste to your sheath!Thanks for watching Jim
Thanks!
Thanks for watching
Way cool video, Dave and thanks. Your video is much appreciated . I'll still cheat and use a buffer . Hope your weekend is Super.
I appreciate that and thanks for watching!
For examining edges, I bought an inexpensive 40x24mm jeweler’s loupe off of Amazon. It has a built in white led light and a black led light. Works great
I have one at work with my machinist tools, they do work great and I need one at home!
I've never tried diamond paste before. Once you get the edge you want. The easiest way that I've found to maintain it is with either a glass rod or if you can't find one of those is a polished steel. The bad thing is if you've never used a steel there can be a bit of a learning curve. While you're using your blade a couple of passes is usually all it takes to keep that polished edge you worked hard to get at home. That way when you get done with your work for the day it's much easier to repair your edge if you accidentally rolled the edge past the point of what your polished steel or glass rod could fix. Sorry for rattling on again. Great video and now I'm interested in trying out some diamond compound. God bless and stay safe.
I’ve heard good things about using a steel for a maintenance edge, Nick uses steels daily on his meat cutting knives. Thanks for watching and may God bless you too Rich
Dave, another great video. Thanks for sharing 👍 Happy Thanksgiving!! To Nick also.
Happy Thanksgiving to you as well my friend! Thanks for watching!
Good morning David. I enjoyed watching. I’ll have to give it a try. You have a very impressive knife and machete collection. I recently obtained a Disston US 1945 machete. That thing seems like a good machete. Good metal.I’m going to clean it up and sharpen it. Appreciate you friend!🙂👍
Good morning and Im glad you liked it. I cant stop from buying knives and machetes! Thanks for watching
Interesting comparison video Dave , thanks for sharing , YAH bless brother !
Thanks Michael, Im glad you liked it. Thanks for watching
Thank you Dave and Happy Thanksgiving!
You are very welcome and a Happy Thanksgiving to you too!
I never considered this, now I'll have to try it. Thanks!
Fantastic to hear that!
I have used various stropping compounds over the years and in my opinion diamond compounds are superior to all other compounds. With simple steels the difference in effectiveness is not great, but with super steels the difference is enormous. I have been using diamond compounds from Stroppy Stuff for some time, 6 micron, 1 micron and 0.25 micron. I also use various stroppings, soft leather, hard leather, soft wood (linden) and hard wood (oak). Of course the preparatory work is also very important, a well ground cutting edge, for the rough work I use diamond plates from Atoma (140 and 400 grit, I also have 600 and 1200 grit) and for the fine work I use Shapton Pro Ceramic Stones (1000, 2000 and 5000 grit).
I can agree with everything you said. Ive used hardwood for stropping in the past and its amazing how well it works.
BUENOS FREAKING DIAS DAVE ITS BEEN A WHILE SINCE I've watched you and your fantastic channel and content !
Nearly everytime I watch, I truly learn something new from you; case in point how you strop versus how I was and had been doing it. It ( your method) is much more advantageous than mine. Great info. Your applied knowledge is tremendously appreciated! Have a fantastic Thanksgiving my friend !
Big Time Regards from Arizona!
Hello Bruce and Im glad you liked it! I strop machetes and knives differently, and usually go by the blade size and length. Thanks for watching and a Happy thanksgiving to you too!
My standard kitchen knives are in real need of a re-sharp. Thanks for reminding me. Thanksgiving is coming fast and we will use them.
I’m glad I could help! Thanks for watching and a Happy Thanksgiving to you
Another great video. I truly enjoy the videos in the gear room and appreciate the info. Thank you Brother and I hope that you have a great Thanksgiving!! Tom from Tn.
Thanks Tom, Im glad you liked it. Thanks for watching and a Happy Thanksgiving to you too!
great video Dave. entertaining and informative.
@@bladesmith3 Thanks brother!
I have used a diamond 'steel' hone for years: it IS quicker than an oxide-coated strop. Both ways work fine enough for practical applications. My eyes on your video: the diamond paste took out more scratches BUT not necessarily along the identical edges. Your level of stropping is definitely for knife lovers and rainy afternoons!
