Diamond paste

[Piecat]

I joined a while ago, but had not yet asked or contributed anything yet.
I'm a pensioner living on Vancouver Island, Canada, and have only recently started with model engineering. I have a Taig mini-lathe as well as various other useful tools and equipment.

Question:
I picked up a small tin with approximately two tablespoons of 100 grit diamond paste in it (more diamond than paste!).
What practical applications are there for this paste in the model-engineering environment, and how is it used?

Any advice will be welcome.

Pierre

 

[lastpatriot]

My x-wife would use it as a facial cream, then discard it.
(I have to pay for it of coarse).

 

[sssfox]

I apply it to a flat piece of wood and use it as a final hone on hand plane and chisel blades. The paste I have is .5 micron though. I wouldn't have a use for 100 grit.

 

[Tin Falcon]

diamond paste is used for lapping. lapping is the truing of a surface . the lapping paste is held on a relatively soft surface and if gently grinds away at a harder surface. a wood or lead lap would be used for lapping say aluminum and a iron lap used for truing or sharpening carbide.
100 is fairly coarse.
if the paste is dried out you may need to reconstitute it with oil or water. Whatever the original solvent was.
Tin

 

[lensman57]

Hi,

Diamond paste is used for lapping and polishing metals as far as model engineering is concerned. Tin's reply just about sums it up. Your 100 grit is very coarse, it may have been onced used for starting the lapping process or ginding a tool steel perhaps, as normally diamond pastes used for polishing cylinders are of much finer grade at about 600 and upwards or at least that is what I use.

Regards,

A.G

 

[don-tucker]

I used to use diamond lapping paste in different grades to lap carbide dies to sizs,we use it on a turned brass lap that we split to give it a bit of spring.
That grade would be too coarse for that use though.Can't think of any use in model engineering but you never know.
Don

 

[Tin Falcon]

100 grit is a bit coarse . make some tiny rings and set the diamonds in them. diamond rings for barbie dolls lol.
Tin