The answer to this question is about as elusive as predicting which way the Dow Jones average will close tomorrow! But seriously, there are the “ten commandments” for a diamond knife to enjoy a long life, the most important ones being as fallows:

1. 1) Because of the extreme sharpness of a diamond knife edge, it should not be touched with any solid object, even for cleaning, This is controversial since some manufacturers actually recommend that the edges be cleaned with sticks of varying types. We ourselves believe such treatment accelerates the wear of a diamond knife.

2. 2) Don't let sections or the remains of sections or other debris dry down onto the knife edge. Keep the knife edge wet until it is ready for cleaning before being put to bed for the night.

3. 3) Use a diamond knife cleaner sold by several firms (including ours) specifically for this purpose, Some typical laboratory ultrasonic cleaners can have enough power to be damaging to a knife.

4. 4) Wash the knife edge one last time with distilled water, and then dry with some kind of "blast", such as from a clean duster,

5. 5) Avoid conditions of chatter at all times. Reduce chatter by varying the clearance angle or slowing the cutting speed. Other common causes of chatter are insufficient tightening of the boat in the microtome, an insufficiently tightened block, or an incompletely cured block.

6. 6) Final block trimming with a razor blade can ieave metal particles from the blade, which are of course damaging to the knife edge, This can be minimized by using a fresh razor blade each time, Then wash the end of the freshly cut block face with distilled water, followed by drying with a duster blast is the final step before the first cut with the knife, This is a final chance to wash away metal particles that could damage the knife edge.