I agree, diamond paste seems to be more efficient for getting an edge back in shape. Thanks for the comments and thanks for watching James
Hi Dave, thanks for the video. I haven't heard of diamond stropping compound before. I'd like to give that a try. Take care and have a great Thanksgiving! 👍
Thanks for watching and Happy Thanksgiving to you as well Jeff!
Another good video a sharp knife is so important my Dad always said a dull Knife is the one that will cut you If it's easer to use then we will tend to use it more I tend to be a little laze with sharpening my blades I think this might move me along faster I do enjoy your videos
Thanks, Im glad you liked it and I agree! With a dull blade it sure takes a lot of pressure, Thanks for watching
Right on Dave, I haven't graduated to stropping just yet. I can get my knives shave ya sharp with the stone now so it's probably a good time to start stropping them so they can be surgery sharp haha. Thanks for sharing Dave. I appreciate it man.
It's a great way to take your edge to the next level! Stropping makes a good carving knife into a great carving knife. Thanks for watching
Thanks again for filming Dave. 😁👍🏼
Any time! Thanks for watching
Haven’t tried a diamond compound yet. I do cheat for polishing by using a 1” belt sander with 2000 grit sandpaper and it works really well. I don’t get out in the woods much these days so my tools don’t get used to often.
I had no idea they made belts with that high of a grit! But it sounds good to me
@ your reply made me doubt my post. I’m sorry but I was wrong. I went out to the shop this morning and saw it’s 1500. It still helps to get a mirror finish. You really need to watch the heat.
I do still use a strop I picked up at an estate sale. It’s quite old and came with a thin box that included a straight razor which was a bonus. I haven’t added any compound to it and it does the trick. Have a great weekend Dave!
Thanks Dave...Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!!!!
Thanks for watching and a Happy Thanksgiving to you too!
Always enjoy your videos bud, always learn something also 😊😊 keep up your great videos.
Fantastic to hear that and thanks for watching Richard!
I always enjoy your content. The diamond paste is amazing.
I've been using a Lansky setup for a while now and found the blue sapphire (20K grit) stone does the same to my edges as you found with the diamond. I deburr on a piece of bass wood. I know one CS knife is razor sharp because I cut my hand on it when it flipped over in the vise when setting it down. I reached for it again, but didn't see it was blade edge up. It didn't even hurt. It only stung a little, but cut a 6" long razor edge cut on the swell of my palm. That blade has a mirror polished edge.
Thanks, I'm glad you liked it and man when you cant feel a cut that is super sharp! Thanks for the comments and thanks for watching
Hope you and your family have a great Thanksgiving, Dave.
@@jamescrowe7892 Thank you James and a Happy Thanksgiving to you too!
I think both of them are equally good. Thanks for Sharing.
You bet, just one is a little easier. thanks for watching!
Love the Skrama!
It's an excellent chopper!
Neat video Dave! I'd be curious to see you take a blade and use the green compound first, and follow up with the diamond compound after. Have an awesome weekend and say hello to Nick.
I might try that out for a future video! Nick says Heeyoo and thanks for watching
I made a strop out of aluminum bar with leather glued to each side. One has a black emery compound on it and the other red rouge compound. I start with black side to polish out scratches and rouge side to produce a mirror finish on the edge.......takes a minute though...diamond paste seems to be quicker.
Sounds like a great idea!
I think the diamond works better on the axe due to it being softer steel .6, I think, means the micron scale ,God bless you and your family and happy camping 🏕 😀 😊 😄 🙏. Lee
Could be but, diamonds actually excel on super steels and really hard blades. Thanks for watching and may God bless you too Lee!
We use a 1500 grit diamond wheel to polish quartz at work. This is to get a smooth surface to create a joint that will handle a vacuum.
Very interesting!
Suddenly I have this popping in my head.
Diamonds are a guy's best friend
With the well known music behind it lol
Lol, in this case that's true! Thanks for watching Steve
I find now when I'm sharpening stuff I mentally narrate the process in a southern accent. 🙂
Lol! sounds good to me!
Same
I think a diamond paste impregnated strop is kinda like a diamond plate X strop hybrid.
