Atoma Diamond Sheets

[Phil Mueller]

I didn’t want to side track another diamond stone thread, but was wondering if anyone has purchased the Atoma Diamond Sheets and attached them to the underside of an EZlap or DMT diamond plate. I ask because I’d like to try the Atoma, and currently have the DMT.

I understand the issue of plate flatness, etc. But will the adhesive Atoma supplies on their sheets stick to the DMT plates? I assume so, but was just curious if anyone else has done this.

[Tom M King]

I have a couple stuck to a granite surface plate. I was set up in the kitchen sink in the basement of a museum house I was working on, and in that limited space, I used water stones, in a holder, on top of that plate with the Atoma sheets on it. It saw almost daily use with running water on top of it (not for flattening every day).

Since then, it's gone back on my regular sharpening sink, and does not stay under running water all the time I'm sharpening-only when they are being used. I know one is 400, and the other is 120 or 150 -don't remember exactly. The 400 gets used a lot on stones 6k, and finer, which are almost always the only stones I use anyway. The coarse one has seen little use.

I use them for flattening the water stones.

Long story shortened, they're still just like new. The coarse one is not normally stocked by Stuart, and it took a little extra time to get it, but I knew that to start with.

The granite plate is one I bought on sale from Woodcraft, and is flat to .001mm, with that as a hump in the middle of the 9x12 inch plate, as shown on the surface map it came with-in short, damned flat.

I don't know, but would expect the adhesive to stick to any clean surface.

[Phil Mueller]

Thank you Tom. Great idea just sticking them to a granite plate. Appreciate the input!
Phil

[Patrick Chase]

I didn’t want to side track another diamond stone thread, but was wondering if anyone has purchased the Atoma Diamond Sheets and attached them to the underside of an EZlap or DMT diamond plate. I ask because I’d like to try the Atoma, and currently have the DMT.

I understand the issue of plate flatness, etc. But will the adhesive Atoma supplies on their sheets stick to the DMT plates? I assume so, but was just curious if anyone else has done this.

Are you talking about the flexible sheets or the replacement plate surfaces? Either would stick just fine, but the flexible surfaces are more expensive and it would be a waste of money to just stick one of those to a flat plate. I'd get a replacement surface and stick that to the back of your plate instead. I have a couple "double-sided Atoma plates" that I made that way.

Just make sure to lap the surface you're going to stick it to or else you'll be throwing a bunch of precision away.

[Tom M King]

Here are the ones I have. After looking at this page, my coarse one must be 140. I wanted larger than the replacement sheets for the plates, and use the 100 x 200 size (or about 4x8 inches). I think mine are a little over 4 years old, with no sign of wear yet.

http://www.toolsfromjapan.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=335_462_544

[Patrick Chase]

Here are the ones I have. After looking at this page, my coarse one must be 140. I wanted larger than the replacement sheets for the plates, and use the 100 x 200 size (or about 4x8 inches). I think mine are a little over 4 years old, with no sign of wear yet.

http://www.toolsfromjapan.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=335_462_544

That's the flexible stuff.

To see what I mean about economics, compare that sheet at Y12,500 for 200 cm^2 to this replacement surface (http://www.toolsfromjapan.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=335_462_464&products_id=1201) at Y6,800 for 158 cm^2. The flexible sheets are about 45% more expensive per unit area. They're also a bit less tolerant of abuse, as the diamond is bonded to a very thin copper foil which you can pierce if you nick it with a blade corner (you can do this even after the foil has been mounted, because it's then "suspended" above the flexible PSA layer, which has enough "give" to allow a corner to penetrate). The replacement surface bonds the diamonds to a 1 mm stainless steel sheet, and is pretty bombproof.

I've use the foil for curved dressing tools, for example to create/maintain dedicated waterstone slips with specific tool profiles

[Phil Mueller]

Thanks Patrick, yes, I was looking at the replacement plates.

[Patrick Chase]

Thanks Patrick, yes, I was looking at the replacement plates.

I use those a lot. Like I said earlier in the thread I've made some double-sided Atomas with them, and I've also stuck them to float glass in the past.

The only thing to be aware of is that the plate can sag a little between the 3 adhesive strips over time, which degrades its flatness (which is outstanding out of the box). That really only happens if you apply too much pressure with tools, but that's why Stu and others recommend not using the same plate for sharpening and stone-flattening.

If an Atoma plate does go out of flat then it's easy enough to delaminate the diamond surface from its backing (just bake it in an oven at 250F for an hour and carefully peel it off with a slim knife) and re-bond it with double-sided tape. I use the same Nitto 5015 tape that Atoma ships on those plates.

[Tom M King]

I wanted the wider sheets, and longer sheets, and only use it for stone flattening, so there has been no worry about tearing. Getting to deduct tool costs factors in too. I do remember wishing the plates came wider than 3 inches, and longer than the stones to flatten on it, but this has worked out fine for me. Good call on pointing out the price difference. I had forgotten.

I bought the 400 sheet first, and liked it so much I ordered the coarser one later.