It's basically just using different bases for the same cutting material. I would expect the diamond dust to cut way better than the abrasives used in stropping compounds. It was an interesting comparison I think.
I've always liked that style of axe and hatchets more than other types. Some people call it a German style axe. They just seem to work better to me except for really big axes of that style. They cut deeper than the others but then stick. So you spend more time than its worth constantly getting them unstuck.
Good points, and they do seem to cut faster. I think the German style of axe shape is called Rhine pattern. At least thats what my Ochsenkopf is called. Thanks for the comments and thanks for watching brother
Thank you for doing this comparison. I’ve wondered if there would be a difference between diamond and oxide stropping. The difference between the two seems to be the leather conditioner. I would expect leather conditioner in the diamond compound to act like a lubricant thus making it easier to strop the edge. I’m planning to use leather conditioner on my strop before applying my oxide polishing compound to see if it makes a difference. Thank you again for giving me this idea.
I’ve wondered the same thing about leather conditioner and oxide, I’m curious to hear about your results! It definitely seemed easier to me. Thanks for the comments and thanks for watching
Great video buddy
Im glad you liked it. Thanks for watching Deano
I wonder if there's a certain ratio if you mix those were you would get the ideal combination like how they have the right ideal mix of alloys to get a super steel. If you ever get a chance with some extra compounds left over mix it up with some other that you have on hand and see if it makes a difference I would too but my idea of diamonds dropping is letting the weight of a diamond sharpener drag across the Apex feather touch as much as possible to improvise definitely not a strop but the leather belt after that helps some. Thanks for the info.
Good thinking and along with what you said, it doesnt take much pressure for these diamonds to work.
Pretty interesting.. thanks for the video brother
Thanks for watching and glad you enjoyed it Mark!
I'm not real experienced but it sounds like the 'diamond' paste would be excellent for Magnacut, D2 and other hard metals. Should be great for axes too with their thicker profiles. I'd be cautious about using the diamond paste on high end knife edges of standard metals - may lead to excessive wear via metal removal as diamond sharpeners tend to do. I do know that much as I've seen what excessive sharpening with diamond based sharpeners can do. Great gear shop Dave! 👍
You are absolutely right, diamond paste is best used on the harder steels. But, at least this paste is a very micron and not too aggressive. I'm glad you liked it and thanks for watching Paul
Having an abrasive suspended in leather treatment for leather strop seems like a good idea to me...> Variable between the knives & axe = type of steel = different effect on stropping = lines vs mirror + more bevel surface on axe...🤔 Guessing the axe is 1075 or 1095...??? Knives = 80CrV2(Had to look it up on the Terava Skrama...🧐) Just following a path of logic with more of a mirror finish on axe...You have probably sharpened & stropped more different types of steels & grinds using various methods than most of us. 🤓
Diamonds in leather conditioner is definitley a good idea in my opinion. I have no idea what that axe material is but its a Council tool from North Carolina. Thanks for watching
Very cool!
Thanks, Im glad you liked it.
Champagne and Tryptophan loaded turkey
Should be outlawed! I had fresh brewed Dalmayers and desert ready and we fell asleep.
I woke up and it’s dark outside, the coffee is cold and Chris is talking in his sleep ZI watched and ‘Diamonds are a girl’s best friend.’ My Helle Viking has more lines than
What he’s mumbling right now. I made fresh coffee, we’ll watch it again together.
Amanda
Oh dont waste that coffee! Maybe have cold coffee for the evening? See yall later Amanda!
Thank you.
Thanks for watching
if you want to get the lines out, use a finer stone when you sharpen. do it be grits to 3000 grit then strop. much smoother without so many lines. JMHO
I agree 100% whenever I'm sharpening with stones. I had to use a factory grind with no touching up on this video so I could evenly compare these two stropping compounds
Nice video, Dave. It would only make sense that the diamond paste would polish the edge. And any polishing / stropping is gonna make the edge sharper.
I use the green then white on my stropping. But there are compounds that would take an edge on sharper. I've just never gone further than the white compound.
I tried red jewelers rouge, nice but makes a mess.
It's nice to have that "razor" edge on some blades. And if you use that blade, of course it'll need sharpening again. Makes you wonder if that's the reason we use a knife, just so it can be sharpened again.
God bless y'all and stay safe out there in the wilderness.
Y'all have a nice Thanksgiving.
Thanks for the great comment! Glad you enjoyed it. I've never seen a need to ho finer that the green or white. I think they make a pink? Black or red on denim really slicks up an axe. Take care and thanks for watching Brian
I just use the red and black stick on different leather strops.
1,5 micron and 0,6 micron.
Mora and kitchen knives.
Works excellent.
No need for gadgets. I use what works and is not overpriced.
Sounds good to me. I like testing new things from time to time
@@Reallybigmonkey1
I get that.
I was wondering about the diamond paste myself.
And as another mentioned Outdoors55 claimed it to be 'better'.
Better is relative.
A comment on a razor shaving forum:
On most razors the .50 Cr is going to give the overall best, and smoothest results.... Some of us use a combonation on the razor, with a .50 Diamond followed by the .50 Cr
Now to be fair there are certain razors and certain steels that really shine from a .25 diamond paste, they will hold that fine of a edge, and not mircochip, or breakdown too fast.
But in general, and for most people, the .50 Cr is a perfect finish......
Valliant effort at using the magnifying glasses. The difference in the sound when on the same piece of wood is interesting. I would like to suggest that you use a more indirect or diffuse lighting when trying to video shiny metal. The light does not have to be bright in order to see the surfaces of the metal. Probably the eye compensates better than the camera with wide variations in brightness. The brain apparently works better at removing glare. Always instructive and entertaining. Thanks for another great video.
Sometimes its very hard to pick up things through a camera, especially through a magnifying lens
I’ll have to look him up that’s for sharing
Sounds good, Thanks for watching Harold
If I ever got into your gear room, I’d have to wear a bib to keep the drool off my shirt.
Lol! I know what you mean. There's just so much cool stuff in there.
Hey Dave, Happy Tha nksgiving . It's the same paste as is used for diamond saw blades, and gemstone work.
@@mixmediaproductions Thanks and a Happy Thanksgiving to you too!
I need to get some new compound. I’ll try the diamond stuff. I want to make a strop too but I have to find some leather. I keep my eye out if someone wants s throwing out a leather couch or something like that. Coats.
Anything leather works, old boots, pocket books, and yes couch cushion covers! Thanks for watching
Thanks for the comparison. Do you think those remaining vertical score lines act like a saw when cutting?
Seems like when sharpening knives and chisels using diamond coated whetstones VS Arkansas whetstones, the diamond goes a lot easier (also). But the Arkansas stones last years longer.
Just for looking you'd think those score lines would act like a saw but, the very edge is truly like a smooth razor. I did a very lousy job of capturing that edge on video under magnification so it doesn't show well. I absolutely love my Arkansas stones for certain blades. Thanks for the comments and thanks for watching Ken
Free tip for anyone who is reading comments, when on the go, I'm not sure if light weight and durability makes a titanium spoon seem worth it, but the mat finishing makes it really good for slight resharpening or at least bur removal from the knife blade, it does wear down and titanium in food is not better than in toothpaste, just needed to point out that just to be sure and safe; washing after stroping is recommended.
Long handled might be best for thia purpose, but Even Light my fire spork with no straigt parts is long way better than tryinh to use a fingernail or actually prettu much anything that is not meant for the purpose.
If this somehow makes You get a titanium spoon it is not free, just the tip.
Oh, and might not last long or at all with super alloys, I don't have anything like that to even try.
Thanks for the info
Diamonds remove steel 10x faster than stones ect. So it is equal to 10x the strokes of the green paste
Good point
I am certain that the easier glide is due to the oily base of the leather conditioner and has very little to due with the abrasive.
You may be right, thanks for watching!
Let me preface this with i personally have all the diamond stones strops and assorted compounds and have had alot more over the years never had any of the gizmos that you bolt a blade into to get that perfect angle always just freehanded , i just sometimes wonder how we got here , my grandpa was an old farmer that actually shaved with a straight razor if us kids were there we had 2 choices dont move or go outside while pa was shaving :) he did have a strop for his razor . Anything else saws,shovels,hoes,axes never went beyond a file , chisels , planes , knives he had one of those 2 sided stones that he used for those , the rule of the day seemed to be get it cutting and go back to work :) Remember Paul Sellers saying once that most of the oldtimers when he was a kid sharpened planes and chisels with a belt sander :) Not knocking you or the vid like i said i've got and use all the compounds and diamond stones strops , just no guides . Hand sharpen saws , planes , spoke shaves , knives scissors , chisels and pretty much anything that cuts . I just sometimes think to myself when i'm honing and stropping up into the thousands of grit looking for that pristine perfect edge Pa and all the other old guys i grew up around would've probably scolded me and said something like boy get that done and go back to work quit wasting time are you planning on shaving with that axe :) I'm 67 now lost pawpaw when i was 18 guess i still just miss him and those lessons in life he was more than happy to give :) I think i'm very lucky that i had someone like him in my life that farmed with mules never owned a tractor milked 15 cows by hand and put out milk for the truck that came by everyday had a small blacksmith shop made most of his own tools sometimes i think we've left alot behind with all the modern improvements that weren't so bad after all he basicly raised everything he needed and only bought some salt and spices at the store .
@@9957nite I think the main difference is years ago tools were actually used to acquire heat and food. Firewood, crop harvesting and possible for fish and game. Nowadays our tools are collectable, hand made hobby implements so we shine strop home and polish everything to show quality standards. The advent of super steels didn't help much either. Thanks for the comments and thanks for watching
@@Reallybigmonkey1 Love your channel and content been watching for years now . Just got me thinking about Grandpa today , like i said i'm glad i grew up in the time i did and place too with him and his 3 brothers all within shouting distance of each other their whole lives those old guys could teach you some stuff and give you grief if you got outta line too . He taught me everything i know about using and maintaining hand tools and how too behave also , his rule was tell you once then reinforce through your backside if you forgot , learned not to slam his screen door that way and several other lessons :)
👍👍 God bless y’all 🙏✌️
Thanks for watching and may God bless you too
My condolences to his family, this video was made just one day before he died, so sad, I will miss him.
You are referring to David McIntyre, correct? David Pearson is still alive. There's been some confusion on it lately
Awesome!👍🇨🇦😎
Thanks my friend!
If I use the strop on mild cheddar cheese, will it become sharp cheddar cheese? 😬 I hope you and your family have an awesome Thanksgiving.
Lol, I guess so. Thanks for watching and a Happy thanksgiving to you too
‘Honing’ and ‘stropping’ are technically two different procedures. But realigning an edge
Will remove some material. I stared at lithic materials under a microscope sorting out if they cut animal, mineral or vegetable ( and missionary) were they retouched or even cultural artifacts until I wasn’t sharp enough to use correct terms in my notes- and I was a lit minor. It’s just semantics
I've experimented with stropping, honing and polishing edges then viewing them under a microscope. Some methods achieve incredible results and some do nothing. I tried using my camera on my microscope for this video and it didn't work
very interesting 👍
I polish brass with toothpaste, which could also be interesting for this use, or an aluminum block instead of the leather
Interesting! Toothpaste is a mild abrasive polish. I gotta try that now!
@@Reallybigmonkey1 I don't know how well it works on a knife but it wil certainly gives it a fresh smell 🙂
I hope you have a stropping good day.
Lol, thanks!
👍
Thanks!
Are all green honing compounds the same. I know there's white and red rouge and brown and black and they're all different. I have two different white compounds and they're different. Happy Thanksgiving Dave. Gobble gobble gobble!
I’m not sure but I've always heard the color is supposed to be vindictive of the grit it is. Each manufacturer might vary. Thanks for watching and a Happy Thanksgiving to you too Ralph
dave, i find that if you sharpen just one side of a knife it gets sharper that if you sharpen both sides,,,,,am I missing something or is this true ?
my SILKY NATA knife is sharp on one side only,,,,,,,,is there something to this ? let me know your thoughts about this sharpening technique.....
There's two different Natas. The one sided version is for chopping slicing and carving. Theres another double sided version for splitting. Generally if you strop one side you can get by with that but if you stone sharpen one side only you'll likely leave a burr